"This is my 52nd year working in television. I thought I had seen it all," says NorCal NATAS Executive Director Darryl Compton. "But I was blown away standing in the America's Cup control room watching the live race with all the new technology. Six cameras on each boat, cameras in helicopters, chase boats, graphic technology that is out of this world."

     The world came to San Francisco's front door last month for the 34th America's Cup, and we had a lot to learn about this storied, historic, but often underappreciated competition.

     The winning team at the 33rd Cup in 2010 in Spain was USA's BMW ORACLE RACING, so Oracle's Larry Ellison, a Bay Area resident himself, decided to bring the 2013 event to these shores. As a serious sailing aficionado, raising this sport's profile was of particular importance to Ellison.

     And that's where broadcast television enters this story. Races were televised on NBC or NBC Sports network nationally, and viewable via online live streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra. 203 countries broadcast the races. America's Cup YouTube Channel videos received 24.8 million views. "More people watched the first race of this America's Cup," says Ellison, "than all of the America's Cups in history."

    On Saturday, September 14, six NATAS Northern California Chapter board members were fortunate to go behind the scenes at the America's Cup Television Compound, consisting of 14 40-foot shipping containers (that traveled around to the international AC World Series race locations), laid out and wired up like a small city inside Pier 23, on San Francisco's Embarcadero.

    As the first of the day's two scheduled races approached, Cup defender ORACLE TEAM USA was down zero points to six in a first-to-nine showdown against the challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand. Nearly 600 journalists from 32 countries were already reporting that ORACLE TEAM USA's chances were quickly plummeting. The competition could be over by the next day.

    Only three guests could fit into the double-wide shipping container that is Production Control Room 1, a tightly-cramped space staffed by two dozen crew members, so we broke into two groups.

    Kevin Wing, already a fan of sailing, was among those in the first group. "To see the live coverage on our own turf here on San Francisco Bay was exciting for me." Darryl Compton was "having more fun than a kid on Christmas morning."

    Also in the control room was Patty Zubov, covering America's Cup since the AC World Series races in SF in August and October of last year, when they raced 45-foot catamarans as "practice" for the 72-foot catamarans raced in the finals. She arranged for the tours for NATAS: "I felt NATAS members should witness this faction of the industry - where production stands presently and where it could be going," says Zubov. "Ways to better educate and engage viewers."

    At the heart of the broadcast operation was the Emmy� Award-winning technology called

At the Heart of America's Cup TV Production  Emmy� Award-winning technology in the form of  AC LiveLine.

AC LiveLine. With this "augmented reality" technology, viewers see the shape and size of the course overlaid on San Francisco Bay, start and finish lines, ocean currents, and details that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye but are essential to understanding the nuances of this thrilling sport.

    I waited outside for my group to be lead inside. I've never watched competitive sailing before, so I joined the thousands of enthusiastic fans already assembled to watch the race. Many were grouped in front of a massive video screen erected inside the sprawling America's Cup Park, a wonderland for sailing enthusiasts with food, drink, and merchandise vendors, special exhibitions, and a 9,000�-seat amphitheater - all free and open to the public on race days.

    Despite sunny conditions, winds were high along the surface of the San Francisco Bay that day, a dangerous fact in a sport where the high-speed wing-sail 72-foot catamarans have proven to be deadly. The first race started with Team New Zealand pulling ahead. I was more or less watching the people, not the screen. That's when suddenly a deafening cheer rippled throughout the park and I spun around to witness Team New Zealand's boat askew, nearly capsizing, and forcing TEAM USA to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision. ORACLE TEAM USA grabbed the lead and never let go, winning the first race of the day.

    I felt the energy of the crowd, and instantly I was captivated... so much so that I nearly forgot to return to Pier 23 for my turn in the control room!

    Midway through the second race of the day, with ORACLE TEAM USA in the lead, wind gusts over the Bay reached a dangerous red zone. Umpires, spread between a pair of boats in the water and the umpire container inside Pier 23, officially made the call: the race was to be abandoned.

    I watched as the broadcast continued even as the boats retreated. The announcers, from their perch inside yet another container several rows over, wrapped up the coverage and tossed to a package. Once safely in the package, the Director rolled his chair back from the wall of video monitors for the first time since I got there, took a deep breath, and asked aloud, "Okay, when's the next race?" A Producer beside him laughed as she replied, "Tomorrow!"

