WCVB's Janet Wu
The Boston TV News world turned out in mass to say goodbye to Chet Curtis.
The Boston Herald writes that mourners including a long list of news stars stood in line for hours in the cold yesterday outside a North End funeral home at the wake for longtime popular Boston news anchor Chet Curtis.
“This is just a wonderful outpouring of love for Chet,” said his ex-wife and former co-anchor Natalie Jacobson.
“I just wish he was here to see how many people are here because of how much he cared about them.”
The late television newsman and his then-wife Jacobson — known as “Chet and Nat” — ruled the local airwaves for
decades as the Channel 5 anchor team.
“It was never about Chet,” said his former coworker and Channel 5 anchor Susan Wornick.
“He knew the names of every employee, their spouses, their children ... because he cared about people.”
Channel 5 reporter Janet Wu, WBZ anchor Paula Ebben, former sportscaster Bob Lobel and local Fox anchor Maria Stephanos were among those who came to pay their respects yesterday.
“Everyone knew Chet and Nat. They represented stability, solid journalistic ethics,” said Donna Latson Gittens, a former Channel 5 public affairs executive.
“That’s what people are mourning. It’s the end of an era — the golden age of journalism.”