I remember Fishman from KTLA pre-CW days - when they also used to show old kung-fu movies after midnight. Anyway - Fishman was an LA institution unto himself.
Originally posted by L.A Times ObitIt's trite to say the recently deceased will be missed, but in Fishman's case it's true: He was on the air so long it seemed as if he would always be there, a background presence to many, perhaps, but wholly absorbed into the larger cultural sensibility of Southern California.
KTLA Channel 5 (which, like The Times, is owned by Tribune Co.) bragged that he was the longest-serving anchor in the business, which is likely true. But that achievement had much to do with the fact that Fishman spent his journalism career at independent, non-network stations, where the pressure to score high ratings and try out the newest blond is somewhat less intense than at bigger outlets. In a 1985 Times profile, Fishman said he'd passed up working for larger stations because of the "tremendous freedom" he enjoyed at KTLA.
One of the absolute best anchors of our time. I can't say enough about the guy. He was one of the last great local anchors. It's almost fitting that he's passed on just as the age of the dopey cable "newsman" has started. Hal was too good for this world.
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Originally posted by It's FalseOne of the absolute best anchors of our time. I can't say enough about the guy. He was one of the last great local anchors. It's almost fitting that he's passed on just as the age of the dopey cable "newsman" has started. Hal was too good for this world.
I agree with all this. Hal was THE MAN during my time in SoCal despite all the hype to get the "California 9" prime time news off the ground. I'm pretty sure Channel 5 had, like, the sum total of three people appearing on the news back then and they all looked like senior citizens...well except Jann Carl, of course.
Say...does this mean the Jerry Dunphy Death Watch has started?
(consults Wikipedia)
Oh, shit, he died five years ago! So I guess....no.
That, or Jerry Coleman of the Padres announce team.
Seriously - John Coleman is still around? Wow. I remember John Coleman when he was with WLS Ch 7 in Chicago, and they had the first "happy talk" newscast in Chicago - when I was a kid (so a LOooong time ago) - Flynn, Daly, Frink and Coleman.
A year or so into it, John Coleman introduced "the John Coleman Weather Experience" - but basically, what it was was the first usage by a weatherman (at least in Chicago) of using a green screen. He'd walk through the maps, toss buckets of water out when it was raining, his minons ((I assume now dressed all in green) would hand him stuff out of thin air. It was fun.
Everybody else there was using real maps and pointing to them, but John Coleman could just point at the screen.
Of course NOW, everyone does that, it's a matter of course .
Cool. I am headed for SD next week to work at CPMB - so I will hopefully check out old John. Neat - thanks, Guru