NEW ORLEANS — For many years, the TV turned on and families across the New Orleans Metro area started their day with Sall-Ann Roberts and Eric Paulsen. With tears in her eyes, Sally-Ann Roberts smiled while talking about all the good times she shared with her long-time co-anchor and friend.
“You know, some people used to say, Oh, he's picking on you, Sally, and he's picking on you. I said, no, he's not. He's my brother,” Sally-Ann Roberts said.
Sally-Ann retired from the anchor desk in 2018 after spending 40 years in the business. Over half of those on the Eyewitness Morning news beside Eric.
“Eric and I started at WWL the same week in 1977. In March of 1977, I had one day of seniority over Eric,” Sally-Ann said.
Sally started as a city hall reporter and went on to anchor other newscasts before getting the call to switch to the early morning shift.
“I called Eric because I wanted to make sure that this was something that he felt I was good for and that he would welcome me. And he said, 'This is the best job you're ever going to have.' He said, 'Come on over.' And he welcomed me. So sitting next to him was easy,” Sally-Ann said.
There was no shortage of good times for the morning team through the years.
“My favorite would be…oh, the Wizard of Oz. That's the funniest [Mardi Gras Costume] one,” Sally Ann said.
From Mardi Gras to other sibling-like fun, the two are so close they even have a book together. Like a true family, Sally-Ann and Eric endured tough times, too.
“When my first husband, Willie, died suddenly after a short bout with cancer. Eric was the first one to come through that door, tears flowing and giving me a hug,” Sally-Ann said.
Emotion, Sally says that was not just reserved for those he loved most, but a side of him he shared with the entire city, during stories that were harder to report.
“He wept during Hurricane Katrina when things were going bad, and he read a headline that St Bernard Parish was gone, meaning that the whole parish had been flooded. He cried on the air,” she recalled.
Sally says that’s what makes the Eyewitness Morning News or, as we call it now, the WWL Louisiana Mornings News so special.
“You're getting ready to start your day, and you got a lot of things on your mind. Everyone is doing different things and facing different challenges, but you could turn on the eyewitness Morning News, as they do now with you and Brandon, and they can see, hey, it's going to be a good day,” Sally-Ann said.
Now, grieving her friend, Sally says she is at peace knowing Eric is with God, likely hosting a reunion.
“As Irma Thomas sings in her song, he's walking around heaven, and he is saying, howdy, howdy, howdy, all day long, because so many people that went before him, he's seeing them now,” Sally-Ann said.
Over the years, Eric became close friends with scores of famous musicians and world-renowned chefs. Arguably, though, the friendship we will remember most is the one Sally and Eric brought to us each morning for decades.
While Eric may have signed off, what their friendship gave this city will live forever.
“That's the lesson that we can learn from Eric. Let us be more loving, even those who are loving now. Let's love more. Let's just see people and just want to make them feel seen and heard and loved,” Sally Ann said.
Special Tribute: Remembering Eric Paulsen
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