Send this story Print this story

Adjust text size

Mark Curtis leaving KTVU anchor spot
Realtor starts grassroots support to get him reinstated

by Jordan M. Doronila

Mark Curtis - a Danville resident - is stepping down as anchor for KTVU Channel 2 News.

He shared the information at a San Ramon Valley Kiwanis gathering at Round Hill Country Club in Alamo last week, said Realtor Becky Sargent, who has started a grassroots campaign to inform KTVU that removing Curtis is a mistake.

"Mark is the face of KTVU in our Tri-Valley," Sargent said. "His abounding dedication, generosity ... sincerity is unparalleled."

Curtis said company policy prohibited him from commenting to the media about the status of his employment. KTVU General Manager Tim McVay said Tuesday that Curtis was at that point still the anchor man for KTVU morning news.

"Beyond that we don't discuss personnel matters," he added.

Curtis has been heavily involved in the Danville community. He has volunteered for many organizations, which include Street Smarts, Sentinels of Freedom, the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, San Ramon Valley Rotary Club, the Umbrella of Churches and several schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

"He's just an excellent anchor and a good, decent representative from the media," Sargent said. "He's an asset to our community."

Curtis has been on KTVU FOX 2 since 1993, and he started as a correspondent for the station's Washington, D.C., bureau, according to the station's Web site. He grew up in Milwaukee and graduated with a degree in broadcast communication from Marquette University in 1981. In 1986, he received a master's degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

He spent about two years in Gainesville working at WCJB-TV20 as a general assignment reporter and as bureau chief in the Central Florida regional news bureau. He worked as a Congressional Fellow in the House Judiciary Subcommittee of U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer, (D., N.Y.), as well as for U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, (D, Wisconsin). Curtis returned to broadcasting in 1993.

He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association's "1989 Best Documentary" for a report on sightings of unidentified flying objects. The Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Association honored him with three awards for his news work.

Posted by D. Rodriguez, a resident of another community, on Dec 18, 2007 at 7:18 am

I must have been out of town when Mark left. I thought he was on vacation, and then I realized he was not coming back.

If anyone is familiar with Oakland, diversity is shoved down your throat. KTVU probably has been threatened by some group, so to avoid litigation; one gets punished just for being white. I see this all to often.

In the courts whites are even handed stiffer sentences, so the judge does not get accused of favoritism.

I will miss Mark and I hope they will bring him back in the morning. It was so pleasant to hear him in morning.

I loved to hear about the different charities he helped out on, either over the weekend or after work hours. He is a true to his community and sacrificed time with his family to help others.

It is almost like nice guys finish last and the one who makes the most trouble gets ahead. There is something wrong with the Bay Area.

Good Luck to you Mark we will miss you.

Posted by john harper, a resident of the San Ramon neighborhood, on Dec 19, 2007 at 5:32 pm

We've been getting a lot of comments on our two posts about Mark - including the one above

Web Link

Posted by Kelly Fagan, a resident of another community, on Jan 1, 2008 at 8:06 am

I no longer watch Channel 2 morning news. It's not the same without you. Good luck Mark.

Posted by Eileen Doherty, a resident of another community, on Jan 21, 2008 at 9:35 am

I must have missed the announcement about Mark's departure. Mark was a most excellent anchor with a warm and welcoming personality. I have truly missed seeing him on the morning news and now realizing he is not returning, I too have moved on, and now watching the morning news on another station. I hope you have sense to bring him back.!

Posted by Sheila Garcia, a resident of another community, on Jan 23, 2008 at 11:23 pm

I too must have missed the announcement of Mark Curtis and thought he had been simply on vacation. I have been watching KTVU in the morning since 1995 when my first daughter was born. I have been waking up to Mark and Pam Cook since. I remember meeting him at a concert in Oakland, I with my daughter and he with his. He was kind enough to take pictures with his fans shared them next Monday morning news. I found him to be very real and for that I will miss him dearly.