Sunny FM radio personality Larry Dowdy will make an impromptu return to local television in January. Instead of offering the news as he did years ago, he'll give a shot at delivering the VIPIR radar forecasts on WSLS-TV Newschannel 10.

"I'm helping out just basically filling in for a couple of weeks," Dowdy said. He will be subbing on the weekends when viewers usually see popular personality Marc Lamarre. Dowdy's TV return likely will start this weekend.

"I know they've got some people on vacation," Dowdy said. "I'm just going to lend a hand on the weekends." His weather stint, he said, most likely will last for much of January.

For a chunk of the 1990s, Dowdy was a familiar face on "News-7 Mornin'" on WDBJ-TV (Channel 7). He left the TV station in 1997 to return to radio where he's the morning-show host at WXLK (92.3 FM), the station that's now called Sunny FM. His voice can be heard on The Sunny Mornin' Show with Larry Dowdy from 5:30 to 10 a.m. weekdays.

Dowdy said Newschannel 10 news director Shane Moreland contacted him recently about filling in, saying he recalled hearing Dowdy did some weather segments while at Channel 7.

In an interview last week, Moreland said that Lamarre, who has the weekend weather duties for Newschannel 10 and Fox's "10 O'Clock News," is in the pool of news staffers taking a holiday break.

"At this time of year, people take time off. He's still here," Moreland said.

As for Dowdy, he said the opportunity to get back in front of the camera will allow him to do some cross promotions and connect to his regular listeners in a new way. Now they'll be able to match a face to a voice, Dowdy said.

"If I can get in, learn and refresh myself, I think we're probably starting ... New Year's Eve," said Dowdy who had plans for an earlier winter vacation this week.

Newschannel 10, a Media General station, has news partnerships with several area television and radio stations including Sunny FM and the local Fox affiliate.