Edward Moody III up and quit WCCO-TV about a month ago.
"I'm done," Moody told me Wednesday from Savannah, Ga., where he is helping his mother and aunt move. "It was time. That's the best way to say it. I have a great deal of respect for WCCO, a great deal of respect for Brien Kennedy and the station that he runs [as GM]. It was just time for me to go. To say anything else would be disrespectful to the station and the people I work with, who were wonderful. I'm going to leave it at that."
When I tried not to let him leave it at that, Moody declined. And why not? This classy guy can walk into any TV station and get another job because of his brilliantly beguiling, informative reporting style.
The Kansas City, Mo., native came to the Twin Cities two years ago from Indianapolis. A few months ago, he started working part time at WCCO because he wanted more balance in his life.
The Twitter profile photo on the account of @EdwardMoodyIII shows him nestled on a couch taking a nap with his dog. Moody said he's been spending a lot of time "cuddling with my dog and my partner, our two cats and living in Duluth with a view of the lake every day. I can't beat it."
When asked if he saved a lot of money or something, Moody laughed hard. "What are you asking? I stashed money away. My partner and I have always done that, in case one of us decided he needed a break to change directions or what have you. I'm OK."
Moody and his hair stylist partner have been together for nine years. When I asked him about being a "III" he told me, "People always ask me if there is going to be an Edward James Moody IV. I say, No, because we're not royalty, so it would sound ridiculous." He let out another one of those laughs that I'm going to miss hearing on TV as much as reader Suzann Nelson, a self-described " 'Church Basement Lady' from Grand Rapids."
Nelson's "Where is Moody and why?" e-mail prompted me to check. Then Nelson informed me that she had learned that Moody's Facebook page indicated he had left the station. Nelson writes a funny e-mail: "Why doesn't WCCO recognize viewers' preferences? Moody was, & Rachel Slavik is, a reporter who reports in an informative yet pleasant way. Tip to 'CCO honchos: Even if MN is home to many Scandinavians, we don't necessarily need so many blond, makeup-frozen reporters/anchors. There was a reason blond jokes were popular years ago."
