Harold Greene, a mainstay of Southern California television news who spent nearly four decades anchoring broadcasts for KABC-TV (ABC7), KCBS-TV (CBS2), and KCAL-TV (KCAL 9), died Tuesday night at age 82. His family announced his death on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, confirming that his wife and daughter were at his side when he passed away. No cause of death was disclosed.

In a statement shared on social media, his daughter, Courtney Greene, wrote that the veteran broadcaster had "signed off for the last time." According to the California Post, she noted that "there was an extraordinary amount of love in the room" during his final moments.

"We have a feeling he's already settling into the great newsroom in the sky, no doubt with a few suggestions on how things should be run," Courtney Greene wrote in the announcement, as reported by ABC7 Los Angeles. "He was so very loved, and we know he will be missed by many."

Early Broadcasting Career and San Diego Years

Greene entered television journalism in 1970, learning the technical and editorial mechanics of local broadcast production from the ground up. Accounts of his early chronology vary slightly across network retrospectives. According to ABC7 Los Angeles and Deadline, Greene got his first Los Angeles television job in 1970 as a producer and reporter at KABC-TV before taking positions in San Diego and San Francisco. Meanwhile, CBS News reports that he started his career working as a newswriter, cameraman, and producer across Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Diego before joining KABC in 1978 following a brief stint with CBS Bay Area.

During his time in San Diego, Greene helped launch the news team at KCST-TV (now KNSD) before moving to the local NBC affiliate, KGTV, where he served as a co-anchor. According to Deadline, longstanding local pop-culture lore suggested that Greene's on-air presentation and prominent mustache during his 1970s San Diego broadcasts inspired elements of the fictional title character in the comedy film Anchorman, though actor Will Ferrell has denied the connection.

Two Decades at the KABC Eyewitness News Desk

Greene became a household name across the Los Angeles media market through his multiple tenures at KABC-TV. After returning to Los Angeles in 1978, he co-anchored Eyewitness News broadcasts alongside veteran Los Angeles newsman Jerry Dunphy. It was also during this period at KABC that Greene first worked alongside sportscaster Jim Hill and fellow anchor Ann Martin.

Following another stint outside the station, Greene made his final return to ABC7 in 1982, beginning a continuous 18-year run that defined the station's evening news lineup throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He initially anchored the weekend broadcasts alongside Joanne Ishimine before taking over the weeknight 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. editions of Eyewitness News following Dunphy's departure from the station. Greene later transitioned to the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts, remaining a fixture at the network until 2000.

Beyond the traditional hard-news desk, Greene was a versatile presence for ABC7's local programming. During his tenure at the network, he hosted locally produced light-news and daytime broadcasts, including Hollywood Close-Up and A.M. Los Angeles.

The CBS2 Reunion and Later Career

In 2001, a year after concluding his run at ABC7, Greene moved across town to join KCBS-TV (CBS2). The move orchestrated an on-air reunion of KABC's prominent 1980s and early 1990s broadcast personnel. At CBS2, Greene reconnected with longtime co-anchor Ann Martin, who had joined the station in 1994, and sportscaster Jim Hill. The station later added anchor Laura Diaz and meteorologist Johnny Mountain, further reassembling the classic Eyewitness News roster for CBS viewers.

Greene also anchored broadcasts for sister station KCAL 9 and shared the CBS2 anchor desk several times with veteran journalist Pat Harvey during his seven-year tenure with the broadcast group. Reports differ slightly on the characterization of his 2008 departure from the stations: while the California Post and TheDesk.net describe Greene working at KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV until his retirement in 2008, Deadline notes that Greene and co-anchor Ann Martin left the stations when they were laid off by KCBS/KCAL in 2008.

Industry Accolades and Tributes

Across nearly four decades on the air, Greene was heavily decorated by broadcasting peers and journalism institutions for his reporting and anchoring. According to career totals cited by Deadline, his industry honors included:

  • 12 Los Angeles Press Club Awards
  • 10 Golden Mike Awards
  • 3 Edward R. Murrow Awards
  • 2 Emmy Awards
  • 1 Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Award

In addition to his journalism prizes, Greene was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television broadcasting.

News of his passing prompted immediate tributes from former newsroom colleagues across Southern California. Pat Harvey remembered her former co-anchor in a statement for CBS News, saying, "I had the honor of working beside Harold during that time. During his career, Harold won Emmys, three Murrow Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."

Greene's family announced that a memorial service is being planned for after the upcoming holiday season. In the meantime, his wife and daughter have invited friends, former broadcast colleagues, and longtime Southern California viewers to celebrate his life by sharing photographs and memories of his decades on the air.

Sources