LiveLine Mastermind Stan Honey (far left), the developer of AC LiveLine, explains how it works to the NATAS tour group including Executive Director, Darryl Compton (center).

  For our tour of the ACTV compound, we met the man behind LiveLine, Stan Honey. Once a competitive sailor himself, Honey poured decades of research and development to turn the America's Cup into a sport for anybody to enjoy.

    There was one tool in the AC LiveLine arsenal that I found particularly helpful at assisting casual viewers like me to gauge the progress of the dueling catamarans as they dart back and forth across the water in a zigzag formation: a football-like gridiron superimposed across the Bay. "Just by adding that," says Honey, "we found that it instantly became clear who was ahead and who was behind."

    Honey was starting to make a name for himself in the mid-90s when he was hired to make NHL hockey more watchable on television, introducing the short-lived but then-innovative virtually-glowing hockey puck in 1995. It was a novelty at the time, but over the next decade new advancements, complicated engineering feats, and a multi-disciplinary team hand-selected by Honey brought the virtual First-Down Line to NFL football, the virtual Strike Zone replay to MLB baseball, and other examples of "augmented reality" that have since become mainstays of sporting events on live TV today.

   Honey set his sights on bringing his two true passions together. He and his team travelled with the international AC production crew, and through trial and error worked out the bugs, as hundreds covered the events that whittled down the teams to the best in world: ORACLE TEAM USA and Emirates Team New Zealand.

    A casual viewer can see which team is sailing which catamaran, compare the speed of each craft, and ascertain the distance between the two competitors - all relevant information not only for viewers but also the umpire team. For the first time, America's Cup judges were able to watch real-time data on the boats' vital statistics, refer back to rules violations such as the incident we just observed, and even issue rulings from another high-tech shipping container located across from Production Control Room 1 at Pier 23.

    As Director of Umpiring, Mike Martin pointed out to our tour group that the America's Cup is one of the very first pro sports to actively embrace this GPS-powered real-time data, even releasing the raw stats not only to both teams but to the public at large as well.

    The results are nothing short of an engineering masterpiece. "I am still in awe of the creation of the graphics and the precision required to overlay them live," says Karen Owoc from our tour group. Like me, she was a sports fan who never knew racing sailboats could be so exciting.

    "I am definitely inspired to watch sailing in the future," Owok adds, "now that I have a greater understanding and respect for the sport and for the technology involved. It's one thing to set up some stationary cameras at an NFL game; it's another to hover over a dynamic event with three helicopters, on-board cameras, and surround sound!"

    The whole camera system was custom-designed to blend into the boats and survive in the salty seawater conditions. GPS coordinates, 6 video pictures, multi-channel sound, and additional metadata were sent over a secure, wireless IP network from a mast atop each catamaran to a redundant antenna array atop Pier 23. A team of radio engineers constantly tweaked the incoming signals as the boats raced up and down the Bayshore.

    With camera angles that were labeled "Chase Boat," "Oracle 3," and other specific names, the Director deftly called for shots as if the cameras were simply in a studio next door. Our small tour group sat next to AC Production Executive Denis Harvey, who was able to answer questions while the instant replay team, the graphics team, the sound team, and a gaggle of producers fed the Director everything he needed to pull together a tight, fast-paced event.

    The America's Cup, an epic international competition, is named not for the continents, but rather for the schooner America which won a race around England's Isle of Wight on August 22, 1851. The silver trophy has been donned "America's Cup" ever since. This sports competition predates the modern Olympics by two generations.

    Conventional wisdom had said that the 34th America's Cup was most certainly going to the dominating challengers, Emirates Team New Zealand. But the Oracle team proved conventional wisdom wrong. With their win on the day of our tour, the series turned around, for an historic comeback.

    Going into the race on September 25, Emirates Team New Zealand and ORACLE TEAM USA were tied eight to eight. It was winner take all. Defending champions, ORACLE TEAM USA, won the deciding race and were awarded the 34th America's Cup. "This regatta has changed sailing forever," says an ecstatic Larry Ellison. It also changed the broadcast of sports like sailing, which have traditionally been difficult to view much less televise. "Since we took home the big prize," says Kevin Wing, "hopefully the America's Cup will return to the Bay Area in three years." At press time, Australia's Hamilton Island Yacht Club was confirmed as the "Challenger of Record" for the 35th America's Cup. Stay tuned!

