TV Streaming | A job that former KTVU boss/GM, Kevin O'Brien got him. Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? I'm not sure how I missed all the drama or where all the years have gone but I remember George very well on KTVU and had no idea this was his story. Finlayson is one of those remarkable people who always falls up. I am hoping he stays sober and maybe if a local news station takes a chance on him they can use his considerable talents. Abrupt closure of S.F. He and Leslie Griffith worked well together, and it is great to see her lovely self in those pictures. Frank Somerville , KTVU 5, 6, and 10 p.m. anchor. ), Best part about the Leslie/Mark (short man) story is that she was upset at losing him (refer back to short comment), LIVE AND DIRECT FROM SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONE, GEORGE WATSON IS ON THE PHONE. I was tempted to make a George Watson joke, but(Jessica Savitch too). I've often heard than most American Indians have a very low tolerance for it. Can I say that I was just absolutely shocked by that video? One day at a time. "It was not a call for help; I made the phone call initially to ask for money," he says. This is the department's first acknowledgment that there were missteps taken during last summer's protests over the death of George Floyd. to FOX2. He knows it still has an impact. Categories . His voice and presence was so incredibly comforting to me. She has been at the station since 1997 and was on the desk the night Bay Area news icon (and Somervilles predecessor) Dennis Richmond tearfully signed off in 2008. George Watson is safe and sane. A drug company abandoned a treatment for bubble boy disease. After a 5-year fight, this little California girl is about to get it Former longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. Unfortunately her subsequent marriage to ski racer Bill Shaw ended in divorce. At that time I did not seek professional help due to finances. Emmy Award-winning TV journalist Leslie Griffith joined KTVU in 1986. She will forever remain part of a lengthy list of talent that made KTVU a destination station for news. George Watson was "Excellence Personified" during his tenure at KTVU. Watson and his wife plan to attend the memorial service for Zehnder when it takes place. George Watson is safe and sane. He talks to me here at 415 Media, his first public interview in over two decades. Fun to follow. Chuck Barney is the TV critic and columnist for the Bay Area News Group. A news anchor was visibly intoxicated on the air. As a news reader, he's average and somewhat stiff, but his health is more important. For eight years, he held two full-time jobs, one in TV and one in print. Watson also didn't realize how much the segment would have on his life later, even the more than twenty years later. She replaced Elaine Corral on the Ten O'clock News in 1998, becoming a staple on the program as Dennis Richmond's co-anchor. Ken Bastida!} The plan was set, and just as O'Brien expected, KTVU became even more phenomenally successful. Hopeless. He is a general assignment reporter with a focus on writing feature-length obituaries. One month ago, Sandobil took Zehnder out to lunch just to thank him for hiring him and bringing him along, 40 years later. But behind the scenes, negotiations were under way on a departure settlement. At that time I thought professional help and it did help. Despite the acknowledgment, the contents of those reports and what discipline was meted out, and to whom, were not revealed. Were it not for alcoholism, George Watson might have ended up with a Hall-of-Fame broadcasting career. He started as a feature writer in the People section, which was anchored by Herb Caen's column, and has written about people ever since. He was known 'bout town drunk in public. Fred just liked to do the real work of putting out a newspaper, the nuts and bolts of it, said Jim Knowles, managing editor of the San Leandro Times. 2023 FOX Television Stations, High Stakes: Sports Betting in California, Man frustrated by Oakland sideshow gets attacked by crowd, 'War on the Poor': Rally to remember Banko Brown victim of SF Walgreens shooting, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao unveils her first budget amid historic deficit, Oakland teachers announce strike Thursday if no agreement reached by then, Oakland's teachers are still negotiating with OUSD, Chinese immigrants remembered as backbone of building transcontinental railroad, Rally held to remember Banko Brown D.A. Sad. Buy Photos. 