Longtime WBZ anchor Shelby Scott has died at the age of 86.
Scott worked at the Boston CBS station from 1965 until 1996. WBZ said that in 1977 she was one half of the nation’s first all-female anchor team alongside Gail Harris. She was also known for her “legendary” storm coverage. The Boston Globe jokingly measured snowfall in “Shelbys” instead of feet.
Scott was president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from 1993 to 2001 and pushed for the union’s 2012 merger with SAG.
“In front of the camera, Shelby Scott’s career spanned decades and broke barriers. But it is for her work off camera as a dedicated union leader that we at SAG-AFTRA will always be most grateful,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director. “As AFTRA national president for eight years and a board member for many more, as a trustee on the AFTRA Health and Retirement Funds—and through her foresight in working to merge SAG and AFTRA—Shelby’s legacy is profound and she will be deeply missed.”
“We are so sad to learn of the passing of Shelby Scott. Shelby was a force of nature and a legend for her coverage of New England storms. Every time there is a blizzard or nor’easter, viewers always reminisce about Shelby’s reports and are quick to try to crown the ‘next Shelby Scott,’” said Justin Draper, WBZ president and general manager. “There will never be another Shelby. She was one of a kind, and so much more than a storm reporter.”
She got her start at KIRO Seattle as a traffic manager before working as a reporter, producer, editor and documentary filmmaker for the station.