Former KPIX reporter Bill Schechner dies at age 81

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Former KPIX reporter Bill Schechner dies at age 81

Former KPIX reporter and anchor Bill Schechner has passed away at the age of 81 after a long illness according to his longtime friend, journalist, and KPIX colleague Linda Schacht.

www.cbsnews.com

Bill Schechner had two stints at KPIX-TV, a Stint at NBC News and worked at KQED during his media career.

Former KPIX reporter and anchor Bill Schechner has passed away at the age of 81 after a long illness according to his longtime friend, journalist, and KPIX colleague Linda Schacht.

Schechner was the quintessential journalist and one of the best storytellers in the business. Born and raised in New Jersey, Schechner enjoyed a brief stint in radio before jumping to television. In 1968, he was hired as a reporter for a groundbreaking television experiment known as "Newsroom" which aired on KQED. "Newsroom" was created to inform the Bay Area during the prolonged '68 San Francisco newspaper strike.

"Schechy" as he was known to many in our newsroom, worked at CBS Bay Area for 18 years. He was hired in 1976 as a general assignment reporter. In 1981, he was lured away by the NBC television network to work as a national correspondent. Soon, he was co-anchoring a live one-hour news program known as "NBC News Overnight" with Linda Ellerbee, where he informed a national audience with his dry wit for nearly 11 years.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

One half of the NBC News Overnight duo. RIP.

 

[Mark Roberts]

One of the best - when there was lots of good news writing on TV.

 

[michael hagerty]

One half of the NBC News Overnight duo. RIP.

That's how I first saw his work. He replaced the original Overnight co-anchor, Lloyd Dobins, who passed in August of 2021 at age 85.

Linda Ellerbee is now the only surviving anchor of that show. She's 78.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Here is an airchecks of Bill Schechner 2nd stint at KPIX in the 1990's as a fill in for Anna Chavez and Dave McElhatton for the 10pm News in 1995.

 

[spiritof67]

That's how I first saw his work. He replaced the original Overnight co-anchor, Lloyd Dobins, who passed in August of 2021 at age 85.

Linda Ellerbee is now the only surviving anchor of that show. She's 78.

I still miss NBC News Overnight, and their supposedly required 'animal story' for the night.

After Lloyd Dobins' departure from the show, Bill's style worked just as well co-hosting with Linda Ellerbee.

It's unfortunate there isn't a market for that kind of newscast.

 

[bmasters1981]

I still miss NBC News Overnight, and their supposedly required 'animal story' for the night.

After Lloyd Dobins' departure from the show, Bill's style worked just as well co-hosting with Linda Ellerbee.

It's unfortunate there isn't a market for that kind of newscast.

Indeed-- no one wants smart, intelligent news reporting with a touch of class and humor at night; they want it where some political enemy usually is to blame, and they can stay up all night enjoying the blame game.

 

[spiritof67]

Indeed-- no one wants smart, intelligent news reporting with a touch of class and humor at night; they want it where some political enemy usually is to blame, and they can stay up all night enjoying the blame game.

You forgot those who thrive on conspiracy theories and are sold survivalist gear and gold investments for the coming end times.

 

[Mark Roberts]

What I've noticed is that the quality of TV news writing has deterioriated a lot in the past couple of decades. Stories don't seem to be written for the ear. This is true for radio news as well. For TV, the script often doesn't appear to match the video. It feels like news writing has become a rush job.