WSB investigative reporter Richard Belcher is retiring after 50 years in local TV.
Belcher joined the Atlanta ABC affiliate in 1990 after working for 15 years as an investigative reporter and evening anchor at WAGA in Atlanta. He also worked at Atlanta NBC station WXIA before that.
“He’s the last of his kind, when tyrannosauruses walked the earth,” WXIA anchor Jeff Hullinger, who worked with Belcher at WAGA in the eighties, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He’s fearless, intimidating. Big and smart with that old-school Atlanta accent. A man not to mess with.”
“I’m glad he’s gone; I can finally get a good night’s sleep,” WAGA investigative reporter Dale Russell told the AJC. “He doesn’t like bullies. He cannot be intimidated. He’s one of the best interviewers in the business, almost like a prosecutor in the courtroom. A very tough competitor.”
Hullinger also wished Belcher well on Facebook, saying in part, “Raise a toast to a legendary journalist. Atlanta will lose some of her soul November 23rd, a native, who made a difference. 51 television years will never, ever be matched. Enjoy retirement Richard!”