Television came to the Bay Area in the late 1940’s. It was a novelty. Tiny screens, some green in color. Tinny sound. Test patterns on the screen for most of the day. Little if any local programming.
By the late 1960s, it was maturing. Screens up to 36 inches in color with Hi Fi sound and all sorts of local programming, kids shows, local news shows of a half hour. And three TV networks plus a budding PBS. Cable was there to bring tv to those of us who lived behind hills.
Fast forward to today. 24 hour news channels all over the place. Ten hours or more of locally produced news a day. 150 plus entertainment, foreign language and educational channels. Screens up to 70-plus inches with surround sound. Something for almost everyone.
On Tuesday, June 19, take a trip down memory lane at the latest Broadcast Legends luncheon with five Bay Area TV news veterans who’ve been part and parcel of the Bay Area television scene through much of its turbulent adolescence.
Don Sanchez (SC 2000), 40-plus years with KGO-TV, will be the moderator and lead the trip down memory lane.
Sanchez will be joined by the grande dame of local broadcasting, Belva Davis (SC 1989, GC 2013, Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame 2007), anchor-reporter par excellence, KPIX 5, KRON 4 and KQED 9.
Former KPIX reporter Manny Ramos (SC 2000); Tom Vacar (SC 2003), Consumer Reporter, KTVU; and retired KTVU reporter Rita Williams (SC 2001) round out the list of TV luminaries for the day.
We’ll talk about the glory days of TV news, show some clips and even some bloopers from the past. The panel will take about news today and what they see for the future. It promises to be a sparkling and adventurous afternoon.
No Host Cocktails will be at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch at noon. The day’s program will begin at 1:15 p.m.
The event will be held Tuesday, June 19 at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco. Purchase luncheon tickets online at www.broadcastlegends.com