Jan Young
InstantRiverside.com
Bob Banfield, a fixture in covering Inland Empire news for KABC’s news on channel 7, died today after a battle with cancer.
He was 82 years old.
Banfield covered Inland Empire stories for over 30 years and became one of the most-respected reporters in the Inland Empire.
His small-town beginnings blended well with the growing Inland Empire, as he brought his personal, hands-on approach to news coverage. Banfield was from East Liverpool, Ohio. His first broadcasting gig came in 1948 as a junior radio announcer at local radio station WOHI.
Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge said Banfield was a fixture in Riverside news.
“So often reporters come and go, but Bob stayed the course here,” Loveridge told CNS. “He was always engaged, and he had this little twinkle in his eye, this sort of curiosity in his approach to reporting. He was always respectful of those he talked to. He understood the stories. He understood what was happening and why.”
Banfield lived in the Inland Empire, not far from the news bureau launched by KABC-TV in the ’70s.
He spent his final days in hospice care as he battled cancer. He had reported for ABC-7 News for 43 years. Upon being hired at KABC-TV, Banfield handled anchor duties and reporting from Los Angeles, before ultimately becoming the Inland Empire Bureau Chief.
Banfield retired in 2010, and has been in declining health ever since.
Click here: Bob Banfield retires from KABC-TV.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
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