Tuesday, December 17, 2019

George Watson --a KTVU News Anchor We Care About; His Bout with the Bottle Continues

Image result for George Watson KTVU alcohol
George Watson
TO THIS DAY, I STILL GET  ASKED, "how's George Watson doing?" No news is good news. I hear George is doing fine --as best that can be expected --but the former Bay Area/KTVU anchor/reporter has a long road to hoe.

The last time I wrote about Watson, things seemed positive. I hope this is the current status and I'm working on talking to George because I know he reads 415 Media and I know and share some of his hardships --it's not that easy to overcome.

George Watson was a talented, ferocious, outstanding anchor at KTVU at a time when it was the gold standard for the industry. Watson was one of its most popular air talents and won numerous awards and was respected by his peers here and across the country. He was a great anchor but he was great out in the field too. He became a fixture at KTVU which soon mushroomed into bona-fide star status.

Image result for George Watson KTVU
Watson with Leslie Griffith
Then things began to unravel. Watson had an alcohol issue. It wasn't something most people knew existed but his close friends at the office knew and figured that he'd take care of it and not let it affect his personal and professional life. It was not to be the case and began to take its toll at the news studio at Jack London Square. There was subtle evidence of his drunken state but it seemed to evade viewers; Watson was mysteriously away from the station for over three months and rumors mounted as to why he was MIA.

He didn't have to do what he eventually did and confronted his alcohol dependency head on with this message to viewers. After that sign-off, he was embraced by staff at the KTVU newsroom. Those that knew his condition and were aware of his battle were still amazed that he took to the air to announce his status. Some sensed that his acknowledgement was a first step to recovery. It seemed reasonable but it was, unfortunately, short-lived.

He had backing from then, GM and VP, Kevin O'Brien who did his best helping after repeated episodes of violating his own recovery steps, O'Brien had to let him go. It wasn't easy but he could no longer control the situation and with heat from Cox Media (KTVU's owner at the time) Watson was shown the door. At that time, many of his friends, including his girlfriend at the time, Suzanne Shaw, a fellow Bay Area anchor, worried about his future. They didn't care about his anchor life --they were more worried 'bout  his life--his body began to show evidence--benders caught many people alarmed that he'd be dead at a moments notice.

Like I said, I don't know George's status but I know people who know him and I will ask how he is because I know you want to know and so do I. He's a good guy. Here's hoping everything is OK.

I'll let you know.

13 comments:

  1. Nice entry, Rich. Watched the KTVU newscasts when George worked there, and I miss his work and on-air presence. Hope all is well, George.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No RL, he's a GREAT GUY, and one I admired all my years in Bay Area media. You're a GREAT MAN, George, we all love you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is very hard. I wish him the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hope he's dong well and is sober!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. George is a solid reporter and anchor. Miss him on the air.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sad. George was an excellent anchor. Unfortunately, he is not the only Bay Area news anchor with a substance abuse/alcohol problem Doug Murphy, KPIX 5 died in a house fire at his home in Lafayette in 2005, Dec. 4th. He was known 'bout town drunk in public. This is a serious, deadly disease...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember when Doug passed away. I was stunned. Barbaa Rogers cried on the air announcing it

      Delete
  7. As a recovering Alcoholic (30 years sober) I know how difficult it is to reach sobriety. I don't remember my 20's. But I ended up being one of the lucky ones. Hopefully Mr. Watson is doing well. I remember seeing him on a program a few years ago that was about his life. He was still drinking then and wanted to get sober

    ReplyDelete
  8. Always liked George Watson, hope he's doing well...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, Suzanne Saunders Shaw was his girlfriend! I totally had a crush on her. I think she did well for herself afterwards though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately her subsequent marriage to ski racer Bill Shaw ended in divorce

      Delete
  10. Were it not for alcoholism, George Watson might have ended up with a Hall-of-Fame broadcasting career. G Watson was that hard-working and effective at KTVU. That liquid person can cause permanent damage to the brain; hence the addiction is harder than ever to overcome, though we do read about successes.
    Saunders-Shaw ended up being a pretty good news executive. Was at KNTV last I remember. Don't know what her latest role is now.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Suzanne was George's wife. I was at their wedding and his other ones. I thought I was going to get fired when I had him back to do My 20th Century at KTVU. No one said a word. Producing that show was a dream job. Don


    ReplyDelete