KGTV Anchor Bill Griffith To Retire After 39 Years

E.W. Scripps  Co.’s ABC affiliate KGTV San Diego (DMA 28) said today that morning and midday anchor Bill Griffith will be retiring after 39 years at the station. Griffith has been on the air at KGTV since February 1976, and has the distinction of being the longest-tenured anchor at one station currently on the air in the market.

Griffith’s last day will be Wednesday, Feb. 25. Jason Martinez, who joined KGTV in late January, begins anchoring 10News This Morning and 10News Midday fulltime the next day, Thursday, Feb. 26, with co-anchor Virginia Cha, meteorologist Megan Parry with weather, and Natasha Zouves in the Live Center. 

Griffith started as weekend sports anchor at KGTV, and went on to become a consumer reporter, weekend news anchor, and then talk show host.

In 1996 he started as anchor in his current role in the mornings. He has been honored with multiple Emmy and Golden Mike awards for his work, as well as the Drew Silvern Award from the San Diego Press Club, in recognition of his “courage in the pursuit of journalism while still upholding the highest standards of ethics, fairness and truth.” That award, presented in 2004, was for reporting on his six-month battle with male breast cancer, an extremely rare — and, often fatal — disease in men.

“These past 39 years have been a most excellent adventure for me,” Griffith said.  “I have witnessed so many incredible events, remarkable people and unique places, all woven into the fabric of San Diego’s history over the last four decades.  It has truly been a spectacular ride.”

“Bill Griffith is a one-of-a-kind TV news anchor, from a bygone era, and we have been privileged to have him at 10News for all these years,” said Jeff Block, VP and divisional general manager at KGTV.  “He has no idea just how much he will be missed.”