Monday, March 11, 2013

Pete Giddings was a Bay Area TV Weather Icon Whether You Like It or Not; Former KGO-TV Anchor still Forecasting; Monday Opener

Pete Giddings was one of the longest tenured TV weatherman in the Bay Area.

Remember? Yes, that Pete Giddings, the guy with the impeccable suits, the polka-dot ties and the "Letter from Home."

Pete Giddings was 1/4th a part of the KGO "NewsScene" Channel 7 dominance in the 70's and 80's. He spent almost thirty years there and developed a healthy following among weather watchers and loyal fan clubs. He was paid well. How well? Try about $400, 000 a year, easily still the highest-paid Bay area TV weather anchor. Giddings knew his weather. He had a habit of making pretty accurate forecasts; he tore into conventional weather predicting and said any forecast beyond 72 hours amounted to a crap shoot. He was pretty much right too. Who could forget Giddings funny shots of himself skiing down Heavenly Valley? Or his shaving rituals. And the "Little people" fishing segments that allowed disadvantaged kids a chance to go fishing on the bay.

Gidding's partners--Van Amburg, Jerry Jensen, John O'Reilly, Don Sanchez, were a part of Bay Area TV nostalgia. "Channel 7 News", to this day, was an iconic part of San Francisco. NewsScene was the birthplace of "Happy Talk" and the infamous, "If it bleeds, it leads." (KGO had a knack for bloody murder, crime scene footage). It also consistently was #1 in the ratings and was one of the most-watched local TV news shows in Bay Area history.

Giddings is still doing weather reports and has his own weather forecast service. We've made contact into Pete's world and hope to have him on the radio show.

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19 comments:

  1. He also started at 7 as a beanpole...got into weightlifting years later and I remember he challenged one of the Petaluma wristwrestler guys..and Pete beat him.
    I also think back that when he bulked up,he also got obnoxious on air. Maybe Pete like many had help with those muscle builders?

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  2. Rich,

    You may want to use an icebreaker by asking Giddings about the time he shared an office with Joel Bartlett whose desk was moved out of the office while he was on vacation. Giddings is sure whimsical.

    http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Weather-at-Channel-7-gets-surly-3126633.php

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    1. In that same article anchorwoman who swore like a sailor wonder who that was.?

      Bill Martin was at kpix dont remember that one.

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    2. Yes Rich we need to know who this foul mouthed woman was. Would be funny if it was someone this website has idolized or adored.

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    3. Was it Teryln Jo.

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    4. Maybe it was Anna Chavez. Too soon?

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  3. I remember Giddings doing a lot of community service stuff, good on ya Pete. I'd like to hear his opinions regarding the quality of news broadcasts...could he be the same rock star with the current news model?

    The Giddings topic stimulates the question, whatever happened to Jan Carson? Granted I was a naive teenage lad that had to untuck the front of his shirt at the sight of most women, but she made an indelible impression.

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  4. I remember when Lloyd Lindsay Young was at KGO Ch.7 during the years of 1981-83. Lloyd become so popular with the viewing public that Pete had him banished...LOL!

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    1. I think he swiped his stage persona from Garner Ted Armstrong.

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  5. I remember the days before chroma key (the green screen) when Pete would stand in front of his three-way board with his giant pen. One was the US, one was the State, and one was the Bay Area. I remember well his big arrows he would draw in the mid section of the country showing the warm air moving up from the south and the cold air coming in from the north. I also remember a couple times when that big board would get stuck half-way through its motion.

    If you get him on your show, you might ask him if all the technology available today (from satellites to computer models to ???) has really helped forecasting as a whole. Please also ask him what he thinks of the changes in TV news regards the whole area of tv weather readers vs actual meteorologists.

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  6. Oh, man: PLEASE tell me it wasn't KATE KELLY!

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  7. Even though I was a Pete Giddings fan the one thing he did that really pissed me off was getting Kristine Hanson dumped. I thought she was great at her job and do miss her.

    If Rich ever interviews him, I would like to hear a straight answer on that!

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    1. He did that? Hard to believe. In fact, practically impossible to believe...

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  8. KH used to fill in on 2 and dated Bill Walsh as well or not?

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    1. As well as September 1974 Playmate of the Month.

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  9. I don't wax nostalgic for the "Kickers, Guts and Orgasms" KGO Channel 7 News...
    It was basically the beginning of The End for actual news reporting on Bay Area TV.

    It was the polar opposite of KQED's Newsroom, with Mel Wax's crew.

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  10. I remember Pete Giddings taught me that when the outside temp & the dew point is the same, fog develops. Thank you, Pete Giddings, as this is ONE weather lesson that has stuck with me over the years.

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  11. How is dew point figured....with a barometer?

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  12. I remember I had a teacher who once told me a story about Pete Giddings. He said he was at a restaurant and he saw Pete Giddings. My teacher went over to Giddings and said I'm a fan of yours. He said that Pete Giddings looked at him angrily and said, "This must be your night for boys!" My teacher realized what a prick Pete is or was.

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