Matt Laubhan has been named chief meteorologist at WTVA in Tupelo, MS. The NBC-affiliate announced the move this week, saying that Laubhan would become the first and only certified meteorologist in northern Mississippi.
“Dozens of meteorologists applied for this opportunity, but in the end we kept coming back to Matt,” said WTVA news director Jeff Houston. “His passion and knowledge for weather is obvious to anyone who talks to him.”
Laubhan, who is currently the chief meteorologist at KLBK in Lubbock, TX, will succeed WTVA’s longtime weather chief Dick Rice. The station announced in December that Rice, who has been with WTVA for 31 years, would be scaling back his duties, becoming chief meteorologist emeritus.
Laubhan is perhaps best know, at least nationally, for proposing to his girlfriend, KAMC anchor Emily Leonard, during a newscast.
Here’s the dramatic proposal:
“My wife Emily and I are very excited about moving to Northeast Mississippi and joining the WTVA family,” Laubhan said. “It will be difficult to fill the shoes of a living legend and was an honor to even be considered as a successor to Dick Rice.”