Leslie Griffith left KTVU in 2006, mysteriously I may add, although the story was that she was fed up with the TV News industry and disillusioned by its less-than-journalistic trends. (I wonder how she feels today?)I liked Griffith even though word was that Dennis Richmond despised her. She had a few personal peccadilloes that we all have but her work for the most part was solid.
There were several issues surrounding Griffith that made the rounds. Most were false. Some were not.
She dated Dave Stewart and Willie McCovey.
Griffith was no-nonsense. She also didn't like to be taken lightly according to those who worked with her and may have been her impetus to leave even though she earned a hefty salary and had three years remaining on her contract.
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Watched her regularly, loved her work and on-air personality, and miss her presence on the newscast.
ReplyDeleteI always thought she had a thing going with Ibanez!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it had something to do with that ever present smirk he had!
She spoke at a high graduation during her heyday- never heard the word "I" used that many times in a public speech.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to the "tell all" book on corporate censorship that she promised?
Then you've never watched Roberta Gonzales. "I" is her favorite word and the only go-to first word out of her mouth whenever she is on camera.
DeleteAs Gary would say, "so she had a thing for the brothers?"
ReplyDeleteI always thought she was hotter than hot. She was so pretty. So sexy. I remember this commercial celebrating the new year where they showed her dancing, just wow. I read an article in the last 10 years that said she lived in the Oakland Hills with an adopted son? I may be a bit off with that but it was the general idea.
Might I suggest they bring back Elaine and Leslie to host the 10pm news. That would probably bring back a lot of viewers. I saw pictures of Elaine recently...I don't remember her being that good looking. Quite a beautiful woman.
ReplyDeleteWas it urban myth she and sports Dude on ch2 Ibanez were a duo that had an acrimonious breaking up?
ReplyDeleteAlso,I think post ch2,her claim to fame was writing a blog post where she posted all the pics of the beautiful blonds on FOX..in miniskirts and thighs high. She went on to talk of FOX's fixation on the young power blond white woman.
Of course as I went back over a years time I noticed that those who wrote "Leslie,YOU were hired as a young power blond by ch2"?. Those posts were usually deleted in days or weeks.
I get the feeling she is really high strung,maybe a control neat freak. She would never be happy watching Stan eat Kentucky Fried Chicken and,ya know, it IS finger lick'in good!
It's true. Leslie and Mark used to live together. The break up was acrimonious.
DeleteDid she waxed his mustache and he waxed her.....
DeleteI heard she found out he was cheating on her and she punched his lights out at a St Joes (Jason Kidd) high school playoff game in the parking lot.
DeleteGriffith was no-nonsense? I remember when some reporter had done a story on ducks in Lake Merritt. When the report ended, the camera cut back to Leslie Griffith who was anchoring. With the most serious, deadpan delivery she said, "...the ducks were cold and hungry... and they wanted some Quackers." She got a big laugh from everyone in the studio.
ReplyDelete4:06 , I was going to ask did you get a chance to Tell Elaine how beautiful she looked, but I know better. Nowadays, about 45% of the women would say they 'felt threatened' if a 'strange man' gave them a compliment, so one has to be careful. I went to an "In and Out" restaurant in Novato the other day. The young lady at the change window had beautiful skin, it truly was radiant and almost cast a glow. I almost told her, 'You have a lovely complexion." but I thought, better not. If you don't look like a well known movie star with the concurrent money, they dont want to hear it.
ReplyDeleteLeslie and Mark DID have a 'thing' going for awhile, but when Leslie found out Mark was seeing someone else as well, she confronted him in the KTVU parking lot and decked him with a right hook, giving him a really noticeable shiner! Needless to say, the two were no longer an item and the tension between the two of them was obviously more palpable when they were on the set together!
ReplyDeleteKinda ironic, given her overt disgust when they showed boxing highlights during the sports segments!
DeleteAs far as I know, she has her own blog these days and writes on occasion for on-line publications. I think you're partially right though Rich; she was probably fed up with the nonsense of the industry and got out just as the shit was starting to hit the fan and companies like Clear Channel, Cumulus, and Infinity began ruining and dumbing down broadcasting.
ReplyDeleteAs a field reporter, she seemed OK ages ago, but she was annoying as an anchor, and I was glad to see her go.
ReplyDeleteI liked Leslie, but I had heard also that Dennis didn't like her. In fact one night while watching them deliver the news on Ch.2, Dennis tossed her the next story, and gave Leslie the "stank eye side glare."
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, if Leslie did leave because she was disenchanted with the Media, she 100% right! The Media nowadays doesn't work as a investigative check on the rich, & powerful, they literally speak for them?! The News now is ran like a government arm of the Media...
