Brock brightens Christmas for ABC 7 colleague

Kathy Brock

The spirit of Christmas was alive and well at ABC 7 Sunday when principal news anchor Kathy Brock volunteered to fill in for a colleague so he could spend the holiday with his family.

Viewers accustomed to seeing Brock on the top-rated 6 and 10pm weekday newscasts were surprised to see her anchoring solo on Christmas morning in place of Ben Bradley, who usually anchors Sunday mornings with Stacey Baca. Baca previously scheduled the day off.

“She didn’t just volunteer,” Bradley said of Brock. “She insisted that she work because she said her kids are in college and will still be asleep by the time the show is over, and mine are so young and still believe in Santa. Now so do I!”

Brock, a 21-year veteran of ABC 7, spent three years on the dawn patrol after joining the station as morning news co-anchor and reporter. She’s been working weeknights since 1993.

“I remember when my boys (now young men) were little, and how special Christmas morning is,” Brock told me. “And it’s not like Ben got off easy. I'm sure he was up at the same time I was — feeding the baby and greeting Santa.”

Brock’s gesture did not go unnoticed by her co-workers: “Nice gift from classy lady,” tweeted ABC 7 political reporter Charles Thomas. “Love my colleagues!”

Bradley and his wife, Molly, have three young boys — Cullen, Ethan and baby Brock. Yes, that’s right: Brock.