David S. Waxman is the Senior Producer at KRCB North Bay Public Media (PBS).

      For 36 years, Don McCuaig was among the very best, most talented photographers to work in the Bay Area television market.

      McCuaig not only has had the longevity of working in the business to prove it, he has numerous Emmy awards and other honors to show for it, along with a wealth of colorful memories, especially from his many years at KTVU Channel 2 in Oakland.

      McCuaig, inducted into the Silver Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2002, worked at KTVU from 1970 until his retirement in 2006. Ask him what he's done throughout his career, and he'll tell you a few things at best. He's being modest. He has done it all. And then some.

      You might say McCuaig was destined for a life in television in one form or another. Born June 19, 1944, in Los Angeles (just three blocks from the MGM Studios lot), McCuaig grew up when television was in its infancy. In fact, the McCuaig family was the first on the block to own a television set. Back in those days, the television broadcast day didn't begin until 3 p.m. each day.

     "All the kids would come over and I'd set up the dining room, turning it into a theater," McCuaig says. "For a kid, it was an exciting time."

     McCuaig's father, Don, sold cars, but cars weren't selling very well in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. So, in 1953, the McCuaigs packed up and moved to the Bay Area, settling in Mill Valley. Eventually, the family would relocate to Larkspur, and later, Novato.

     The younger McCuaig aspired to be an architect at the time, attending the College of Marin.

     "I'd been going there for two years, and I was ready to go to Cal Poly (in San Luis Obispo) to continue my studies," McCuaig says. "But then, I started having second thoughts about being an architect. I knew it wasn't going to be something I wanted to do for the rest of my life."

     Instead of attending college in San Luis Obispo, McCuaig got a job as a telephone installer for Pacific Telephone (today's Pac Bell) in 1965. Then, he got a letter from the federal government.

     McCuaig was about to be drafted. It was the Vietnam era.

     He ended up going to Fort Ord. "Every morning, I'd get up and look at the headlines, and more Gis were going to Vietnam," McCuaig says. But he never had to go. Instead, he was "shipped" - to Sausalito.

     Being back in the Bay Area, McCuaig would eventually go to work for a brokerage house on Taylor Street in San Francisco. Across the street from there was KBHK-TV Channel 44.

     By now, you already know where this is going.

     "I started hanging around there, and finally, the front desk guy introduced me to George Dakin, the head film editor there," McCuaig recalls. "So George invites me in and gives me a little tour."

     Dakin told McCuaig that the station had just fired one of its editors, and asked him if he'd like a tryout. McCuaig was given two weeks to make it work, and he did.

     McCuaig, 25 years old at that time, got wind of a film editor opening at KTVU. He applied, and in January of 1970, he started working there.

     "I spliced and edited cartoon reels and commercials, eventually got promoted to edit syndicated shows," he says.

     His fate was about to change at KTVU. A news editor there had died in a car accident, and McCuaig went to work in the news department, eventually becoming head news editor.

     By the mid-1970s, McCuaig moved from the editing room to the field. He became a cameraman.

     "I got a news car, a camera, all of this stuff. How could I complain? At that time, Channel 2 was No. 4 out of four Bay Area stations doing news, so we could do anything and take chances, because no one was watching," he says.

     McCuaig, of course, saw first-hand all of the technological advances in television during his career at KTVU.

     "I hated 3/4-inch tape when it came out," he says. "It was a giant step backwards. The pictures looked like crap compared to film. By that time, though, almost everyone was shooting on tape. We were still shooting on film, especially our news specials."

     But, change was inevitable

     The rest of the 1970s was a volatile period in the Bay Area, and McCuaig had a front row seat for most of it, from the Patty Hearst kidnapping and the Jonestown massacre to the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

     "I was with Rita (Williams) when all of that happened," McCuaig recalls. "And when the verdict for (suspect, Supervisor) Dan White came down, the city went crazy. We drove up to City Hall, and police cars were on fire. We drove down to Castro Street, and people were throwing rocks at us. It was just an incredible mess."

     By the early- to mid-1980s, KTVU was growing tired of being in last place in the ratings. News Director Fred Zehnder had been at the helm for several years at that point, and under his guidance, the station's news product was gaining respect for its excellence in comprehensive, complete news reporting. But, McCuaig and his co-workers sensed a change was in the air when a new general manager by the name of Kevin O'Brien was hired, in 1986.

