DENVER — We don't usually do stories about our competitors, but this one is a bit different.
Rick Sallinger is stepping off the TV after 30 years at KCNC-TV because of health reasons. For several years in the 1980s, Sallinger was a reporter here at 9NEWS.
Now, his son, Marc Sallinger, is a reporter and anchor at 9NEWS, following in his dad's footsteps. The following story is written by Marc.
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For as long as I’ve been alive, I’ve always turned on the TV and seen your face. Until now, I’ve never known Denver news without Rick Sallinger. Without you, Dad.
I still remember staring at the TV as a kid and saying, "I want to go in there like Daddy."
Then you started teaching me how I could make that happen.
If you want your kid to follow in your footsteps, building a little TV set in the basement is a pretty good way to start. That’s where I was inspired to get to where I am today. Sitting behind a table answering questions pretending to anchor with my dad.
It’s still crazy for me to think that the station I work for now, was your station 40 years ago. I love when your old stories pop up and we get to see you.
Thirty-six years in Denver TV – six of those years here at 9NEWS and 30 years across the street at CBS4. I’m tired at the end of a long week. I can’t imagine you’ve been doing this for so long.
Not a whole lot of people get to say they go to work with their dad. Sure, we’re on different channels and are technically competitors. When I was living at home at the "palatial Sallinger estate" with you and mom during the pandemic, it was pretty cool to have CBS4 working in the basement and 9NEWS upstairs. We didn’t share any secrets and always competed for the best story.
Everyone in Denver knows you as Rick Sallinger, the reporter. I’m lucky that I get to call you, Dad.
I’ll miss seeing you out in the field reporting on stories. I’ll miss looking up at the TV and seeing your face. But I’m so grateful for everything you taught me.
See more reporting from 9NEWS reporter Marc Sallinger.
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