He came up in the age of Watergate, the 1970s political scandal that drove Richard Nixon from the White House — and drove so many young people to careers in journalism.
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Bill Griffith chronicled the lofty highs and desperate lows across San Diego County, working as a reporter, sports director, talk-show host and weekend anchor. He was a television-news everyman who gained the trust of viewers and told their stories for decades.
Griffith — who won practically every accolade bestowed in an unpredictable industry, and who closed most every broadcast he helmed with the hopeful admonition “Be good to one another” — died on Friday after an unexpected medical issue. He was 77.
“Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s here in San Diego, Bill Griffith was a huge part of our lives,” longtime local radio producer Tommy Sablan posted on social media over the weekend.
“Have you ever met someone on the radio or TV that feels like family because of the many years they were in your living room?” Sablan wrote. “That was Bill Griffith!”
Griffith spent almost four decades covering local news for the ABC News affiliate in San Diego.
He arrived at KGTV in 1976 and covered some of the most important stories in the region, including the deadly PSA airliner crash of the 1970s, the McDonald’s restaurant massacre in the 1980s, the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide in the 1990s and the horrific wildfires of the 2000s.
William “Bill” Kenneth Griffiths — he dropped the S in his surname for his professional life — was born in South Carolina in 1949. He served in the Army before launching his broadcast journalism career and moving to San Diego.
Over the next nearly four decades, Griffith collected a host of journalism prizes, including multiple Emmys and Golden Mike awards — as well as the Drew Silvern Award bestowed by the San Diego Press Club in 2004 for a series on his own battle with male breast cancer.
The series of intimate dispatches was widely credited for its courage and also for raising awareness of the disease, which strikes men far less often than women. A devout Christian, Griffith spoke regularly at churches and other venues about his fight against cancer.
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Griffith retired in 2015, capping a 39-year career at KGTV that saw him performing many duties. In addition to directing sports coverage and serving as morning, mid-day and weekend anchor, he was a consumer reporter, hosted a magazine-style show and acted as a longtime community advocate.
After he retired, Griffith relocated to Yuma, Ariz., where he was most recently living.
The news of his death hit his former colleagues hard.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bill Griffith, whose nearly four decades at KGTV made him a trusted voice in countless homes,” said Sarah Cowan, senior director of news at the ABC affiliate.
“Bill was the embodiment of great journalism: thorough, passionate and deeply human,” she said. “He didn’t just report stories; he lived them, sharing personal experiences that helped viewers truly understand what was happening in San Diego.”
Assistant news director James Gorcos said Griffith cared deeply about his adopted hometown and his colleagues.
“He believed journalism mattered and held us all to a high standard,” Gorcos said. “Every Friday, Bill brought donuts for the newsroom and made sure everyone had one. Then he’d make sure you had your facts straight.”
Griffith is survived by two sons — Adam Griffiths and his wife, Sara, and James Griffiths and his wife, Rachel. He is also survived by a brother, Jim Griffiths; a sister, Debbie Griffiths; his former wife, Jenny Griffiths; and four grandchildren.
No information about memorial services or donations in Griffith’s name were immediately available.
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