0. A slightly more up to date update on George. KTVU's George Watson's 60th Read More. He wasn't missed. It seems apparent that, even at a time when athletes and celebrities are connecting with the public by opening up about their personal struggles, both Somerville and KTVU have chosen at least so far to ignore the incident, move on and take a business-as-usual approach. I remember when Doug passed away. Fred still had his great laugh and was as engaged as ever in journalism and in life, said Sandobil, now a communications consultant in Alameda. We got Mike Mabach, Andre Senior, Frank Malicoat to take over his spot. Born in Texas, Griffith started her journalism career as a newspaper reporter for the Associated Press and Denver Post. It wasnt until four days after the bizarre incident that a New York-based spokesperson for Fox the network that owns and operates KTVU announced that the veteran anchor would be taking an indefinite leave of absence to focus on his health., KTVU also offered no prior notice that Somerville would be returning this week, although Julie Haener, his longtime co-anchor, did briefly broach the subject in a July 28 Facebook post. The 10 o'clock News would soon become the No. He looked off last night. Longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith dies Watson's first report will be on the Marin Shipyards and can be seen Sunday. He wasnt like the idea that people have of a publisher sitting behind a big desk smoking cigars. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Sadly, it looked like he was drunk. Griffith, probably not. Emmy Award-winning TV journalist Leslie Griffith, who most notably anchored the Ten O'clock News on KTVU Channel 2, died at the age of 66 on Aug. 10 in Lake Chapala, Mexico, where she had home, KTVU reported. Kevin O'Brien was the station manager, Zehnder's boss. Fred Zehnder, longtime KTVU news director, dies at 87 after being hit by a car in Alameda. I asked Watson if he has any interest in getting back into the biz, even on a limited basis doing special projects, a few bits here and there. I miss seeing that good-looking gentleman with the wonderfully pleasant presence and noteworthy qualifications, and I will pray that he continues to address each day in wellness and with fortitude. With Somerville away, who will KTVU turn to? - The Mercury News while a far more talented anchor toils away in the background {*cough-cough* Brian Hackney! She was a real psycho-lady. Im soooo happy to see you back anchoring the news! one reader wrote. Photo Sharing; About SmugMug; Browse Photos; Prints & Gifts At Lakeport Union Elementary, he fell under the spell of a teacher who had been a news reporter, and she encouraged him. Nor Leslie. "Boring is good," chuckled Watson, 75 and mellow over a wide-ranging telephone conversation with me and talking about the biz and his retired life away from the camera and teleprompter. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Don. "It was not a lightbulb, burning-bush experience," he says. This photo is from 1990, early in Leslie Griffith's KTVU tenure, when she was a weekend anchor. Lisa Fernandez is a reporter forKTVU. She resigned from KTVU in 2006. "I feel good, awesome actually. Always thought the O'Brien guy was the one adulated. The source told me the producer said "Frank looked haggard." They went to Trabocco in an Alameda shopping center. Heres a quick look at some of the people we can expect to see more of in the coming days and weeks: Julie Haener, a Danville resident, goes way back with KTVU viewers. Frank Somerville finally returns to KTVU: Are viewers owed an explanation? "I would quit drinking only in order to keep my job, but I always started again because that was never the right reason to quit," Watson says. He arrived at KTVU in 2005 as a general assignment reporter. In that sendoff staffers talk about how great things were back then, with Randy Shandobil saying "If you like us at all now, it's because of Fred." Part-time? It seems odd. One year after Oakland police used tear gas to break up a large crowd ahead of a citywide curfew, the top brass remained mum on why the department resorted to that level of force. But the call led to a job offer as a maintenance man at the center, which led to his sobriety. Thanks for linking that gallery! The Press-Enterprise. Holmes has a strong social media presence, with 34,000 followers on Facebook and 14,000 followers on Twitter, where she claims to forever be in pursuit of a good story and fabulous shoes.. The EMMY statues will be handed out at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Saturday, May 18th. Bay Area Transit (1984) - Oakland - LocalWiki Producing that show was a dream job. A consummate pro, she long has co-anchored KTVUs 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts