Dennis Richmond, a legendary anchorman whose delivery of the news became associated with Bay Area station KTVU for four decades, died Wednesday.
He was 81.
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The station where Richmond anchored the news from 1976-2008 announced his death Wednesday. They reported that he died in Grass Valley with his wife, Deborah, by his side.
Richmond had a calm, no-nonsense demeanor and a rich baritone delivery. Over time, he became one of the Bay Area’s most trusted anchors and was regularly named the market’s most popular anchor in various viewer polls. KTVU’s late-night newscast led the ratings for years while Richmond was the lead anchor.
“Dennis was a strong presence in the KTVU newsroom for decades, guiding the team and setting high standards for himself and his colleagues in everything they did,” KTVU General Manager Mellynda Hartel said in a statement released by KTVU’s corporate owner, Fox Broadcasting. “His impact is still felt in the KTVU newsroom today.”
KTVU dedicated its noon broadcast to Richmond.
Before rising to the role of anchor, Richmond made a name for himself at the station by covering the 1976 kidnapping of Patricia Hearst, and the 1978 assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk by Supervisor Dan White.
As an anchor, he fed the public emergency information during times such as the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm.
Another news legend, former Bay Area News Group sports columnist Dave Newhouse, in a 2016 story about Richmond called the anchor “the Bay Area’s Walter Cronkite.”
During his tenure, Richmond shared the anchor desk Barbara Simpson, Elaine Corral, Leslie Griffith and Julie Haener.
He signed off for the final time during an emotional broadcast on May 26, 2008, the day he turned 65.
“What makes me proud is that if the rest of the people hadn’t pulled together, I’d have fallen flat on my face,” Richmond said at the time. “I have to give credit to everyone around me for the fact that I’m still here.”
He spent his retirement years in Grass Valley. He returned to KTVU for a brief segment in 2017 ahead of being the emcee for the “Friends of Faith” (Fancher) breast cancer fundraiser. Fancher was an award-winning KTVU reporter who died in 2003 after a 6½-year fight against the disease.
Richmond first joined the station as a clerk in 1968.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