     "Kevin came in, and said, 'If you're with me, we're gonna be No. 1'", McCuaig recalls.

     The Oakland station, situated at Jack London Square, began to change to become a serious challenger to the "big three" San Francisco stations. Zehnder was allowed to thrive, too, and under his direction, the station's news department gained more respect than it had ever had.

     "Finally, the other guys (the San Francisco stations) weren't laughing at us anymore," McCuaig says.

     "Fred was great. I love Fred Zehnder," McCuaig says of the station's legendary news director, who led the news team for an unprecedented 21 years, from 1978 until his retirement in 1999.

     "Fred was a different type of news director, but he got the job done and he was always respected by the people in his newsroom," he says. "You could walk into Fred's office and sit down and tell him about a story idea, and chat with him about it for 45 minutes. It was wonderful."

      From the late 1980s on, KTVU's fortunes began to change. Its 10 p.m. news ratings soared to double digits, trouncing prime-time network programming on the three San Francisco stations. And station management, from O'Brien to Zehnder, spent a lot of money to make it happen. The station covered everything, even sending McCuaig and his colleagues to news stories that were happening outside of the Bay Area.

     "If there was a story going on in France that had a Bay Area connection, we'd drop everything and go to France," McCuaig says. "It was amazing."

     In 1992, McCuaig and reporter Faith Fancher were sent to Los Angeles to cover the riots there following the court verdict of the Los Angeles Police Department in the Rodney King beating case.  

     "I still remember seeing Army trucks filled with Gis, going up and down the street. It was like something you'd see in, say, South America," McCuaig says. "It was crazy."

     McCuaig also went to cover the riots in Miami with reporter Gary Kauf. It was another hotbed of turbulence and turmoil.

     McCuaig was the station's photographer when it came to news specials, traveling across the nation and around the world. He did it all. When a devastating earthquake spawned a catastrophic tsunami in Thailand in 2005, McCuaig was dispatched there, along with reporter Sara Sidner.

     Finally, in 2006, McCuaig decided he'd had enough, retiring from the station he loved. During the 36 years he was there, he was an integral part of the news department's success. And, during that time, he had collected countless honors for his work. Besides Emmys, McCuaig was also recognized as photographer of the year. His work was also honored at the New York Film Festival.

    "By then, we weren't doing so much traveling for stories anymore, and that's what I really enjoyed," he says. "I saw the writing on the wall."

    McCuaig loved the station he called home, but it was because of the people he worked with. In his words, they were "family". He was especially fond of longtime reporter, Bob MacKenzie, who died in 2011.

    "I miss (reporter) Bob," he says. "Every time something good happens to me, I want to call him. He's still with me in a lot of ways. We had such a good time. What was wonderful about that man was that he was the best writer I've ever worked with."

    When McCuaig retired, he and Vicky, his wife of 23 years and a Bay Area television veteran herself, decided they would make a change of their own, and move to Hawaii. For the last two years, they have lived on Maui. They are living the life.

    "Every now and then, I write an article for a magazine called Old Gauge Railroading," McCuaig says. "I'm really into trains."

    He also maintains his business, Journey Films, which he started in the Bay Area. It keeps him busy, when he wants to be busy.

    The day McCuaig was interviewed for this story, he and his wife were planting pineapple trees in their yard. Rubbing it in a little?

    "I love it here," McCuaig says. "Big-city people would go crazy here. Today, we also planted a papaya tree, and we went swimming. I go diving a lot, so this is just the perfect life. It's Heaven's spot."

Mike Shumann is the popular, likable sportscaster at KGO-TV ABC7 in San Francisco who parlayed his long Super Bowl career as a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers into a successful career in broadcasting. This month, find out what makes "Shu" -- the Super Bowl champion -- tick.

Where did you grow up? 

Louisville-Boston-West Palm Beach-Tallahassee-New Orleans-and back to Tallahassee.

Do you have siblings? If so, are you the oldest? Youngest? 

I have three brothers and two sisters. I am the second oldest sibling, and the oldest son.

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a sportscaster? 

In college, I told my Dad I could do two things well -- catch a football and talk trash -- so I decided to major in broadcasting, and have made a living at both.

