Weatherman Lezak shifting to different TV front Popular Channel 4 forecaster sees future with Channel 41.

Here's the long-range forecast at KSHB, Channel 41: Increasing goofiness with a chance of climbing ratings - but less Windy. Gary Lezak, the affable weatherman on Kansas City's top-rated morning television news program and his shepherd collie mix, Windy, are bolting WDAF, Channel 4, for crosstown rival KSHB. Lezak will move when his contract expires at the end of the year. Lezak, who has been at WDAF since 1992, will become the new chief forecaster at Channel 41, replacing Lori Miller. It's a position that probably would not have been available to him had he stayed at WDAF. Channel 4's chief forecaster is Mike Thompson, who defected from KCTV, Channel 5, to Channel 4 four years ago, in a move similar to Lezak's. "I've been doing mornings for 13 years," said Lezak, who held a similar on-air position in Oklahoma City from 1986 to 1992. "After 13 years I thought it was time to take on some new challenges, and this opportunity is exactly what I'm looking forward to at this point in my career." Because of a noncompete clause in his contract, Lezak will not be allowed to appear on Channel 41 for six months after his WDAF deal expires Dec. 31. WDAF General Manager Stan Knott said Lezak would remain on the air through the end of his contract unless a replacement is found sooner. "We gave him some terribly attractive offers," Knott said. "We'd be happy if he changed his mind because he's a good part of this team." That might be understating things. Lezak, one of Kansas City's most distinctive TV personalities, has been with WDAF's 7 to 9 a.m. all-local newscast since the station became a Fox affiliate in 1994. Channel 4 has had a third-place rating in most other parts of the day, but it has been No. 1 or No. 2 in mornings in recent years. The move to KSHB ended months of speculation within the Kansas City television news community that Lezak would seek greener pastures when his contract at WDAF expired. "We saw him as one of most well-known and popular personalities in the market," KSHB General Manager James Swinehart said Monday. "It made a lot of sense to bring people like Gary onto our team that had substantial recognition in the market. We're very excited about having him." Miller, who has been in the Kansas City market for 18 months, is being offered the option of staying on at Channel 41 in a diminished on-air role. She did not return phone calls Monday seeking comment. Whether Lezak's departure translates into higher ratings for fourth-place KSHB, sources interviewed Monday said, depends on how much support he gets from media giant E.W. Scripps Co. of Cincinnati, which owns the station. Scripps recently ordered layoffs at its nine television stations, and one of the casualties was the producer of KSHB's award-winning investigative unit. KSHB recently hired its third news director in five years. One thing is certain: By moving to the more conventional 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts, Lezak will banter less with his co-anchors and won't have much on-air time for his dog. But he promised Monday that he and Windy would continue touring the elementary-school circuit while at KSHB.