Nearly five years after suffering a devastating stoke, former “The Early Show” weathercaster and features reporter Mark McEwen will return to the CBS show Saturday (9/11) as substitute weatherman. It will be his first nationally televised weather forecast since recovering from a near-fatal and debilitating stroke in 2005.
McEwen, who had left CBS and become a local anchor for WKMG-TV (CBS) Orlando, suffered the massive stroke while returning home from a trip on November 15, 2005. For the next four days, McEwen was near death as the blood clot that caused the stroke blocked oxygen from his brain. McEwen recovered but had to start over. While he struggled to regain the use of his right hand, he was initially confined to a wheelchair and then a walker. Most devastating of all was the stroke’s impact on his voice and speech.
McEwen worked for CBS from 1987 through 2002 and contributed to a number of CBS NEWS broadcasts, including “Sunday Morning,” “48 Hours” and The Early Show. During his tenure at The Early Show he served as weatherman, anchor and entertainment reporter. He has interviewed former presidents, including Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford. In addition, he has conducted high-profile interviews with Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Sidney Poitier, Madonna and many others. McEwen has covered major events, including the Oscars, Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globes and Grammy Awards; he’s also contributed to CBS’s coverage of the Winter Olympics. McEwen was named one of the country’s “Ten Most Trusted TV News Personalities” in a TV Guide survey.
In 2004, McEwen became a news anchor at Post-Newsweek’s WKMG-TV, “Local 6,” the CBS affiliate in Orlando, FL, where he was working when he suffered the stroke. The station kept his position open. McEwen returned to work, and he chronicled his ordeal in a book entitled, “After the Stroke: My Journey Back to Life.” He now lectures on stroke awareness and recovery.
In May of this year Local 6 anchor Laura Diaz interviewed McEwen about his progress four and a half years after his stroke. Click here to see the interview.
In addition to reporting the weather on Saturday’s broadcast, McEwen will sit down for a candid interview to discuss his journey back from the stroke and his new life.
Chris Wragge and Erica Hill anchor The Early Show on Saturday. Michael Rosen is the executive producer.
