Introduction :
- Carol Erickson is a television personality & presenter, who has played different roles in her three decades of working at KYW-TV CBS3 network.
- Since June 2016, she hosts the CBS3 Pet Project on Eyewitness News, in conjunction with the PSPCA.
Personal Life : Parents, Family and Education
- Carol Erickson was born on August 21, 1950, and grew up in Seattle, Washington. While growing up, she moved around multiple places and has lived in the states of Oregon, California, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Finally, she made New Jersey her home went on to live on a farm in Burlington County with her pet dogs and horses.
- Both her parents were big animal lovers, and these genes were passed on to Carol as well. Over the years, she has adopted many dogs and a few horses as pets.
- Carol is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a business degree. She also studied Business at the Southern Methodist University and at the University of Miami.
- She has mentioned that her daughter has gone through law school and that she dotes on her young grandson Ben who shares her love of animals.
- In 2009, Erickson published her very first book, a children’s book called “Not a Used Dog, At All,” which encourages the adoption of shelter dogs and explains the reasons for it in ways a young reader can understand. The book won the ‘Best Children’s Book’ awards from Dog Writers Association of America and also the Dogwise Best Book Award for 2010.
Qualifications, Certifications and Awards :
- Carol has earned the Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and holds a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) seal from the AMS, considered the gold standard of accreditation in her field.
- She also holds a certificate of approval for her weather forecasts from the National Weather Association (NWA) and served on its “Seal Evaluation Committee,” helping to select candidates across the nation seeking the NWA seal.
- Erickson also holds a diploma in “Companion Animal Behavior Counseling” – Canine Behavior from the American College of Applied Science.
- Since September 2015, she has been a Board Member at the Pennsylvania SPCA, and in 2007, she was awarded the Pennsylvania SPCA Media All-Star Award for her stories on animals and for calling attention to the plight of animals
Career, Income, Salary and Net Worth :
- Around five decades ago, in 1972, Carol started her career as a TV news reporter at KOLD TV in Tucson, Arizona, and worked there for two years. She then moved to WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, where she was a weathercaster, news reporter, and morning show interviewer for four years (1974 – 1978).
- In 1978, Carol joined CBS3 KYW-TV in Philadelphia as a TV news reporter and meteorologist and worked there for most of her career. She had left for a few years in the late 1980s but came back in 1991 and stayed there till 2015.
- While at CBS-3, Erickson hosted the popular weekly segment “Ask the Vet” that focused on animal care and adoptions. She also included “pet advisories” in her weather forecast. She announced that she was leaving the station to pursue her passion for animal welfare and pet advocacy instead of signing on for another year.
- In June 2016, she returned to host the CBS3 Pet Project on Sunday mornings. The segment features adoptable animals from the PSPCA and information for pet owners to strengthen the human-animal bond.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Carol was in a very public feud with another reporter at CBS when she was working as a meteorologist. The reporter, Nicole Brewer, and Carol always insisted their banter was just for laughs when someone edited a video that had all their heated exchanges, and it went viral on YouTube.
- A breast cancer survivor, Erickson has successfully battled the disease and been a source of inspiration to many other women.
- She is a member of the Broadcast Pioneer Hall of Fame.
