Former KWCH sports anchor Jim Kobbe dies after brief battle with cancer

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Former KWCH sports personality Jim Kobbe died Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 64. Kobbe was a sports anchor for KWCH from 1990-2004. He worked at Spirit AeroSystems beginning in 2011 until retirement in 2024. Nicknamed, 'Cobra,' Kobbe was born in Douglass and was a lifelong Kansas City Royals fan. He was a longtime board member for the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame. Kobbe and longtime friend Ted Woodward, the public address announcer for Wichita State athletics, often traveled to major league ballparks and shared their love of baseball. Kobbe could often be found at Equity Bank Park during games played between the Wind Surge and the Tulsa Drillers, for whom Kobbe's friend Dennis Higgins served as radio announcer. Kobbe also served as sports director for KSN from 2005-11.