20 years in the making: 680 NEWS morning show anchor marks milestone
Posted February 27, 2017 8:44 am.
Last Updated February 27, 2017 10:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was 20 years on this date when Paul Cook took the 680 NEWS newsroom by storm.
The managing editor and morning show news anchor celebrated the milestone on Monday, alongside his work family.
Reporter Geoff Rohoman, affectionately known as “Roho” by his colleagues, surprised Cook just before 7:30 a.m. Cook thought he was throwing to Roho for a Raptors story, but that wasn’t the case.
“Yea, Paul, the Raps did win, Peter [Gross] will have more on that. But let’s talk about you right now. Today marks 20 years of you on the 680 NEWS morning show. 20 years. Do you know what happened 20 years ago?”
Video: 680 NEWS’ Paul Cook caught off-guard with 20-year milestone surprise or click here to view it.
Cook has worked with several anchors over the past years, jokingly known as his “work wives,” including his morning show co-anchor Catherine Jette, former morning show co-anchor and afternoon show anchor Marlane Oliver, and previous sidekick Lisa Brandt. They shared their thoughts on what it is like to work with Cook.
“The morning team, the technology, even the studio has changed a lot over the last two decades, but you have been 680’s foundation. Your dedication, your news sense, your passion for stories that matter, has never changed,” Oliver said.
“The best part of my day was making Paul laugh, because if Paul laughed, you knew it had to be really funny. Paul doesn’t give a pity laugh. So if I can make coffee almost come out his nose, it would a good day,” Brandt added.
And this from Jette: “He is a great work husband. He’s helpful, he’s kind, he gets a little moody now and then, but that’s after 20 years of waking up at like three in the morning, that can be expected.”
Cook was completely caught off guard by the surprise.
“You could have warned me,” he said to the newsroom. “I had a mouthful of apple when you started. I usually eat when Roho talks.”
Video: Watch Paul Cook and the newsroom in action back on March 10, 2000, or click here to view it.
