Jack Hanson, spending a quiet afternoon ay home on Nov. 26, 2023, reminiscing over his six decades in Bay Area television from the 1950s to the first years of the 21st century. He was 91 when he died 16 days later, on Dec.10. {Photo by Kevin Wing}

By KEVIN WING | Chairperson, Media Museum of Northern California

Jack Hanson, whose colorful career on the television airwaves of the San Francisco Bay Area spanned six decades, most notably for his nearly 25 years at KGO-TV in San Francisco, died peacefully early Sunday morning at his home in Marin County following a brief illness. He was 91.

1970s: Back to the days of an old-fashioned weather map in a TV studio. At KGO-TV, weatherman Jack Hanson is preparing for his nightly “News Scene” newscast alongside Fred Van Amburg.

From the late 1960s and on through the ‘70s and ‘80s, Hanson was one of KGO-TV’s most prolific and most popular television personalities. Relaxed, poised and always very comfortable in front of the TV cameras, he nearly did it all, from serving as a weatherman on Channel 7 “News Scene” with anchors Fred Van Amburg and Jerry Jensen to co-hosting the station’s’ popular “AM San Francisco” morning talk show alongside Nancy Fleming, who was crowned Miss America in 1961.

Hanson was born in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District in 1932. After high school, he attended San Francisco City College for six months, then entered the Army, which was followed by a stint in the Navy. After he returned to San Francisco, he attended San Francisco State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the university’s prestigious radio and television department. 

The San Francisco native began his broadcast career in the mid-1950s working in the mailroom at KPIX in San Francisco after graduating from college. From the mailroom to becoming a stage manager, he went to work for KRON-TV, working on live shows such as NBC’s “Wide, Wide World”. 

Interviewing Dick Van Dyke on the popular “Jack’s Place”, a live talk show on KPIX in the 1960s.

Hanson’s first appearance on television was seen nationally when he appeared, in 1959, as a 26-year-old contestant on “You Bet Your Life”, Groucho Marx’s popular 1950s syndicated game show. Hanson traded barbs with Marx before taking home more than $2,000.

In 1961, he started doing regular on-camera fill-in work. Hanson began working for KRON-TV in San Francisco that year as a stage manager on the popular children’s show, “The Mayor Art Show”. One day, Art Finley, the series’ host, called in sick. Hanson stepped in for him. The rest is history.

This was followed by a 13-week stint as host of “Watch and Win”, a live quiz show on KTVU in Oakland. By the mid-1960s, Hanson was hosting his own show, “Jack’s Place”, on KPIX. He interviewed celebrities and, being the accomplished cartoonist that he was, he would also draw cartoons, much to the delight of Bay Area viewers. His cartoons ultimately became his trademark.

Top of the ratings: KGO-TV’s “News Scene” team of the late 1970s, with, from left, weatherman Jack Hanson, anchor/reporter Steve Davis, anchor Marcia Brandwynne, sportscaster Tom Janis, anchor Fred Van Amburg, anchor Jerry Jensen, meteorologist Pete Giddings and sportscaster Don Sanchez.

In the late 1960s, he joined KGO-TV as a weatherman. To help illustrate the weather, especially when Hanson was talking about extreme cold weather or a heat wave, he would draw cartoons on the weather map – such as one caricature of a shivering dog at the coldest spot in the country.

In addition to providing weather forecasts on KGO-TV’s top-rated afternoon and evening newscasts throughout the 1970s and through the early ‘80s, Hanson also did double duty, co-hosting “AM San Francisco” for five years, from 1977 to 1982. So popular as a talk show host, he was sent down to Los Angeles often to fill in as co-host for KABC-TV’s “AM Los Angeles” and “Mid-Morning Los Angeles”.

Hanson’s career at KGO-TV lasted through the 1980s. During that time, he also co-hosted the station’s live 40th anniversary special alongside Russ Coughan in 1989.

From the 1990s and into the 21st century, Hanson continued on television, appearing as host of “Comcast Newsmakers”, which aired on CNN in between the cable network’s news segments. 

As a published cartoonist, he also did artwork for the Sierra Club. Besides TV, he also appeared in movies, TV commercials and industrial TV programs. He also served as emcee for many charitable organizations’ telethons, including the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center.

The San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences inducted him in 2000 and 2008 into the distinguished Silver Circle and Gold Circle, respectively, for his more than 25 and 50 years of contributions to Bay Area and Northern California television.

Hanson is survived by his wife of 30 years, Pauline, and eight children.

EDITOR’S NOTE: On Nov. 26, 2023, Jack Hanson was interviewed at home in Marin County for a planned “Gold & Silver Circle Profiles” feature by Kevin Wing. Hansen died 16 days later. The feature will be published in January 2024.

