Louie has spent 50years+ at Circle7 and has finally called it quits; a goodbye from ND, Tracey Watkowski, just went out to staff: here's the notice and Louie's goodbye:
KGO team:
I am sharing a special note from our friend and colleague David Louie.
I will follow-up with details on the plans to celebrate David and his remarkable career.
Tracey
And the formal notice from Mr. Louie:
It’s said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. After a career journey measured in years rather than miles, it’s time to take a fork in the road. When I first stepped into the gritty newsroom then on Golden Gate Ave. 50 years and six months ago, the Bay Area and ABC7 were a different place. We shot stories on film. BART was still under construction. So was Sutro Tower, which was only at the waist level in 1972. Channel 7 News Scene was gaining momentum. Our 11pm newscast audience grew, attracting more viewers than the other stations combined.
The rest of the journey has been epic. The kidnap of Patty Hearst. The Zodiac. The zebra killings. Loma Prieta. 9/11. Floods. Wildfires.
If there was a “secret sauce” in all of this, it was the bond of trust that developed with viewers, contacts and those we covered.
Above all, we know that news is a team effort. What a remarkable team this is — in the field, in the newsroom and in the South Bay.
It’s time for more photography and more travel.
Thanks for the privilege and honor to be part of this news team. I look forward to seeing where this remarkable news operation goes as you forge new models for the future.
David
*Louie's years at KGO began in the Happy Talk days --Van Amburg/Jerry Jensen at 277 Golden Gate---to now at 900 Front --almost six decades later; a remarkable run and a mega-milestone on all fronts.
Wishing him all the best !
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your well earned and deserved retirement!
ReplyDeleteAnyone know how old is he? Must be over 70. Saw his 50 years ago reporting on Bart grand opening
ReplyDeletegee,you are good at math! People over 70, aka "geezers", know stuff and have sources and great value.
DeletePerfect. Millennials have no respect for experience. David had that in spades. That's okay if those 20-something entitled people feel this way. It'll be their turn soon enough. Let's see how they react when they get pushed out by someone in love with spreadsheets and themselves.
DeleteI remember David when he had hair. I wish for him a long and happy retirement. And for the Millennials, someone who will try to fill David's shoes.
DeleteWow, makes me feel old! I remember him way back when on the BART opening. Have a happy retirement Dave!
ReplyDeleteWhat a career! Congratulations, David. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.
ReplyDeleteDavid Louie is a classy guy, a real journalist, a pro. I wish him the best in his retirement.
ReplyDeleteThe last of a dying breed. I remembered him when KGO sent him to cover that deadly mudslide in the Santa Cruz mountains during the El Niño winter of 1981-82. He almost killed himself near Ben Lomond trying to get a story about how much of Highway 9 had washed out. A professional who valued substance over pizazz (hear that, Gary Radnich?). Imagine that.
ReplyDeleteHave an awesome retirement Mr. Louie.
What a career congratulations and hope he documents his NewsScene era memories for posterity
ReplyDeleteNever heard a bad word about him on this blog. That says a lot about him.
ReplyDeleteHe’s an ace reporter.
Every report was spot on...Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought he had retired? I had not seen him in a long time. Hope he has a great retirement!
ReplyDeleteOne of the last of the Mohiccans!
ReplyDeleteThere are still plenty of good TV news reporters out there but TV news, as with radio and the newspapers have been consolidated by greedy corporations. These media conglomerates don’t seem to realize that they are caretakers of a valuable public trust.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important things to remember is journalism thst supposed to be objective. The who, where, what, how and why represent the foundation of broadcast and print journalism. . That has mostly disappeared with the rise to prominence of outlets that seem to value sensationalism and wild opinion and speculation more than facts. Is it any surprises that the majority of the American public has been conditioned to ‘‘news operations’’ that spend more time trying to “stir things up” by making the news “entertaining?” Reporters such as David Louie are reminder of what will be missed in the years ahead, and the dangers that will ensue as a result of a misinformed public.
At least he reported "THE NEWS". Think the alphabet networks will report the 100 ILLEGALS dumped on Kamala Harris lawn this morning or those deposited at B.O's in Martha's Vineyard?
ReplyDeleteYeah, didn't think so. But it did happen and that is NEWS!