Rolland Smith

 ( Television News Anchors From New York City ) 

He left WCBS when he was promoted to co-host of CBS' The Morning Program in January 1987. Smith left CBS that December after the show was canceled. Following this he moved to WWOR, and in early 1988 he became the lead anchor of the station's 10 PM newscast replacing Tom Dunn. Smith would leave WWOR in 1993 and moved from New York for the first time since his transfer from Washington, as he relocated to San Diego to take an anchor position at NBC affiliate KNSD. This was the first time Smith had worked for a network-affiliated station since his 1987 departure from WCBS (WWOR, at the time, was an independent and was a year away from gaining any affiliation). He stayed with KNSD until 1997 and returned to New York, but did not immediately return to television.

After a four-year absence (which included a brief stint at WRNN-TV, where he hosted an interview show called Conversations), Smith rejoined WWOR as lead anchor following Ernie Anastos' departure to return to WCBS. He eventually moved to weekends as the co-anchor of the station's now-former Saturday and Sunday newscasts. In addition to his anchor duties, on each newscast he provided a small commentary that would be accompanied by his signature superimposed on screen. Smith announced his retirement in 2006, after earning 11 Emmy Awards.

During the WCBS broadcast, a young mustache Smith appears during a number of commercial breaks in a "teaser" for the upcoming 11 PM newscast, where he simply says "Fighting the frizzies, at 11," probably in reference to a story on hair care. The creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, incorporated scenes of South Park editor Tom Vogt dressed as a news anchor resembling Smith in a South Park holiday episode. The episode opened with the line being by Vogt, and each segment of the show began with the line (or some variation of it). The episode ended with the anchor fighting a hairy creature.

• Official website