Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Flash: Longtime KTVU News Anchor Leslie Griffith has Died

Longtime Bay Area news anchor, Leslie Griffith, has died.

She was a leading anchor at KTVU in the late 80's, 90's and early 2000's --outspoken and considered a maverick in the news business.

Cause of death, according to KTVU was lyme disease. Griffith died at her second home in Mexico.

Before anchoring at KTVU, she reported for the AP and Denver Post.

Griffith spent time teaching journalism and giving lectures at colleges in the Bay Area and across the country after her tenure at KTVU.

She remained an influential force in the TV News biz and her death is both very sad and devastating --condolences to KTVU and Ms. Griffith's friends and family.

Ms. Griffith was 66.

43 comments:

  1. RIP. And of course Julie Haener will use this as an opportunity to miss even more work. Mark my word.

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    1. Really? Seriously, really? A woman goes through a mental health crisis, another dies and THIS is what comes to your mind?

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    2. Does anyone remember the time she punched out Mark Ibanez in the KTVU parking lot?

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    3. Yes, word was Ibnaez couldn't "get the job done" with her if you get my drift. What would you expect out of a 5'6" guy?

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    4. So Mark was boinking Leslie Griffith AND, up until very recently, Julie Haener? That guy is a STUD!

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    5. Julie and Mark? That’s surprising only because Julie could do so much better.

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  2. Ah man. Had kind of a crush on her in my younger days. Terrific reporter though. May she RIP.

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  3. Leslie Griffith was really, really good. Loved her and Dennis together. Both excellent.

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  4. Remember Griffith and Dennis Richmond every night at 10PM on KTVU. My favorite hour of news when they were on.

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  5. i'm sure the obits will lionize her as some hard-charging, serious journalist. truth is, she was batshit crazy. after leaving ktvu she became an animal rights zealot who was also a 911 truther. hum the theme to the X-files when you see her obit.

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    1. I took the liberty of writing Leslie's obituary. Please let me know what you think - "Feared and despised. Loved and loathed. Leslie Griffith was good for three things: fighting, screwing, and reading the news. Leslie's career hit its peak in the 90s with her dance moves in a cheesy KTVU commercial, where she put everyone to sham. Later, she gained notoriety amongst her peers for giving Mark Ibanez a Cleveland steamer, and placing a used tampon in his tea during a commercial break. After leaving KTVU, Leslie fought for elephant rights, and broke the hearts of our male neighbors south of the border until finally passing away in Mexico. Feared and despised. Loved and loathed. Rest in peace Leslie."

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    2. 6:42pm, yeah, because fighting for animal rights is such an awful thing.

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    3. i had the same reaction at @6:42. What a crazy world we live in where protecting animal lives is hurled as an insult lol

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  6. Holy Cow!! She wasnt even 70. Didnt know Lyme disease was tbst serious?? Thoughts and best wishes to her 2 kids!!

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  7. Who cares! She left the new industry for good

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    1. what a sociopathic comment

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    2. Craft - go away

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    3. Thanks for the Cleveland Steamer, Christine.

      Jan Wahl
      KGO

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    4. Well, you obviously care, otherwise you wouldn't have posted anything to this thread.

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  8. I thought Leslie Griffith was a talented newscaster. I happened to be watching when some nut had placed expletives into the teleprompter. I did a double take, “Huh? Did I just hear that?”. Not sure who got fired that night, but LG was visibly IRATE.
    Someone was messing with her, and it was both pathetic and insulting.
    Eventually she figured out that there were better things she could do with her time. RIP LG!

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  9. Good reporter! Professional. Dennis Richmond did not look well in a recent photo. RIP

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  10. What a week for KTVU!!!!!

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  11. RIP Leslie! Sad news... I also had a huge crush on her as well. She was an excellent reporter & anchor. Godspeed!

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  12. RIP a trail blazing force in journalism

    Now respect that integrity by being clear Lyme Disease wasn’t listed as the cause of death. The KTVU article mentions a family member who said she suffered from it since 2015.

    Her cause of death was not mentioned or speculated in the article

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  13. I’m so sad to hear this news. I was always impressed with Leslie’s work. RIP.

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  14. She died doing what she loved to do...I hope.
    RIP Leslie, thanks for the memories of when the news... was something we trusted.

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  15. That's a jolt. I'm so sorry to read this. Before she came to KTVU she anchored at KSBW 8 (NBC) in Salinas -Monterey. When Joe Fonzi was there too.

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    1. I remember watching her on KSBW when I lived In the Monterey Bay. She was a good anchor and reporter then so her move to KTVU made sense. She grew professionally and became an excellent anchor. I interacted with her several times and she very easily talked to people. RIP Leslie!

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  16. Whoa, Leslie Griffith dies the same week that Julie Haener’s mental illness publicly unravels. Talk about a curse.

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  17. Julie didn’t even bother to show up for the Leslie Griffith coverage. Her predecessor and someone who paved the way for her. Tacky.

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    1. Once you’re off, you’re off. You can’t just waltz in.

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    2. Didn't realize that Julie's access to the building has been disabled. Wow, that's a major escalation in this story.

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    3. 8:35 - For real? Wow. Any deets?

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    4. 11:36, I was responding to 10:19’s comment where they said you can’t just ‘waltz’ in on your day off. Unless Julie’s badge has been disabled I see nothing to prevent her from entering the building or showing up to work.

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  18. Lyme disease is very serious. That’s part of the reason why Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver passed away.

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    1. Tom Seaver died from complications of COVID 19 and Lewy body dementia.

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  19. Wow, KTVU only led with Leslie's death at 10, not 11. As with the death of Fred Zehnder, the current inept management wants to bury the members of the glory days as much as possible. They only ran Fred's obit once and now Leslie too. I suppose when Dennis Richmond dies they'll just have a tiny crawl across the bottom of the screen while they breathlessly do a lead story on the closing of another ice cream parlor in Oakland.

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  20. The only thing sadder then the death of Ms Griffith is the return of Christine Craft.

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  21. KTVU’s clueless management and their reportedly incompetent and petty news director have no class or appreciation of the standard that Leslie and her colleagues set. Not surprising as Amber Eikel sounds petty while showing no respect for what came before she showed up. The mediocre news product that she supervises is not even a shadow of what once was.

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  22. Leslie Griffith definitely was in a class of her own at KTVU. She was a reliable anchor and an excellent anchor. She was different from Elaine Corral and paired nicely with Dennis Richmond. Lastly, she knew that men watched her. My wife liked her.

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