The journalism world is mourning the loss of a longtime TV staple. Scott Richards, who was an anchor on Fox affiliate WBRC for 33 years, died on Wednesday. He was 74.
According to Richards’ family (per WRBC), his death was caused by a “sudden medical emergency.” No other details about his cause of death were shared.
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After working in Louisville, Kentucky, Richards was an anchor at Birmingham, Alabama-based WRBC from 1981 to 2014, contributing to 18,000 broadcasts. In recent years, he came out of retirement to contribute to CBS 42, another Birmingham news station. Those who worked with the late anchor over the years have shared glowing tributes to him.
“Here are some people in life who simply command the room when they enter it, and Scott Richards had the ability to command 2 rooms at once: the newsroom and your living room (or wherever you were watching him that night),” WBRC’s Jonathan Hardison said of Richards.
WBRC anchor Steve Crocker said, “I think one of the things that made Scott such a great journalist was his genuine interest in people and their stories. It’s something that you can’t teach, but I think you saw it in so much of his work.”
Another peer, Art Franklin, told CBS 42, “When you speak of Scott Richards, you speak of the quintessential journalist. That’s what he was. He was a giant among giants.”
Richards is survived by his wife and two children.
