Longtime Utica TV Anchor Passes Away at the Age of 80

A legendary television news anchor who spent most of his career at WKTV in Utica, has passed away. Bill Worden, who retired from WKTV in 2012 after 35 years at the station, died Tuesday at the age of 80.

Worden was a household name in Utica, sitting at the WKTV news desk dating back to 1977. He was a musician who had a career as a drummer long before working as a radio disc jockey and then a news anchor on television. Worden was well known in the area for his drumming skills, he was dedicated to his faith, to his wife and family, and was a Walmart super-fan, who loved the story of how Sam Walton created a dynasty with what ultimately became the Walmart super brand.

Worden recently wrote two books and spoke to WIBX's Keeler Show about them. The first, A Kansas Love Story, was a true story about how he and his wife Janna Faith Worden, fell in love and against all odds, stayed together and created a happy family and life in Upstate New York. Janna passed away on Christmas Day, 2021. In an interview on WIBX's Keeler Show on July 1, 2022, Worden broke down in tears speaking about how difficult it was to live life without the woman he called his soul mate.  Worden's second book, An Abundance of Rain, was a book of 20 poems Worden had written over the years. He said his wife always wanted him to write the book. Both books are available on Amazon.

Wordon spoke to the Keeler Show on December 22nd about his book An Abundance of Rain. Watch the interview below.