Fred Anderson, a veteran KABC-TV newscaster who served the Los Angeles market for more than 25 years, died following heart surgery at a Glendale hospital. He was 59 years old, one week short of his 60th birthday.
Anderson, who was born in Worcester, Mass., had a successful career in radio before he shifted to broadcast reporting. He worked as a reporter for United Press International for nearly two years and as news director for WJBW in New Orleans before moving west.
Once he moved to Los Angeles, Anderson reported for Weekend West, an ABC radio network program that was broadcast to 170 cities in 11 states. He also reported for the CBS radio network and KNX radio, where he produced and narrated the award-winning documentary series, Kaleidoscope.
Anderson joined KABC-TV in 1969 when it launched a new "Eyewitness News" format, specializing in human interest features.
He won numerous awards as a member of the Eyewitness News team, including an Emmy for one of the first documentaries on battered children and a Golden Mike for feature reporting.
While on the job, Anderson had been attacked by a bear, bitten by a lion and came close to serious injury when he jumped from a third-story window while trying out as a stuntman. When flying with the Navy Blue Angels acrobatic team, he was forced to land when the nose of the plane tore off from the stress of takeoff.
The newscaster is survived by his parents, a sister and a brother, and three daughters.
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