RAY SIGNS OFF WITH KFVS-12 SPORTS

For nearly 20 years, KFVS-12 sportscaster Randy Ray has been a familiar and friendly face on television screens in Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Northwestern Tennessee.

Now, according to Ray, it's time for him to move behind the scenes.

Monday night, during the CBS affiliate's 10 o'clock news telecast, the 49-year-old Ray completed his final sports broadcast for the Cape Girardeau-based television station.

"It's a page-turner in my life; a new chapter so to speak," said Ray from his KFVS office Tuesday afternoon. "I have great memories from being on the air and doing that for so long. I'm very privileged to have had the opportunity to do that and I look forward to new challenges."

That next challenge will be provided by the same employer he's had since 1979 when Ray accepted the sports director's position at KFVS. Rather than working in front of the camera, Ray will be busy in the company's sales and marketing department as an account executive.

"It's not that I disliked what I was doing, but I just wanted to move into a different area of broadcasting and still stay in a business I feel like I know very well," Ray said. "KFVS offered me the opportunity to do that and I was just happy to have the opportunity to make the move."

In fact, Ray said he initiated the transfer with station management several months ago.

"It was at my urging," said Ray. "I approached them on more than one occasion during the last several months. We looked for a point in time when it would be doable for the station and myself. That point in time came along and that's when we did it.

"It wasn't a rash decision at all. It was a reasonable decision and I feel good about it."

Despite switching positions at work, Ray isn't looking to change his mailing address. Entering his 24th year as a resident of Cape Girardeau, Ray isn't looking for openings in other locales.

"I have no plans to leave the area and I hope to continue my relationship with KFVS-12 through retirement," said Ray. "I'm very happy here and very happy in the community. This is my home and this is where I want to stay."

Besides, now Ray can catch up on some of the local sports action he's been missing out on as the primary 10 p.m. sports anchor.

"I look forward to being able to sit through a whole game and enjoy it," Ray said with a laugh. "It will be a lot of fun to relax, eat a hot dog and not have to run back to the office."

According to Brandon Scherer, KFVS assistant news director, a nation-wide search is being conducted to fill Ray's position as sports director. Until then, Steve Sotak will take over the primary sports anchor duties with Chad Fryman filling in on weekends.

"Steve Sotak is our primary sports anchor right now and he is definitely in the running to become our sports director," Scherer said. "His hat is definitely in the ring with other candidates our news director is looking at."