LOS ANGELES (CNS) - NBC4 announced today that weatherman Fritz Coleman will retire next week after 39 years on the air.
Coleman -- whose last day will be June 26 -- joined NBC4 in 1982 and is part of one of the longest-running news anchor teams in the industry with co-anchors Colleen Williams and Chuck Henry and sports anchor Fred Roggin.
Coleman is retiring to spend more time with his family and dedicate more time to his comedy, according to a statement released by the station.
“This career has been a gift. To work in the greatest news operation in Southern California has been the greatest experience of my life,'' Coleman said. “I have also had the opportunity of raising my children, while working with a wonderful team. I have made lifelong friends at NBC4 and in the community it serves. I'm so very thankful.''
Coleman has won four Los Angeles-area Emmy Awards for his work on NBC4 comedy specials and series, with his first production, “It's Me! Dad!,'' winning the 1997 Artistic Directors Award. He has also worked as a stand-up comic at clubs throughout California, including The Improv in Hollywood and The Ice House in Pasadena, and appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.''
Coleman devotes much of his free time to supporting charity events benefiting local nonprofit organizations and has led several NBC4 community town hall meetings addressing the drought crisis.
The U.S. House of Representatives presented him with a congressional “'Humanitarian of the Year Award'' for his fundraising efforts on behalf of the American Red Cross, and he received an honorary doctorate from Woodbury University in Burbank in 2019 for his public service work.
He was named a “Treasure of Los Angeles'' by the City of Los Angeles, holds the key to the city of Burbank, and is the honorary mayor of Toluca Lake.
Coleman, a Navy veteran, started off his broadcasting career as a disc jockey and radio talk show host at various stations throughout the country and moved to Los Angeles in 1980 from Buffalo, New York, where he worked as a radio personality.
“Television viewers have faithfully welcomed Fritz into their homes for 39 years, and during this entire time, he has been an esteemed employee, a beloved friend and an outstanding corporate citizen,'' said Steve Carlston, NBC4's president and general manager. “His retirement is our loss, but a well-deserved respite for him.''
A video highlighting Coleman's life and career has been posted at www.nbcla.com/community.