Ed O’Brien, who made a smooth transition from sports director at WTEN (ABC-10) to a popular morning news anchor at WRGB (CBS-6), has died of cancer. He was 59.
For the full Times Union story, click here.
O’Brien, hired by WTEN in 1976, was the sports director until October 1989, when he was caught in a housecleaning that saw the station fire 16 station employees, including four on-air personalities.
He was the creator of “Ed O’Brien’s Sports Final,” a 15-minute Sunday night wrapup show that did well in the ratings. O’Brien was recognized by the Times Union in 1989 as the “Outstanding Sports Personality, TV.”
After he was fired at WTEN, O’Brien caught on with WRGB, first as a fill-in sports anchor, then as a mainstay on the morning news show. His relaxed, affable personality, which made him popular among sports viewers, seemed to work just as well with the early-morning audience.
I still remember a lunch that I had with O’Brien and his weekend anchor at the time, Steve Shapiro, when I first took over the Times Union sports media duties in 1987. He came off as someone who took his job seriously, but never himself.
Those of us who knew him were happy that he landed on his feet after the WTEN debacle of 1989, but we’re all saddened by the fact that he has been taken from us much too early.
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