Everybody has a story
by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
OTTOMAN—Siblings Madison and Lucas Davis got an unexpected five-minutes of fame last Tuesday when they made an impromptu appearance on WTVR Channel 6’s morning show courtesy of meteorologist Nikki-Dee Ray.
“I was like terrified,” said Madison. “Next time I’ll be prepared.”
Madison, a 12-year-old rising seventh grader at Lancaster Middle School, wants to be a meteorologist. Her mother set up a studio tour with Ray, who asked Madison and her brother, 6-year-old Lucas, to join them in front of the cameras during the live broadcast on June 27.
Parents April and BK Davis of Ottoman and grandmother Suzanne Davis of Miskimon had taken Madison and Lucas to Richmond Monday to spend the night before the tour so they could arrive at the studio on Broad Street by 5:45 a.m. Tuesday.
“But we were so excited we couldn’t sleep,” said April. “We got there at 5 o’clock. We were a little anxious.”
April had contacted Ray, who’s made several appearances in the Northern Neck, to be part of the local Relay for Life fundraiser back in May. Ray couldn’t make it but during their correspondence April mentioned to Ray that her daughter wanted to be a meteorologist.
Ray is the morning and noon meteorologist on CBS 6 This Morning, Virginia This Morning and the CBS 6 News at Noon.
During breaks in the live broadcast on June 27, Ray took Madison, Lucas and their family on tours of different areas of the newsroom. Madison and Lucas got to stand in front of the “green screen” and point to Ray’s weather map.
“Everyone there was so welcoming,” said April.
Ray explained to them being a morning and noon anchor means early to bed and early to rise. She said she goes to sleep every day about 5 p.m., wakes up about 12:45 a.m. and arrives at the studio between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. for make-up and prep for airtime at 4:30 a.m.
Madison and Lucas were only expecting a newsroom tour but Ray called the two onto the live set with five minutes left in the broadcast.
“We have some amazing guests with us, we have Madison and brother Lucas,” said Ray on the show.
She asked Madison what she wanted to be and her favorite subject in school, which is science, of course.
“She’s got it going on,” said Ray.
The newscasters also asked Lucas what he wanted to be when he grew up. He whispered “teacher.”
Although the Davises got a tour of the newsroom, the Channel 6 studio was under construction for a remodel. Ray said she’d have the children back for a studio tour in August and Madison said she’ll be ready for her television appearance the next time around.
The Davises’ on-air appearance can be seen on You Tube under “future meteorologist Madison Davis.”
