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Naturally, Chuck Lofton welcomes the end of early morning shifts as he retires as a WTHR-TV Channel 13 meteorologist.
He delivered the weather forecast when WTHR launched its “Sunrise” morning show in September 1985, and Lofton will do the same on Friday—the final day of his four-decade career in Indianapolis.
Lofton, who celebrated his 68th birthday last month, said “Sunrise” originally aired at 6:30 a.m. He then experienced creeping changes in start times through the years: 6 a.m., 5 a.m., 4:30 a.m. and 4 a.m.
“I guess maybe I thought it was going to move to 3:30 and that’s why I quit,” Lofton said with a laugh.
Although Lofton won’t have to answer his alarm clock after Friday, his legacy is preserved for all current and future WTHR staff members. The station’s news broadcast studio was renamed “Chuck Lofton Studio” this week.
“In a million years, it never would have even crossed my mind that I would be honored in such a way,” Lofton said. “To me, it’s just the ultimate. I can’t tell you how humbled I am by that.”
Lofton is familiar with accolades. The Southern Illinois University alum was named National Broadcaster of the Year by the National Weather Association in 2007. In 2022, Lofton was named a Silver Circle honoree by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Great Lakes chapter.
To be a Silver Circle inductee, a TV veteran must have at least 25 years on the job as well as a track record of giving back to a community.
Lofton showed his affection for Indianapolis through his associations with Damar Services Inc., which serves clients with severe intellectual and behavioral challenges, the 500 Festival Parade, “The Brain Game” quiz bowl show and more.
He credited fellow WTHR meteorologist Bob Gregory, who retired in 2000, as an influence.
“I think anything I learned about community service and how to make your job more than just about the weather I picked up from Bob,” Lofton said. “He was tremendous in the community. He has a heart for people.”
Before Lofton’s departure, his “Sunrise” successor, Matt Stanridge, prepared a plaque that listed impressive statistics related to local weather during the past 40 years: 926 inches of snow, 1,715 inches of rain and 1,079 tornadoes.
“I feel like I worked during every one of those tornadoes,” Lofton said.
When discussing technological advancements in forecasting, Lofton said today is a “safer time to be alive as far as the weather is concerned.”
Before moving to Indianapolis in 1985, Lofton worked at a TV station in Evansville.
“We had a World War II radar that was at the Evansville airport,” Lofton said. “It was from a plane, and that’s how we got radar. Now you can do velocity scans, you can see where hail has been. You can see debris fields from tornadoes. It is amazing, and it makes our job a lot easier. … It also gives us a chance to extend that forecast and be a lot more accurate.”
Lofton also has benefited from modern medicine. In 2022, Lofton had a significant health scare, followed by triple-bypass heart surgery and a two-month recovery off the air. He told IBJ that in some ways, he was healthier after the surgery than he was five years earlier.
In retirement, Lofton and his wife, Mary Lou, plan to spend time with three grandchildren who are ages 6, 3 and 3 months and live in Cincinnati and Orlando, Florida.
Lofton grew up in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, a Chicago suburb that borders Wisconsin along Lake Michigan. He said his father, Charlie, was an auto-racing enthusiast.
“My dad was a huge A.J. Foyt fan,” said Lofton, whose final day at WTHR was scheduled for what was expected to be something of a lull following this year’s Indianapolis 500. “One of my great memories was taking my dad to a race and introducing him to A.J.—who knew who I was and had a conversation with my dad. My uncle Bob was with us as well, and he couldn’t believe it. I think that turned a page of them thinking I was legit.”
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As someone who grew up watching Chuck on Sunrise before school every morning (and before the omnipresence of the weather forecast on every electronic imaginable), I really felt like he was looking out for me and my friends before we got on the bus, you know? What to wear, etc. I’ll miss him.