AHOSKIE – CNN is headed to Ahoskie, or at least one of the worldwide news organization’s most visible employees is making the trip.

Chuck Roberts, the weekday news anchor on CNN Headline News, has accepted an invitation to appear at the Josh Lane Golf Classic, set for an 11:15 a.m. start on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at Beechwood Country Club near Ahoskie.

According to Classic organizer David Lane of Murfreesboro, Roberts is not scheduled to play golf. Rather, he will meet and greet those participating in this 6th annual event, one that raises funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Lane said the public is invited to stop by the golf course and meet this cable television celebrity. Beechwood is located off NC 11 between Ahoskie and Murfreesboro.

Roberts is the longest-serving anchor among the CNN networks. He has anchored the weekday news segments since the network debuted on New Year’s Day, 1982. He is based in CNN’s world headquarters in Atlanta, Ga.

Since joining CNN, Roberts has led the network’s coverage for each national election.

In 1989, Roberts reported from a rooftop on Hurricane Hugo’s arrival in Charleston, S.C. Four years prior, he reported live on the trial of Wayne Williams, later convicted in the Atlanta child murders case. That same year, Roberts was at the forefront of a worldwide broadcast of a federal prison riot in Atlanta.

Before joining CNN, Roberts was the principal weeknight anchor at KMTV in Omaha, Neb. There he conducted an exclusive interview with a death row inmate and donned a flight suit as he joined a Strategic Air Command crew for an interview with this flying command post.

From 1973-75, Roberts anchored the evening news at KRGV-TV in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Before joining KRGV, he was a newscaster at WHB Radio in Kansas City, Mo. and anchored the morning newscasts at KOMU-TV, an NBC affiliate in Columbia, Mo.

Roberts is a member of the Atlanta Press Club and the National Society of Professional Journalists. He was the 1971 recipient of the University of Missouri Faculty/Student Award for Outstanding Journalism.

In 1988, Roberts was inducted into the New Mexico Military Institute’s Hall of Fame for &uot;lifetime achievement in service to the ideals of America.&uot;

In 2003, Roberts hosted the 228th birthday celebration of the U.S. Army.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

Roberts volunteers with Project for Humanity causes in Atlanta.