What was it like to be with the 49ers? 

I was on back to back 2-14 teams. That was no fun, but became Bill Walsh's first starter at wide receiver, IN MY SECOND YEAR. And I was also on their first Super Bowl team, and there is nothing like the first time you do anything. It was a special time in my career.

Who has inspired you in your career? Who has inspired you as a person? 

My parents were my biggest supporters and role models early on. We moved around so much as a child. My brothers and sisters were also big supporters. My high school coach, Gene Cox, inspired me to greater achievements. And Bobby Bowden, my college coach, taught me how to be a team player and was probably most responsible for my pro career.

Before ABC7, where did you work before? 

I worked morning radio at KFOG and KNBR for about eight years before jumping over to KGO radio on the 49er broadcast as the pre-game host and sideline reporter. We also had to work in the off-season when I played, so I sold advertising and was in real estate for a while.

As a sports anchor and reporter, every day at work is different from the one before it. Can you describe a "day in the life of Mike Shumann"? 

Every day is different. Saturday and Sunday I anchor. Monday through Wednesday, I report. One day I'm at the 49ers or Raiders, Giants or A's. Another day, maybe Cal, Stanford or San Jose State. I also do features, so that would take an entire day to shoot, write, edit and produce. It's never the same from day to day which makes my work interesting.

You're a sportscaster at one of the best stations in the country and certainly in one of the world's best cities. How cool is it that, after your many years with the Niners, you parlayed that into a successful broadcasting career in the Bay Area? 

I was lucky to start my career in the 5^th TV market in the nation. Not many people get that chance. I was horrible at first, but with hard work and repetition, I like to think that I have improved my craft. I am also known as a former Super Bowl champion, which doesn't hurt. It's been so long (20 years), I have become a bit of a brand.

Do you like ice cream? Okay, that's a loaded question. Of course, you do! What's your favorite flavor? 

Rocky Road

Tell us about your home life. 

I have been married to Margie Robbins for 25 years, and have a 17 year old daughter, Annabelle. We try and spend as much time together as possible. With me working weekends, it makes it tough.

Perfect meal for dinner? 

Love pasta. Fun to mix and match food groups in any kind of pasta.

Have a guilty pleasure? 

Cookies

What do you enjoy most about your work? 

The fact every day is different. Also like covering all sports, not just my favorite, which is football. Love being around pro athletes, as every sport has similarities for the athlete.

Do you have any mentors, and if so, who? Who do you look up to? 

Fred Biletnikoff was my hero growing up, and we became good friends. We both went to Florida State, and both played ball here in the Bay Area. He taught me how to be a pro, and coached me with the Oakland Invaders of the USFL.

What do you do to relax? What hobbies and/or activities are you involved with? 

I play golf once a week and love to hike the trails of Marin County. My body has broken down from football, so it's hard for me to run anymore. But, I do sneak in some tennis and sailing occasionally. I also help out coaching at Tamalpais High in Mill Valley, where my daughter goes to school.

What do you like most about working at ABC7? 

Telling interesting stories, and analyzing sports. It's like a team sport. Everyone has to do their job to have success.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years? 

TV and radio, and I'm writing my life story.

Who is your favorite television sportscaster? Is there anyone in the business who you emulate? Do you have a favorite sports announcer? 

I don't compare. We all have something to offer to a different audience. I like to think I appeal to a smarter sports fan. As far as announcers, Al Michaels is one of the best.

When you're not working, do you sit around the house all day watching ESPN or Comcast Sports Net Bay Area? 

No. I totally check out. I think everyone does, trying not to bring their work home. I do like to watch golf and football on TV, as I never get to at work.

Plan to go to any Niners games this season for fun, not for work? 

No. All work, but it's fun to watch the 49ers in their final season at Candlestick. Brings back a lot of memories.

Do you have a favorite author? 

I read a lot of different type of authors. From Elmore Leonard to autobiographies. Louis Lamour's westerns. I usually read three or four books in the same span.

Tell us about some of the great teammates you were with during your time with the Niners. 

Well some were legends like Joe Montana. Ronnie Lott. Others, good friends like Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon. I don't look at Joe or Ronnie as legends. They were just my teammates. Athletes don't do hero worship while they are playing. Only when they are growing up.

How would you like to be remembered as a San Francisco 49er? 

As a good teammate, a guy who moved the chains, and you could always count on me to make the catch.

