Heartbreaking moment news anchor breaks down live on air while reading out her colleague Kris Radcliffe’s sudden death
A news anchor was overcome with emotion during the broadcast as she shared the heartbreaking news of her co-host’s sudden death.
On Wednesday, October 30, Lindsay Liepman spoke from the local NBC affiliate KCEN TV in Waco and Temple, Texas, struggled to finish the broadcast after telling viewers that Kris Radcliffe had died earlier that day at the age of 51.
“This is an incredibly sad day for our KCEN family,” Liepman began. ‘My co-host Kris Radcliffe passed away unexpectedly and today we received the news. Kris was in the chair next to me and he was the best, he was just the best.”
As she continued, Liepman’s voice trembled as she thought of her friend and colleague.
“Funny, genuine and smart, I looked forward to working with Kris every night and I think you could all tell at home,” she said. ‘We had a nice time here. Kris loved this community and never took his role for granted.”
A news anchor was overcome with emotion during the broadcast as she shared the heartbreaking news of her co-host’s sudden death
On Wednesday, October 30, Lindsay Liepman of local NBC affiliate KCEN-TV in Waco and Temple, Texas, struggled to finish the broadcast after informing viewers that her co-host Kris Radcliffe had passed away earlier that day at the age of 51 dead.
Reflecting on her final moments with Radcliffe, she added: “If I had known that yesterday would be our last news broadcast together, I would have ignored our producers’ cues and just laughed at all his jokes a little longer. He always has a lot of jokes.’
Liepman also took a moment to honor Radcliffe’s 22-year legacy at KCEN, recognizing the profound impact he had on the channel and its viewers.
“I would have thanked him for everything he taught me and gave to all of you, the viewers, but that’s not how life works,” Liepman continued. “What you don’t get to see on air is the time you spend talking about our families and our group chats. He liked to talk about sports and politics. It was important for me to share what he meant to us here at KCEN in this moment because I know he would have done the same for me.”
Liepman then offered her condolences to Radcliffe’s wife Eden, their two daughters and his two grandchildren, who she said “idolized” him.
“Every time he came into the newsroom, he had a new story about his grandchildren,” Liepman said.
Before leaving the broadcast, Liepman told viewers, “I just can’t get through the newscast tonight and I hope you understand,” she said.
Before leaving the broadcast, Liepman told viewers, “I just can’t get through the newscast tonight and I hope you understand.”
After her departure, KCEN’s sister station in Austin took over the broadcast, and KCEN shared highlights from Radcliffe’s career to honor his memory.
A native of California, Radcliffe joined KCEN in 2002 as a sports anchor. An award-winning journalist, he later moved on to anchor Texas Today, a morning news program, and in 2018 moved to the evening news desk.
“This is a real loss for our community, his family, and I know he touched so many of your lives in a positive way. I think it was an honor for him to do this work, it was an honor for us to work with Kris,” said Liepman.