News 9 milked Lacey Swope’s departure for all it’s worth…

Well, it finally happened.

News 9 Severe Weather Babe Lacey Swope has left Oklahoma City for the far distant land of Tulsa. It's something we told you was going to happen six months ago.

Because they enjoy Facebook likes, retweets and Wordpress page views as much as we do, News 9 milked the story it for all it's worth. They gave Lacey a rare TV news send off reserved only for legendary local television weather deities and pretty girls moving to a sister-station located 100 miles up a turnpike.

The ratings celebration started on Monday with the unveiling of the #GoodByeLacey hashtag. Things then kicked into high gear on Tuesday with what seemed like a series of hourly social media remembrances and tribute videos:

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I'm not trying to discount Lacey's time at News 9. I'm sure she was a hard worker, a nice person to be around, and will be missed by coworkers, but I bet even she'll admit the hype is excessive.

For example, Lacey's former morning co-worker, Justin Doughterty, recently left News 9 for an opportunity in Boston. They didn't make Justin a cake, produce sappy Facebook videos, or give him a farewell hashtag. Well, at least none that I saw. Maybe the Facebook algorithm knows me too well. Either way, they just let him disappear like every other news head. I guess it shows how dependant local TV news channels are for over-the-top dramatic weather coverage to pay the station's bills.

There's a bit controversy I just manufactured in Lacey's replacement. Instead of going with Cassie Heiter, the sweet weather babe who's been with the channel a few years, News 9 conducted a nationwide search and brought in Ygritte look-a-like Robyn King. She had to awkwardly play along and pretend to be sad that the person she was hired to replace is finally leaving:

We don't really know a lot about Robyn, and whether or not she prefers hunting with a bow or shotgun, but she seems like a solid replacement. I wonder how long before she gets her own fishing contest and start running in triathlons?

Anyway, we wish Lacey the best of luck in her new endeavors. We'd like to thank her for all the memories, and more importantly, the pageviews she created for us. She'll be missed.