What's your favorite TV show? Go to the movies lately? 

My newest is Ray Donovan. I also like Dexter, Newsroom and Modern Family. I am a huge movie fan. I still like the big screen experience. I've been hosting an Oscar party every year for the last 30 years.

Where do you read your favorite sports page? What's your favorite sports magazine? I still like reading the Sporting Green every morning with my coffee. i'm not a huge sports magazine fan, though. Being around it every day, I pretty much know what's going on.

Personality-wise, are you more of a goof than you are serious?! 

YES, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE CLASS CLOWN.

If you could do it all over again, is there anything you would change about your life? No. My theory is, one day your life is going to pass in front of your eyes, so make sure it's worth watching!!

Any words of wisdom for the next generation of sportscasters? 

Be yourself. Don't try and be like someone else. It never works.

Without a doubt, you have a special place in your heart for the San Francisco 49ers? But, in the 2014 season, the team will leave San Francisco and move to the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, right next to Niners headquarters. How do you feel about the team leaving the City by the Bay for Santa Clara? 

I am not a fan of the team leaving S.F. But, I understand why they feel the need to update their game day experience.

Favorite vacation destination? 

Locally, Lake Tahoe, Napa, Carmel. No need to go anywhere else.

During your career, has there been a sports story that you've "owned" that, up to now, has defined who you are as a journalist? There are several, but I am not one to pat myself on the back. I think it's more about the sports you cover. Football, golf and tennis have always been my favorites, and I tend to think no one does as good a job as I do with those three.

What's the most favorite thing about your job? Least favorite thing, if anything? Favorite thing is the variety in what I do. Least favorite? Daily deadlines.

Favorite music? What's in your iPod (if you have one) or collection of CDs? I am a Blues guy. White soul. Boz Scaggs. Boy George. John Lee Hooker. Buddy Guy. Paul Butterfield. Old school.

Wine tasting, or a cold bottle of beer? 

Love a cold beer after working out or a round of golf, but red wine with my meal.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done? 

Too many to name.

From a journalistic standpoint, how would you prefer viewers to see you? I am a guy you can trust to get the story, who gets to the point, and has a great sense of humor. I don't take myself too seriously, and I want the viewer to have fun when they watch 'THE SHU".

Favorite spot in the Bay Area? 

Love Stinson Beach, Muir Woods, and the trails of Marin county.

What do you like about social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus? Does it help bring in new viewers? 

I think it helps bring in viewers, but when I'm not at work, I don't touch any of them. I prefer a good conversation, debate, story telling. Don't need mobile devices for that.

     John Hambrick, who anchored KRON's evening newscasts for several years in the late 1970s, has died at the age of 73.

     Hambrick's son, Jack, confirms that his father died Sept. 10 in Texas. Hambrick had been battling cancer. He died under hospice care at a hospital in Bell County, Texas. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2012. The cancer metastasized to his brain.

     In 1977, Hambrick arrived in the Bay Area with much fanfare after he was hired by KRON to be the main male anchor for KRON's then-titled NewsCenter 4 newscasts. Although Hambrick's Bay Area tenure lasted only three years, he became best-known for his high-energy delivery that commanded attention.

John Hambrick Anchored At KRON From 1977-80

 In 1980, Hambrick announced he was leaving KRON to accept an anchor position at WNBC in New York.

     Hambrick's television news career spanned from the early 1960s to the 1990s. In addition to KRON in San Francisco and WNBC in New York, he anchored newscasts at KABC in Los Angeles, WTVJ and WCIX in Miami, KHOU in Houston, WEWS in Cleveland, WCPO in Cincinnati and KBMT in Beaumont, Texas.

     He grew up in eastern Texas and Louisiana. His father worked for Humble Oil in what were known as oil camps, small towns that popped during the oil boom years. But, Hambrick wanted to be an actor. He studied theater in high school and at the University of Texas. He eventually dropped out of college and headed west to Hollywood to become a star in the late 1950s. Among television roles he landed were small parts on General Electric Theater and Playhouse 90.

    Hambrick began anchoring in Wichita Falls, Texas. His 30-year career took him around the country. Not content to just sit behind the anchor desk, Hambrick covered global stories in an era when local TV stations were stronger than the networks they were affiliated with. He traveled overseas to cover the conflicts in the Middle East, struggles in Japan, along with national conventions and the death of professional baseball player, Roberto Clemente, in Puerto Rico, in 1973.

