Who is Kevin Orpurt? Local Meteorologist delivers emotional farewell following nationwide layoffs

A few days back, Kevin Orpurt and Patrece Dayton, two of WTHI-TV’s employees, delivered their farewell report to the viewers.

For those unaware, Orpurt is a local meteorologist who has worked at WTHI-TV for more than four decades. According to his LinkedIn, Kevin joined the TV station as chief meteorologist in 1982. As per his profile on WTHI-TV’s official website, the 70-year-old served as a weeknight meteorologist for News 10 First @ Five, News 10 at 6 p.m., myFOX10, and News 10 Nightwatch.

Kevin Orpurt’s colleague, Patrece Dayton, is also a veteran in TV news after having worked for WTHI-TV since 1988. She served as a news anchor, reporter, and producer for Allen Media’s TV channel. Dayton co-anchored shows such as “News 10 at 6 p.m.” and “News 10 Nightwatch” while also being the anchor of “myFOX10.”

Read on to learn how Patrece Dayton and Kevin Orpurt said goodbye to their audiences.

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Kevin Orpurt and Patrece Dayton bid farewell on-air after decades of working with WTHI-TV

Kevin Orpurt and Patrece Dayton, who also worked on News 10 at 6 p.m., News 10 Nightwatch,” and myFOX10, delivered their farewell together. On January 16, Dayton and Orpurt appeared on WTHI-TV’s broadcast, where the former “came prepared” with a box of tissues.

Dayton started the announcement, revealing it was their last broadcast at News 10 while saying,

“Many of you may already know, tonight is our last broadcast here at News 10. Kevin and I have come into your homes for decades. Nearly 37 years for me.”

Kevin Orpurt carried on,

“And more than 40 years for me. We are both tremendously grateful. You have made us a part of your family for so long, and you, in turn, are actually a part of our family.”

Patrece Dayton further explained that she and Orpurt’s positions were being eliminated from WTHI-TV. Kevin Orpurt further added that both of the colleagues had hoped “to go out” on their “own terms,” but it didn’t happen.

Dayton further added,

“We do want to thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. For the kind phone calls, emails, texts, social media posts. It has, honestly, been very overwhelming. Your words have been uplifting, kind, and very very thoughtful. And the entire experience has been very very humbling.”

Orpurt also said,

“As you can see on the evening news, each night, we are a close family here at News 10. We laugh. Sometimes we argue like an old married couple, but you know, and we have cried together, we have gone through so much. We are family.”

The colleagues further said how they were “heartbroken”, asking the viewers to support their other teammates. They ended the broadcast on an emotional note, as tears almost welled up for Payton. During the last moments of the broadcast, everyone on the team is seen embracing the pair.

Patrece Dayton and Kevin Orpurt are among the many who Allen Media recently laid off amidst the budget cuts and shift in format. More than 50 local meteorologists have lost their jobs, as Allen Media is seemingly replacing them with The Weather Channel feed.

The same update was shared by Allen Media Group in a press release on January 18, 2025. It revealed that the media group is rolling out a new format for local weather coverage. The rollout will integrate The Weather Channel into the reporting across the local markets.

A quote from the President of The Weather Channel, Tom O’Brien, read,

“We are proud to announce that Allen Media Group is leveraging the full resources and expertise of The Weather Channel to make our local weather news the very best. We are one hundred percent committed to delivering next-level weather news to our local television stations 24/7.”

The Weather Channel is also a subsidiary of Allen Media Group, which it acquired in 2018. The TV channel is headquartered in Atlanta and is getting integrated into local weather reporting after “years of development and successful BETA testing.”