From Oakland: the longtime face of KTVU, pioneering former news anchor Dennis Richmond has passed at age 82.
Legendary KTVU anchor Dennis Richmond, the quintessential newsman of four decades – an anchor still most associated with Channel 2 long after his retirement, died Wednesday at the age of 81.
www.ktvu.com
It can't be overstated: news directors came and went, but Richmond was the true leader of the newsroom. He was no-nonsense, factual, unflappable, and credible.
The Ten O'Clock News in particular was where he shined. There was very little chit-chat. There was no attempt after reporters' live shots to "engage" them in a Q-and-A that repeated what had just been reported. It was, "Thank you, Rita", "Thank you, Lloyd", "Thank you, Amber", and so forth, then on to the next report. Anchors or reporters new to KTVU might once in a while try to slip in a little extra, prompting a glare from Richmond that amounted to, "stick with the facts; this is a newscast". A little more fluff has crept into KTVU in recent years, but there's still a lot less than you see elsewhere, and you can give Dennis Richmond credit for that. For years, the newscast began, along with an animated sweep of the Bay and its bridges, "This is the Ten O'Clock News on Channel 2, the number one prime-time newscast in the country", and he was a big reason that KTVU could make that claim.
He was last on KTVU more than a year ago for Julie Haener's retirement. He appeared to be in failing health then, but seemed to enjoy being there, and the staff thrilled that he was there. It's too bad he'll miss Bill Martin's retirement. But time marches on. I was a regular viewer of the Ten O'Clock News for more than two decades and I appreciate having seen Dennis Richmond in action every weeknight. He was truly one of a kind.
