Legendary News Director Bob Long is Dead
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Bob Long who worked for years in LA and DC as a News Director passed away.
Long was KNBC's managing editor from 1997-99, and then became vice president of news and operations of WRC-TV, the NBC owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C. Long returned to KNBC in 2003, where he retired in 2009.
We wanted to share a couple of emails from people that were lucky enough to work with Bob. The first is from KNBC's VP of News Todd Mokhtari and the second from longtime WRC Anchor Jim Vance.
From: Mokhtari, Todd (NBCUniversal)
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2016 2:29 PM
To: @NBC Uni KNBC Newsroom
Cc: @NBC Uni KNBC Department Heads
Subject: Bob Long
It is a sad day in the news business. Legendary newsman Bob Long passed away today in Washington, D.C.
Bob was the VP of News here at KNBC from 2003 to 2009, but his career in Los Angeles television dates back to the 70's. He even dabbled in Hollywood, producing movies and documentaries. It is very difficult to write a note about someone who wrote the best notes in the history of news notes, so this one will be short.
Bob hired many of us, but taught us all, even those he didn't work with. His combination of humor, wit and intelligence were as rare as his unique character.
Below is an email from his WRC TV anchor Jim Vance, who knew Bob as well as anyone.
Also, there is more on Bob's career and retirement from a clip of News Conference:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/politics/Long-Goodbye-61658572.html
Bob will be missed, but his impact on this business and on all of us will remain.
Todd Mokhtari
VP, NBC4 News
From: "Vance, Jim (NBCUniversal)"
Date: August 29, 2016 at 5:02:58 PM EDT
To: "@NBC Uni WRC Newsroom"
Subject: bob long
One day a while ago, a guy who used to work here chose to celebrate yet another winning/dominant may book in a note to the staff with the life cycle of the mayfly as metaphor. It was sparklng prose, ending, as did all the former and later such notes, with an invitation to chadwicks, or clydes or matisse or wherever, to raise a drink to our success as our competition “drowned in their own hot tears of despair”.
On another occasion, he likened our victory to hannibal’s crossing of the alps in his campaign against the romans.
Who writes sfuff like that at the end of a book!!?? For those of us fortunate to have worked for him, the answer is, ofcourse, bob long.
There is no one who knew him, who doesn’t have a bob long story to tell. For his part, bob had a thousand of his own, which he was happy to share with anyone who would listen. And who wouldn’t listen? The stories were fantastic, so much so that bob ryan and others are still trying to figure out which mite be true.
Such pondering is now moot. After a long and valiant struggle, bob lay down his sword today. But if there’s anybody whose spirit will never die, it surely is him.
Some of us are going to carry on that spirit this evening, in a way which surely would please bob. We’re going to raise a drink or three in celebration of a life well lived, and in gratitude that at some point, we were blessed to share the same space, breathe the same air, laugh, cuss, and maybe even tell a lie or two (maybe not) with bob long.
We’re gonna do it at one of his favorite spots, matisse, on Wisconsin…7:15
Here is the way KNBC reported the passing of Long
