WRAL anchor Jeff Hogan shares family traditions, lingering effects of beach accident

This week's WRAL Out and About podcast features WRAL News anchor Jeff Hogan, who talks about how he ended up in North Carolina and the beach accident that nearly claimed his life.

Posted 6:05 p.m. Nov 20, 2019 — Updated 6:34 p.m. Nov 20, 2019

Kathy Hanrahan, Out

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RALEIGH, N.C. — It's 10:30 a.m. and WRAL News anchor Jeff Hogan just ate lunch.

Wearing a suit, tie and black sneakers, he walks in apologizing for the scent of Caesar salad he thinks he has brought into the closet-like podcast booth. The salad was leftover from the 9 a.m. newscast where cooking demos often yield free lunch or snack options for reporters and crew members on the go. For the record, he didn't smell like salad.

After waking up in the wee hours of the morning, Jeff is on the air for most of the morning delivering the news on WRAL and Fox 50.

We were lucky to catch him during his short break between his morning and noon news anchor duties. I normally see him every Friday morning around 8:30 a.m. when we talk on air about what to do this weekend. Hanging out with him and Lena Tillett and are always a highlight of my week.

We chit-chat but rarely get to talk as much as we'd like, so I was thrilled when Jeff could do the podcast! It was also great because we remember a time when we weren't sure if Jeff was going to be OK.

A few months after joining WRAL News in 2018, Jeff and his daughters, Kate and Skyler, were bodysurfing at Wrightsville Beach when he hit his head on a sandbar. The July 28, 2018, accident left him with a head gash, a concussion and temporary paralysis. With help from others, Jeff's daughters pulled him out of the water.

A few weeks later, Jeff was back on the anchor desk.

It was a terrifying day that has had lingering effects on Jeff's life. On this week's Out and About podcast, Jeff talks about that experience and what it was like going back to the beach. He also opens up about family traditions, what it was like taking over the morning anchor role from WRAL icon Bill Leslie and what we can expect at the WRAL Winter Wonderland and Raleigh Christmas Parade, which he will be hosting live coverage of on Saturday starting at 9 a.m.

Take a listen to our chat with Jeff.

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