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Aug 7, 2007 10:16 am US/Pacific
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Longtime L.A. Anchorman Hal Fishman Dies At 75
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
KTLA anchorman Hal Fishman, who helmed the station's 10 p.m. newscast for more than 30 years, died at his home Tuesday, about a week after being diagnosed with colon and liver cancer. He was 75.
Fishman died at 3 a.m., with his family at his side, KTLA reported.
Doctors found the cancer after Fishman collapsed at his home Wednesday and was hospitalized to treat what was described as a serious infection. KTLA first reported Fishman's illness on its Web site on Thursday. Messages wishing the former political science professor and aviation enthusiast a speedy recovery then began flooding the site, according to the station.
More messages flooded the site Tuesday, as news of his death rapidly spread.
"Hal is and always will be L.A.'s newsman," one message stated.
Fishman, who would have turned 76 on Aug. 25, had anchored KTLA's 10 p.m. newscast since 1975. He joined the station a decade earlier -- after being personally hired by station owner Gene Autry -- and contributed to the station's Peabody Award-winning coverage of the Watts riots.
The station's newsroom was named in his honor in 2000.
"I remember Hal giving me the news when I first came to California in 1968," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said. "While he won many awards in his tenure as anchor, perhaps most importantly he won the respect of news viewers throughout California, many of whom followed him through his prestigious 47-year career."
Fishman's honors include the Governors Award from the Los Angeles Chapter of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and a lifetime achievement award from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association.
He was also an accomplished pilot, earning 12 world aviation records for speed and altitude, according to KTLA.
"Hal was a friend, role model and mentor," Supervisor Mike Antonovich said.
Antonovich said that the friendship goes back to his college days at Cal State Los Angeles, where Fishman taught government and served as adviser to a chapter of Young Republicans.
"Hal was an icon for reporting fair and balanced news," Antonovich said in summarizing Fishman's career. "Our prayers go to his wife and son."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called Fishman "a titan of Los Angeles journalism."
"Today's loss will be felt well beyond the newsroom and into the homes of every Southern Californian who relied on Hal Fishman's unique voice, his informed opinion and his unwavering integrity over more than 47 years of reporting," Villaraigosa said.
Also extending regrets over Fishman's death was the Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
"Hal was an icon in Los Angeles news, and his depth of knowledge and presence is unparalleled," an SPJ statement said. "News in Los Angeles has lost an important, irreplaceable voice."
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley called Fishman "one of the great, respected journalists for literally decades in this county."
"When I went to Cal State Los Angeles in the mid-60s through 1970, Hal was a professor there, already making his mark in this community, so it's ... a very sad day for all of us in Los Angeles County," Cooley said.
Fishman is survived by his wife, Nolie, and son, David. The family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society.
Funeral arrangements were still pending.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)