Marcia Kling on Romper Room
Marcia Kling, a fixture on Chattanooga TV for over half a century, announced Thursday she will be retiring after more than 51 years at WTVC Newschannel 9 on May 30.
In an email to her fellow employees, "Ms. Marcia" said, “Unlike the Energizer Bunny, I never intended going on and on... So, when my work day ends on Thursday, May 30, I will leave the station for the last time. The decision to do so has not been easy .
. . and largely because of all of you.”
Marcia Kling joined WTVC in 1962 to host TV-9’s Romper Room School. She immediately became known as “Miss Marcia”, a name that stuck. The following year, Miss Marcia developed her own educational program for preschoolers on WTVC called Funtime. The show ran from 1963 to 1978. Countless children in the Tennessee Valley learned their ABCs from Miss Marcia over the years.
In 1978, Nifty Nine was created as a program for kids age six to 12. Miss Marcia produced and hosted Nifty Nine as the program that replaced Funtime.
Miss Marcia has served as the station’s Director of Community Affairs and in 1982 focused her work on the lives of people over 50 in her role as the Life Watch reporter. More recently, Miss Marcia has had a regular presence on This N That, a weekday local talk show at 12:30p.
WTVC General Manager Mike Costa said “Marcia Kling is everything that is good about Chattanooga. We have been honored to have her represent WTVC Newschannel 9. Not many people can say they’ve worked at the same station for more than 50 years but Miss Marcia will tell you she hasn’t worked one day in those years because she has been doing what she loves. We love Miss Marcia and will miss her gracious presence in the building and on our air.”
Miss Marcia and her husband David plan to remain active with the many community projects to which they volunteer time. They also plan to enjoy their role of full time grandparents.