There was a time when Irv Weinstein, Rick Azar, and Tom Jolls were the highest rated anchor team in the country.

Irv did the news, Rick did the sports, and Tom did the weather for WKBW in Buffalo.

WKBW was a ratings blowtorch, until it was bought by Granite Broadcasting that all but killed the station.

WKBW is now owned by Scripps, but still sits in last place in the ratings.

But, in the day, almost all of Buffalo watched Irv, Rick and Tom.

Irv passed away, followed by Rick, and just this week Tom Jolls died as well.

When I was a kid, Tom Jolls also hosted a kid’s afternoon TV show on WKWB called Commander Tom.

Nearly every day I would come home, turn on the TV and watch Commander Tom.

Now, the big three are dead and so are the days of children’s local programing and news departments that only cared about covering the news.

Corporate greed has sucked the life out of journalism and the passing of Tom Jolls, is just another sign of how much TV news has changed.

Godspeed Commander Tom, you will be missed.