By KEVIN WING | Chairperson, Media Museum of Northern California

Aug. 20, 2023 — Ann Fraser, who arose from an already successful New York theater career to become one of the Bay Area’s most popular television personalities as the bubbly, upbeat co-host of KPIX’s long-running “People Are Talking”, has died.

Fraser was 83 when she died peacefully on Dec. 28, 2022. Her family did not announce her passing until the weekend of Aug. 19. She had been living close to her family in Milwaukie, Oregon, at the time of her death.

For 14 years, Fraser was co-host of the very popular KPIX talk show which always included a live studio audience. KPIX hired her as the solo co-host of its new morning talk show, “The Morning Show”, in 1977. The following year, in 1978, Ross McGowan joined her as co-host and the program was rebranded as “People Are Talking”. For the next 13 years, the weekday morning show became appointment television in the Bay Area.

Fraser was born in Evanston, Illinois, on Feb, 26, 1939. She attended Northwestern University and traveled to Korea with the USO to entertain American troops.

After graduating from Northwestern, Fraser moved to New York to begin her theater career, which included roles in “Sail Away”, “Oklahoma!” and “Brigadoon”. She was also a close friend of actress and singer Ann-Margret.

In the early 1960s, Fraser was in a command performance of “Brigadoon” at the White House for President John F. Kennedy, which was organized by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to honor the visiting King and Queen of Morocco.

Eventually moving to Chicago, Fraser began doing freelance work, which included everything from live demonstrations of how to fold fiberglass to performing as the first Egg McMuffin.

Ann Fraser and co-host Ross McGowan in a publicity photo for KPIX’s “People Are Talking”.

She also began her TV talk show career as a fill-in co-host on “Kennedy and Co.”, a popular Chicago TV talk show which aired on WLS-TV in Chicago.

In the late 1970s, San Francisco came calling. Fraser was hired by KPIX with the launch of the station’s “The Morning Show”. The following year, in 1978, Ross McGowan joined Fraser as co-host and the late-morning talk show was renamed “People Are Talking”. In addition to their in-studio broadcasts, Fraser and McGowan also took the show remotely for live telecasts from Napa State Hospital, San Quentin Prison and the AIDS ward at San Francisco General Hospital. One show, which created a lot of  buzz at the time, also originated from a nudist colony in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“People Are Talking” on KPIX became so popular with Bay Area TV viewers that an afternoon companion show, “People Are Talking in the Afternoon”, was launched.

Fraser and McGowan entertained Bay Area viewers for 14 years until 1991, when the shows ended their long run. McGowan remained with KPIX until the following year, before joining KTVU in 1993 as host of its then still-burgeoning “Mornings On 2” newscast. Fraser would retire in 2000 to Sonoma County.

During retirement, she served as a trustee for 15 years for the Hanna Boys Center (now Hanna Center). She also performed occasionally, appearing in “A Rodgers and Hammerstein Revue” and “Love Letters” at the Raven Theater in Healdsburg.

In 2015, Fraser relocated to Oregon to be closer to her daughter and settled in a senior living community where she continued to be the life of the party.

Fraser is survived by her daughter, Jennifer, and her two nieces, Bonnie and Stacey.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hanna Center in Sonoma, California; Oatfield Estates in Milwaukie, Oregon; or the Alzheimer’s Association.

A celebration of Fraser’s life will take place in the fall.

Thank you, Ann, for your many enjoyable years of informing and entertaining us on Bay Area television. May you rest in peace.

By KEVIN WING | Chairperson, Media Museum of Northern California

Craig Heaps, a longtime San Francisco Bay Area and northern California television journalist who worked at Oakland’s KTVU for nearly three decades, has died.

Heaps was 68 when he died April 29 after undergoing heart surgery.

The veteran reporter and producer was also a longtime correspondent for the then-San Francisco news bureau of CNN.

Heaps retired from KTVU in 2014 after a nearly 30-year career there as a news reporter, producer and writer. He was hired in the mid-1980s by KTVU’s legendary news director, Fred Zehnder. He covered, among many stories through the years, the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and the Oakland Hills firestorm in 1991, the latter of which was — at that time — the largest urban wildfire in U.S. history.

While working at KTVU, Heaps did double duty, carving out a long tenure as a news correspondent for CNN’s San Francisco news bureau, covering news stories throughout California and the West Coast for the Atlanta-based news network.

Before arriving at KTVU, Heaps was a reporter and anchor at KSBW in Salinas.

During the last several years, Heaps — who once said he was legally blind without his glasses — relied on the assistance of Chase, a black Labrador and a service dog for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Following Heaps’ death, the service agency officially retired Chase. The black Labrador will live out his remaining years with Heaps’ wife, Patti, and family.

Tributes from Heaps’ friends and colleagues have poured in on social media sites like Facebook since his death was announced in late April.