KGO's Pete Wilson Dies

Into what was otherwise a very festive morning at the KRE open house came the news that KGO-TV (Channel 7) and KGO/810 afternoon talk show host Pete Wilson had died. Considering the large contingent of KGO people there — including Steve Kushman (KGO news editor and CHRS president), Peter Cleaveland, John Catchings, Alan Bowker, former anchors Fred Lacosse and Terry Lowry, plus Noel Cisneros and a news crew from Channel 7 covering the event — there was an awful lot of sadness tempering the joy.

No announcement was made during the event; reportedly, Pete Wilson's mother was flying in from Wisconsin to help out during his recuperation, and had not been advised of his death yet. It was my understanding that the KGO people were asked not to say anything until the family was prepared to allow the news to be made public.

Confusion over a rumor that former California governor Pete Wilson had died apparently caused a sensation among several news organizations, including CNN, on Friday evening, but KGO employees were uniform in making certain that silence was maintained regarding the actual situation.

Rather than expending more electronic ink here covering the highlights of his career, you will find more coverage of Pete Wilson's life and career through these sources:

KGO Radio 810

San Francisco Chronicle

San Jose Mercury News

KGO has also set up a page on Blogspot for listener comments about Pete Wilson.