KQED anchor Belva Davis will retire this fall after nearly half a century on the air in San Francisco, she announced yesterday.
Davis, the winner of eight Emmys, has anchored at CBS O&O KPIX and MyNetworkTV-affiliate KRON in addition to KQED, the Bay Area public television station. The San Francisco Chronicle calls her “an icon of Bay Area journalism.”
“I have enjoyed a unique and long career here in the Bay Area and have been witness to some of the most explosive stories in the last half century,” Davis said in a statement. “I began my career with the coverage of the 1964 elections, and I’m thrilled that I will be devoting my last months on the air to the elections of 2012.”
For the past 14 years, Davis has been host of “This Week in Northern California,” KQED’s public affairs show. Her final broadcast will be November 9.
“She has opened up so many doors for women and African-Americans in television and beyond,” KQED president John Boland said. “We count ourselves lucky to have had such a trailblazer as part of the KQED family.”