with Somerville and figures to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the coming days. They're not like another Bay Area station, that has a mediocrity [*cough-cough* Ken Bastida! Have you never heard of diarrhea? Over the years, Savidge has contributed to KTVUs coverage of several major stories, including the Napa earthquake and the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa area. Watson said Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong will hold a news conference this week to explain more. You're a GREAT MAN, George, we all love you. But the Berkeley native, USC alum and lifelong Warriors fan will likely see a lot more camera time at the desk in the coming days and weeks. RICH LIEBERMAN 415 MEDIA: George Watson --a KTVU News Anchor - Blogger I just screwwed up (and took wrong medication) The ones that put me to sleep." By the time he hit Clearlake Union High School, he was working as a copy boy for the Lake County Bee. Former longtime KTVU anchor and reporter Leslie Griffith has died. "A terrible loss, what a man." at KTVU (Mann was one of the station's first hires), O'Brien and Zehnder brought in newcomer Leslie Griffith to join veteran KTVU reporter George Watson on the weekend anchor desk. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez, Evan Sernoffsky is an investigative reporter for KTVU. george watson ktvu where is he now - redstarcapitalllc.com I'm sure current management heard that as a slap in the face. Frank Somerville, a veteran TV newscaster suspended from KTVU following a dispute over coverage of the Gabby Petito homicide case, said Tuesday that he believes he is not returning to the station . At the start of the 11 PM news, Julie Haener said "Frank is off tonight". She stood up for me on occasion too. Longtime KTVU anchor Leslie Griffith dies - SFGATE Fred would not have wanted that.. When Zehnder wasnt working he was walking, and it was while out making his nightly round of his central Alameda neighborhood on the night of June 27 that Zehnder was hit by a raised pickup truck in an intersection. And besides Haener, the Zehnder will likely include Ibanez & Vacar.Rich, absolutely keep us posted as to how many long-time KTVU alumni attend and reconnect. From April '93 former anchor and reporter tells viewers he had been in treatment for . Zehnder was 87 and second youngest of four brothers, all still alive. Protesters yelled at police and someone was seen throwing a water bottle over the barricade, but dozens of witnesses told KTVU that the crowd was not violent. He lives in San Francisco and walks three miles a day on the steep city streets. This S.F. He returned to KTVU News a short time after. I thought I was going to get fired when I had him back to do My 20th Century at KTVU. He hired Randy Shilts as a reporter covering gay issues before Shilts went to The Chronicle. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Edited by Anita Badejo and Marc Georges. He's The Peter Principle in action. 2023 FOX Television Stations, High Stakes: Sports Betting in California. Published by at 07/06/2022. Dec. 1, 2015 Updated: Dec. 1, 2015 3:33 p.m. 11. ", At his lowest point, Watson was homeless, destitute and near death, he says. I totally had a crush on her. He sold subscriptions and took in news items dead cows and broken-down milk trucks on the family phone line. While there, he was introduced to broadcasting through a part-time job at a Eureka radio station. He is 17 years removed from working as a reporter/anchor at the CBS affiliate in Phoenix. George looks great, and he seems to be in good spirits. Last time in 2007 and 2008, the economic downturn hit me hard, I was working on commission only, and my business disappeared in a matter of weeks, because I was too late to face reality I also lost my condo. It was created in 1984 by KTVU reporter George Watson, and produced by Don McCuaig. KTVU reporter Watson spent two weeks on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal to film a comprehensive 45th anniversary report on the storied landing by U.S. Marines in World War II. In 2008, he received a highly publicized promotion when he was named the co-anchor of the station's 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, replacing Bay Area . G Watson was that hard-working and effective at KTVU. She was a force of nature.". How much will be revealed is yet to be determined. Ex-news anchor back at KTVU as writer, reporter - SFGATE Related Articles Don't know what her latest role is now. If you see this, thank you George. Thanks for posting this video, Rich, and for the update. Watson has politely turned down several nedia interview requests.