Wayne Freedman is a former feature reporter for KGO-TV; the ABC owned television station in San Francisco, California.

Early life and education

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Freedman was raised in Los Angeles by his parents, Alicia Krug Freedman, a Broadway performer, and Mike Freedman, who worked as a director, producer, and cameraman for ABC for 42 years.[1][2][3][4]

Freedman's education included Hughes Junior High School in Woodland Hills, California.[2] Through his work in the school newspaper, he became published with a regular column in a Los Angeles newspaper at the age of fourteen.[2] Wayne graduated from Chaminade High School 1n 1972, where he participated on the Track Varsity team as a pole vaulter.[5] He worked as an apprentice at KABC-TV while earning a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles.[2] He then studied journalism at the University of Missouri, earning a master's degree in 1978.[2][6]

Career

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In the late 1970s Freedman began his television reporting career at WLKY-TV in Louisville, Kentucky before moving to WAVE-TV.[7] Freedman then worked at KDFW-TV in Dallas, Texas and then moved to San Francisco in 1981 to work for KRON-TV.[7] He also worked for the CBS News morning show for a year and a half.[7]

In 1991, he began his tenure at KGO-TV[7] and during his career, his coverage included Russia in 1992 and Hurricane Katrina.[6] Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, he traveled across the United States by train, speaking with people along the way to Ground Zero.[8] In 2006 he repeated this trip to mark the five-year anniversary of the attack.[citation needed]

Freedman is the author of a book, It Takes More Than Good Looks To Succeed In Television Reporting, first published in 2003.[2] In a 2005 review for Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Lee Hood writes, "Freedman, one of the pre-eminent feature reporters in the country, effectively weaves examples from more than a quarter century of experience in local news (he is now at KGO in San Francisco) and network news (CBS) to illustrate important points about the art of television news reporting."[9] In 2011, his book had been assigned in courses at 50 universities.[2]

Freedman also wrote articles for the Golf Writers Association of America and wrote for the Northern California Golf Guide at KGO-TV.[6]

In 2021, he announced his retirement from KGO-TV.[3]

Awards

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Works

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  • Wayne Freedman (2017). "Wayne Freedman". In Chimbel, Aaron (ed.). Why I'm a Journalist. Routledge. pp. 123–130. doi:10.4324/9781315229201-31. ISBN 9781315229201.
  • It Takes More Than Good Looks to Succeed at Television News Reporting Chicago : Bonus Books, ©2003 ISBN 9781566251884[10]

Media

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In 1999, Freedman was featured in the short documentary Wayne Freedman's Notebook by Aaron Lubarsky. In a review for the Chicago Tribune, Steve Johnson writes, "At less than 30 minutes, "Wayne Freedman's Notebook" only suggests what it might have been, an in-depth profile of a haunted but admirable figure and a damning portrait of local TV news painted from an unusual perspective. But it is a vivid and worthwhile illumination of one man with a soul trying to survive within the strictures of a limiting medium."[11]

Personal life

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He lives in Marin County, California. In 2021, he said he plans to move to North Carolina with his wife.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Prado, Mark (24 January 2015). "Marin Snapshot: KGO-TV's Wayne Freedman reflects on unique career". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Frueh, Sarah (November 28, 2011). "Wayne Freedman". Missouri School of Journalism. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Eck, Kevin (September 15, 2021). "Legendary San Francisco Reporter Wayne Freedman Retires". Adweek. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  4. ^ Prato, Lou (August 23, 1999). "DAD GAVE FREEDMAN THE KEY TO HIS DRIVE". Electronic Media. 18 (34) – via EBSCOhost.
  5. ^ 1972 Chaminade Preparatory High School year book.
  6. ^ a b c Mitchell, Joyce (May 2021). "Wayne Freedman Receives Prestigious Governors' Award". Off Camera. National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Prato, Lou (August 23, 1999). "KGO's Wayne Freedman gets tough on soft news". Electronic Media. 18 (34): 12 – via EBSCOhost.
  8. ^ "Goodbye, Wayne: ABC7 reporter retires after 30 years". KGO-TV. September 10, 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  9. ^ Hood, Lee (Spring 2005). "Writing Right For Broadcast and Internet News/It Takes More Than Good Looks To Succeed At Television News Reporting". Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. 60 (1). Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication: 85–87 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ a b c d e Mitchell, Joyce (March 2022). "Wayne Freedman Honored By Society of Professional Journalists". Off Camera. National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  11. ^ Johnson, Steve (November 5, 1999). "CHANNEL SURFING: [CHICAGO SPORTS FINAL, CN Edition]". Chicago Tribune – via ProQuest.
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