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Arch Deal
From Hickory, NC, Arch got into broadcasting as a teenager doing play by play for the local baseball team. During his college days, he worked his way through five radio stations before finally landing a job at WSJS in Winston-Salem, where he did a little bit of everything, from news and weather to announcing.
After a few more gigs in North Carolina, he found his way to Tampa Bay and work at WSUN radio, then TV at WTVT Ch. 13 and WFLA-TV Ch. 8 where, at the latter, he worked his way up to assistant news director and anchor for the six and eleven o clock newscasts.
Arch’s face was prominent on WFLA's newscasts in the 1960s. As the anchorman for the top-rated Tampa Bay NBC affiliate, he covered all the big stories, including the Cuban revolution, the Cuban missile crisis, NATO exercises in Europe, Strike Command operations throughout the mid-East and memorable tales of flights on F4's, F100's and submarine exploits.
In 1968, the former Air Force pilot discovered another form of flight that he enjoyed, skydiving, which resulted in his tenure at WFLA being abruptly cut short when he suffered serious injuries from a parachute accident during a show at Florida's Cypress Gardens in 1975. He eventually moved from Ch. 8 to WLCY-TV Ch. 10 for two years as news director/anchor, became the airborne traffic reporter for Q105 WRBQ’s “Q-Zoo” morning show (1981-1992), and media marketing director for the Miller Brewing Company.
In 1983, Arch's skydiving hobby turned profession when hired as a member of the Miller Lite All Stars, a group of athletes and personalities who toured the country promoting Miller products. Although he retired from broadcasting in 1992, he continued to skydive every weekend until August 10, 2002 when, once again, his reserve parachute failed to slow a fall at the Zephyrhills (FL) Skydive Center.
He has run a telephone ‘on hold’ messaging company, taught mass communications at the Ybor campus of Hillsborough Community College, and hosted a radio program. He’s also written an autobiography of his broadcasting years titled, “Corporate Fall Guy: The Ups and Downs of a Television Anchor/Skydiver,” published in 2011.
Arch passed away from a dinnertime choking situation March 13, 2020 at 88.
Station History
1981 - 1992 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (Traffic Reporter)
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