As a longtime TV anchor and reporter, Kurt Ludlow said he considers his life an open book. Having his recent prostate-cancer surgery filmed, though, might be pushing the boundaries of openness. Having his recent prostate-cancer surgery filmed, though, might be pushing the boundaries of openness.

As a longtime TV anchor and reporter, Kurt Ludlow said he considers his life an open book.

Having his recent prostate-cancer surgery filmed, though, might be pushing the boundaries of openness.

�I haven�t seen the video yet,� said Ludlow, an investigative reporter for WSYX-TV (Channel 6). "The plan is to show people what�s involved, if it�s something we feel we can air.�

Ludlow, who underwent the surgery on Sept. 19, hopes to return to work today.

He announced his cancer diagnosis to viewers on Sept. 14, joining other central Ohio TV personalities who have also gone public with their illnesses: Heather Pick (in 2004), Maria Durant (2006), Tracy Townsend (2011) and Kristyn Hartman (2015).

Pick lost her battle with breast cancer in 2008; the others, who also fought breast cancer, are cancer-free.

To a person, the five said they shared the news because they wanted to use their status as public figures to help raise awareness and educate viewers.

�Male cancers don�t get talked about very often, and I felt like if I could be a voice for men out there to at least go to a doctor and get checked, that�s what I wanted to do,� said Ludlow, 55.

How stations choose to cover the illnesses of on-air personalities can vary, said John Cardenas, president and general manager of WBNS-TV (Channel 10). As the station's news director from 1999 to 2010, he supported Pick's efforts to educate others by sharing her fight with viewers.

"It's very subjective, like any other story that a news director has to determine whether to pursue," he said. "It's a case-by-case basis using a lot of different criteria.

"The criteria I personally use is, of course, it has to start with the employee initiating the conversation. I never want to do this story as a ratings ploy. Beyond that, does it help educate others? We want to do more than just notify the public that the anchor is going through this personal situation."

By the time Townsend learned in November 2010 that she had ductal carcinoma in situ (early-stage breast cancer), Cardenas had left Columbus for a job at an Indianapolis station.

Townsend's diagnosis wasn't announced on the air until February 2011, just before her surgery and mainly to let viewers know why she would not be on newscasts.

She said she and another Channel 10 reporter had to push to do on-air stories about her illness.

�I�m the health reporter," she said. "Why would I not want to be as open as I possibly could?"

More recently, when Hartman learned of her diagnosis � the same as Townsend's � the station aired segments with Hartman and her doctor discussing the treatment options as well as the actual surgery, which was filmed in October (with the last story airing after Hartman returned in November).

"It really grew out of the fact that there were a lot of people who wrote me and said, `I don't want to get a mammogram done because I'm afraid of a diagnosis and afraid of what will come after,' " Hartman said of the extent of the on-air coverage.

"So this was an opportunity to take people through the process, an opportunity to open the door."

Likewise, when Ludlow told his bosses about his cancer diagnosis, they were eager to air as much of his journey as he would allow.

�My instinct was, 'We need to be the advocate,� � Channel 6 News Director Jamie Justice said. � Of course, it was all in his court, but I was thinking, 'Do you know how many people we can save by telling this story?� �

When he shared his diagnosis on air, Ludlow presented a story about prostate cancer, the diagnosis and treatment options � with help from his doctor, John Burgers.

�I was excited,� said Burgers, a urologist and prostate-cancer surgeon affiliated with OhioHealth. �Here�s a public figure, so people will be tuning in, and now we can talk about what are some of real issues that haven�t really been out there in the news.�

Similarly, Dr. William Farrar, who performed the partial mastectomy on Hartman at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, said the willingness of female on-air personalities to share their experience is invaluable to the fight against breast cancer.

"When it's someone local people know from watching on TV every night, the impact that group has had is immense," said Farrar, interim chief physician at the James. "They have played a huge role in keeping breast cancer on people's minds. I can't tell you how many patients I have seen over the years who tell me when they see a person like that talk about their story, it caused them to go out and get a mammogram."

Ludlow�s post-operation pathology showed that his cancer had not spread beyond his prostate, so his follow-up treatment will be limited to periodic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests � the same test that revealed his cancer.

Channel 6 plans to air two more stories about Ludlow: one to explain the PSA test and its importance, and the other showing the surgery that Burgers performed at Ohio Health Riverside Methodist Hospital using robotics.

How much will be shown is yet to be determined.

�Yes, these are science pictures,� Justice said, �but it�s still dinnertime when we�re sharing this.�

kgordon@dispatch.com

@kgdispatch