Brent Cannon and Laura Garcia-Cannon's Downward Spiral at KNTV; Domestic Violence Charges Against Him Emerge; Onetime Southbay Husband-Wife Anchor Team Featured Players on NBC Bay Area

Brent Cannon and Laura Garcia-Cannon in happier times

 Brent Cannon long ago left the KNTV (NBC Bay Area) morning show anchor team with his estranged wife, Laura Garcia-Cannon. In May, it'll be five years.

The move, according to my sources, was accelerated by Laura's initial attempt to take control of the program and to implement her status as the morning program's "engine." At the time and not too long ago, the show had positive ratings and was one of the NBC O and O's most-watched newscast.

But that was then and this is now.

Garcia-Cannon and her husband are separated now with charges of domestic violence against him pending in a South Bay courtroom. By all accounts, things have gotten out of hand with her accusing him of various pushes and shoves, and more extreme physical behavior. According to a source close to Garcia, she has visible bruises to prove it.

The whole case of nastiness is complicated by the couple's triplets --Brent wants custody rights; she's got the children now. "It's a very sad situation", said someone close to the scene. "Because I know at one point they were a close family with such adorable kids and a great family life."

That all changed in recent years as she took the main anchor desk at KNTV and began to position herself as the station's top air talent for one of its most successful news programs and newscasts; it was difficult because they both shared the set as a husband-wife team --initially things went swimmingly but soon began to dramatically change for the worse.

Garcia-Cannon's and the show's inertia had a noticeable slip. Ratings began to tumble and soon, a large disconnect played out with management wondering internally if the couple's emerging domestic issues affected the program. She was high strung as it was and he tried to soften her approach even as things between them got progressively worse. They were able to persevere, if only temporarily.

He was booted from the show in May, 2011. Rumors started circulating as to why HE and not HER was let go. In the ensuing years, he landed a few radio and media stints and settled in on a consulting gig. In the meantime, both of them battled work and non-work tensions which began to become increasingly more pronounced and disturbing.

A tipping point came last July when the domestic violence issue flared up. He was served with a restraining order after one particularly troublesome home encounter. Through various sources close to the matter (all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the story) police were called in after she accused him of shoving her to the ground. And he argued back that she exaggerated the description. She had visible bruises to support her claim. He was told to leave the premises and today is living in a local cottage. The matter is headed to both a criminal and civil court.

Garcia-Cannon is still, somehow, anchoring the morning show at KNTV under obviously extenuating circumstances. "I don't know how she does it--what with all this over her head," said a source.

Attempts to reach out to both Garcia-Cannon and her husband, Brent, are ongoing.

*415 MEDIA EXCLUSIVE