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Here's what life was like when Kelley Dunn started at WPTV

From movies to music, much has changed since Kelley Dunn's first day in 1986
Kelley Dunn behind anchor desk in 1986, Action 5 News intro
Posted at 5:51 PM, May 25, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-25 21:58:15-04

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Now that Kelley Dunn has anchored her final newscast at WPTV, here's a look back at five moments in time that coincided with Dunn's WPTV debut on Feb. 10, 1986.

MOVIES

"Down and Out in Beverly Hills" was in the middle of its four-week run as the No. 1 movie at the box office.

Speaking of cinema, "Top Gun" was just a few months away from being released when Dunn came to WPTV. Two days after her retirement, the long-awaited sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick," with Tom Cruise reprising his role as the titular Navy jet pilot, will be released nationwide.

MUSIC

Whitney Houston was at the height of her musical career with the No. 1 song, "How Will I Know." Houston drowned in her bathtub exactly 16 years and one day later.

TELEVISION

Dunn's arrival at WPTV coincided with a golden era for NBC programming. WPTV was home to four of the top five prime-time television shows during the 1986-87 season. "The Cosby Show," "Family Ties" and "Cheers" ranked first, second and third, respectively, while "The Golden Girls" came just behind the CBS crime drama "Murder, She Wrote" at No. 5.

'Cosby Show' cast in 1986
The cast of NBC's "The Cosby Show" poses April 3, 1986.

In fact, WPTV had more top 10 programming than any other network, with "Night Court" ranking No. 7. That gave WPTV five of the top 10 shows on TV that year.

The Fox television network would also make its debut in the same year that Dunn debuted on the televisions of households throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.

LIFESTYLE

The average cost of a gallon of gasoline in 1986 was 93 cents. The American Girl doll was also introduced just a few months after Dunn's arrival. The doll was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame last year.

SPORTS

Dunn's beloved Florida Gators defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 9-2 in baseball on the day she started. The Gators improved to 3-0 on the season but would finish just a game above .500 and miss the postseason.

Thirty-one years and three coaches later, Florida finally won a national championship in the sport, defeating LSU in the 2017 College World Series best-of-three championship series.

Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers 2017 College World Series graphic

Her alma mater is one of just four schools to claim national championships in baseball, football and men's basketball.