Ibanez lived large. I know for a while he was fighting off foreclosure on his house. I do not know if he defaulted just to get a loan modification or if he lived way too large and blew all his money.
ReplyDeleteHe's also a first-class shmuck who thinks he has a glittering ten-inch diamond-tipped cock. He's not well-liked in the newsroom by *anyone.*
DeleteI once was supposed to interview him for a series of advertisements my agency was doing for KTVU on their personalities. I asked him for ten minutes of his time for some material for the ad copy and he looked at me like I was a piece of dogshit. "I don't talk to ANYONE," he said, "until they've read my book." What book was that? No one knew about a book. He then retrieved and shoved in my hands a copy of his self-published vanity fiesta "The Sportin' Life." For three lines of copy I had to read a whole book and then come back to him. For the heck of it, I did read it. It was crap and badly needed an editor, and was just him grooming his ego. You won't learn anything about sports reading it. I pitched the book in the trash can and never did interview him. Later when the ads came out and there were nice pieces on Vacar, Fowler, Griffith, Richmond, Mackenzie, etc., he called up irate that there was nothing about him. "What can we say about you," my CD (creative director) asks. "I don't talk to anyone until they've read my book..." he tells him. My CD was like, "Yeah, right," and told me later, "I'm glad you skipped that ass."
ReplyDeleteInteresting story 11:12am. Was not aware of this.
DeleteHere's the book. 'Marks Remarks'
DeleteIn fairness proceeds went to the American Cancer Society
http://www.amazon.com/Marks-Remarks-Mark-Ibanez/dp/B000O5TTF8
That is not the book I said and the proceeds of the one of which I spoke did not go to the ACS. You have a reading comprehension problem.
DeleteIbanez is one of the guys who is very lucky to have been at one station for so many years. This guy is also one of the laziest, most over-rated talents in the bay area. He skates by on his reputation, which is nothing great to begin with. His whole approach is vanilla, but he's been at KTVU forever, and has the right last name. So they ain't gonna fire the dude.
ReplyDeleteanon at 4:55...."THEY" can't all be Ricky Ricardo, but they can certainly try. Oh, to be a bitter undereducated old fat white guy in the Central Valley.
DeleteLeslie was a very talented reporter and anchor. As an individual she was/is a quality human being. When other "friends" of George Watson watched him destroy himself, even after being offered help to detox by KTVU on a few occasions, Leslie, out of her own pocket paid for the 'one last time" when George finally set himself straight. Not any of Georges' "friends".Leslie used to regularly take the crew out for lunch on weekends before the 10pm, often wearing a hat and no make up, and treating everyone with respect. She did not put on "airs", unlike past anchors, or a few of the present ones who seem annoyed they have to breath the same air as the "hired help".
DeleteLeslie was doing stories exposing the animal cruelty of Ringling Brothers Circus, and she was told to stop by Cox, the parent company of KTVU, because Kenneth Feld, owner of RB Circus, was a big advertiser with Cox across the country. No backing from Cox, and no journalistic integrity from anyone inside KTVU to go to bat for her. She was left alone and sacrificed.For all the idiot posters who believe media is liberal, buy the broadcasters book that shows ownership of tv and radio. Any story that is going to expose the ill doing of any advertiser, is killed, not on the table for discussion, The corporate ownerships decides what is news, and you get only a sliver of what they want to report to you. Notice all the copter shots now, and light weight fluff entertainment on newscasts now?
Her book has been cpmpleted, and edited, and Kenneth Feld and his lackeys have used power and influence to stall and possibly squash the release from a major publisher altogether. This happened to two reporters in Florida as well. Not the first time, and not the last.
Forget about the owners. Their main interest is the bottom line. Many studies have been done proving that most of the media mostly does stories from a liberal point of view, and that reporters and editors by an overwhelming majority are registered Democrats and vote accordingly. It's not even close.
DeleteI adored Leslie when she was at channel 8. She had this spark that showed she was bright and and knowledgeable. Loved her for the first part of her career and KTVU. But over time she grew tired, like she was just reading the news, didn't care, it was just a job. Honestly she should review her early stuff, and see the energy difference, revive the spark again.
ReplyDeleteWork at Ch 2 under Andrew Finlayson (now a venture capitalist in SoCal!) and his successors, Special Ed and the rest, and you'll know why she looked tired and defeated in the second half. We all did. That's why we all left, and Ch 2 is now pathetic.
DeleteI had a serious crush on Leslie in the 90's. Sad she's still not around.
ReplyDeleteMe too I loved it very sexy
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