    Hambrick was the brother of Mike Hambrick and Judd Hambrick, both of whom were also news anchors. Judd Hambrick anchored at KTVU in Oakland in the mid-1970s. John Hambrick's son, Jack, also works in television.

    During his three-decade career, Hambrick considered his biggest TV success was his years of anchoring in Cleveland, where he was from 1967 to 1975. He left there to head west to California to anchor at KABC in Los Angeles, where he lasted two years before moving up the coast to KRON.

    Hambrick received many honors throughout his career, including an Emmy Award in 1984 for co-anchoring the best newscast in New York.

    The talented anchor was also a talent with music. Hambrick was also a song writer. His album, Windmill in a Jet Filled Sky, hit record stores in 1972 and was very successful.

    During the last three years, Hambrick was working on a Civil War movie project. He co-wrote a screenplay about John Hunt Morgan, the Confederate general who invaded Ohio 150 years ago. The project was titled Thunderbolt Raiders.

    Hambrick is survived by his wife, Barbara. In addition to his son, Jack, he is also survived by children, Meredith and Mignon.

  1.                                                 2. 

  3.  Chuck Hastings(Eng)               4.

  5.                                                    6.  Graham Rumble(Eng)

  7.  Harold Brinkman(Eng)                 8.  George Dickinson(Eng)

  9.                                                    10.

11.  Ted Scott (Art)                             12.  Ed Escola(StageMgr)

13.  Les Krames (ArtDir)                     14.  Ron Lang(Art)

15.  Alex Zanini (Film/Tape)                  16.  Alex Jonsson    (Film/Tape)

17.  Jay Hansel(Film/TapeDir)              18.

19.                                                     20.  Lane Fye?(News)

21.                                                     22.  Steve Tuttle ?(News)

23.  Bill MaGee(News)                         24.  Bob Halladay ?(News)

25.                                                     26.  Terry Morrison(NewsPhotog)

27.                                                     28.  Dick Riley(News)

29.  Bob Jimenez(Reporter/Anchor          30.

31.  Norm Hartman(News)                  32.

33.  Walt Stewart(Art)                         34.

35.                                                     36.  Larry Mills(News).

37.                                                     38.

39.                                                     40.  Cristina Metcalf(ChildPgm)

41.                                                     42.  Dick Doughty(Reporter/Anchor)

43.  Frank Johnstone(Reporter)             44.  Mike Mills  (Reporter)

45.  Linda 'Richards' Pritchard(Wx)       46.  Ed Hart(Reporter/Anchor)

47.  Vic Burton(NewsDir)                      48.  Karna Small(Wx)

49.  John Bates(News)                         50.  Frank Dill(Sports)

51.  Philip Wilson  (Reporter/Anchor)       52.  Bob Marsden(Sports)

53.  Art Brown(Reporter/Anchor)             54.

55.  Mickey Freeman(NewsPhotog)

By Kevin Eck

TV Spy

     Sixty-one years after launching the news at WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina, 91-year-old Doug Mayes took another turn recently as anchor for the CBS affiliate.

     Mayes is 91 years old.

91-Year-Old Former Anchor Returns Doug Mayes, With Molly Grantham, at WBTV

     Mayes filled in for the vacationing Paul Cameron on the station's 11 p.m. newscast one September evening.

According to The Charlotte Observer, Cameron posted a photograph of the two of them at lunch on his station Facebook page. 

     WBTV news director Dennis Milligan, formerly an executive producer with KGO-TV in San Francisco, says the post got tens of thousands of hits, so WBTV asked Mayes to sit-in for a show.

     "It took him about a minute of reading to get used to it," says Milligan. "You could tell when the old news guy kicked in, kaboom. He had full command."

     Mayes also sat in on the station's news meeting, where the police shooting of an unarmed man was the key topic.

     "He knew every detail," says Molly Grantham, who will be his co-anchor Friday night. "He had great questions to ask. He was still the newsman, even at 91. That was when I was sure this is such a great idea."

    Mayes started as Your Esso Reporter on WBTV in 1952. He stayed with the station until the 1980s when he moved over to rival ABC affiliate WSOC. He retired from the anchor desk in 1988, but continued to do special reports for WSOC.