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“Copy!”
With that one word, I knew I wanted to get into the news business.
I was 20 years old and worked as a copyboy for the Houston Chronicle. I was the grunt of the editorial team.
When reporters at their manual typewriters shouted “Copy!” I ran to their desk to see what they needed. It would be a variety of tasks, from finding “clips” of previous stories to giving your typed up article to the editor.
That afternoon the newspaper would be handed over to the desks in the editorial office. For me that moment was magical.
Today that magic happens every afternoon when reporters are scattered across San Diego, presenters are at their studio desks, producers and directors put their headsets on in understeer, and the news broadcast starts.
I’ve been part of this process for 40 years, 32 years in San Diego. After my copy boy days, I graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in communications studies in 1980. A year later, my wife Lorraine and I took our 1 year old daughter to Missouri, where I graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Journalism.
My first full-time job in journalism was at WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida. I was a general field reporter and weekend anchor. I learned the daily routine of reporting and how to look cool, calm and collected in 90 degrees humidity – not easy for a native Californian. I’ve covered town hall, crime, and courts. After two years it was time for a new challenge.
I worked for WAVE-TV in Louisville, Kentucky for the next five and a half years. We moved to Louisville with a second daughter. Before we left in 1990, we had a son and a daughter. It was in Louisville that I learned the nitty-gritty of reporting; how important visuals were in storytelling, concise writing, and letting the story itself drive the narrative rather than being influenced by a preconceived narrative.
In January 1990 I returned to San Diego, where I worked for the KFMB for 12 years. Again, I was a general news reporter covering everything from forest fires to comic-con. But that all changed when Jim Holtzman, Channel 8’s news director, asked me to be the consumer reporter. I said no. But Jim knew better and I agreed. I never looked back.
Consumer coverage gives you the opportunity to really change people’s lives. With the help of great producers and volunteers, we have been able to help people solve problems and get their money back. On Channel 8, my 4 o’clock producer nicknamed me Consumer Bob … and the name stuck.
In 2001, I was hired by NBC 7. It was a good fit. For 20 years, we’ve been saving people money, warning them of the latest scams, and letting them know about the latest gadgets and the best deals. We launched NBC 7 Responds and saved $ 1.2 million for viewers in San Diego.
I’ve been involved in major investigations including the San Diego Water Department, billing issues with local ambulance services, and the transfer of a couple who stole thousands of dollars from band students at four area high schools. We have been awarded numerous prizes for our work.
But the greatest treasure of my career has been meeting and helping the San Diego audience. They were warm, friendly, and accepting.
It’s time to retire, but it’s not easy. I will be 68 years old in January and have four children and nine grandchildren living across the country. I’ll travel, surf, volunteer, and enjoy every great day San Diego has to offer. And I will forever be grateful for a career that has blessed me and my family with friends and memories that will last a lifetime.
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