Longtime KATV meteorologist Ned Perme to appear in final newscast before retiring

Retiring KATV meteorologist Ned Perme will end his career with a final broadcast on Friday night.

Perme, who spent more than 30 years as the station's chief meteorologist, is one of the legends of TV journalism, said Nick Genty, KATV's news director.

“People grew up watching him, and generations have grown up watching him,” Genty said.

Perme's last broadcast before retiring will be KATV's 10 p.m. Friday newscast.

Perme, 64, reported often on severe weather events with a focus on keeping people safe, Genty said.

“He knew that countless hours he would be out there on air just to protect Arkansans,” Genty said.

Perme, who announced in July he would retire, said then that the weather event he'll remember the most is the state's largest tornado outbreak on Jan. 21, 1999, when 57 recorded tornadoes touched down in Arkansas.

"I was on the air by myself for many, many hours," Perme said. "It was a very long day. You don't even think about the end. You just have to keep going. You have to get in the moment and get through it one minute and one hour at a time."

Perme, who joined KATV in 1984, is also known for his tailgating segments before high school football games and for playing the piano during Christmas shows.

The station has been paying tribute to him in the days leading up to the final show, including posting farewell videos from Alex Trebek and Jimmy Kimmel and sharing a clip from a 1991 episode of One Life to Live featuring Perme.

“It’s time now to enjoy your well-deserved retirement, and I hope that you will spend the remainder of your days shouting the five-day forecast at your cat,” Kimmel said.