Extremely well known and loved, former WRGB reporter Ken Screven passed away on Wednesday, CBS 6 confirmed. From all accounts, Screven was a trailblazer. He was the first black man to report local news on TV in the Capital Region when his career began at CBS 6 in 1978.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

Screven would continue his tv career at WRGB up until his retirement in 2011. The Times Union did an expose at the time and talked to some of Ken's longtime co-workers. Anchor Liz Bishop called him 'the conscience of the newsroom'

When Ken did a story, it was a lot more personal. Whenever there was a tragedy, a life cut too short, there was no question, Ken was the one we wanted to go out and do that story, because we knew he would come back and put his heart in it, and you would feel the loss.

Screven worked at CBS 6 for 33 years, covering some of the most difficult stories in Capital Region history, including the Christopher Porco axe murder trial and shooting death of ten year old Kathina Thomas, who was struck by a stray bullet in Albany back in 2009. Screven said it was one of the most trying points of his career.

What we just saw was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to witness. A mother mourning in so much pain she could not contain it.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

 

WRGB put together a retrospect of Screven's career that featured some of his lighter happier moments as well, like the time he reported live in the middle of a blizzard.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

And there was the time the Dalai Lama visited Albany and greeted Screven with a hug.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

Screven suffered a fall back in 2021 and was under medical care for a lengthy time. A GoFundMe raised over $27,000 to help with his medical bills earlier this year.

In 2020 he was honored by the Albany Damien Center and presented with their Hero Award for his work in the community. He was also honored by the group Citizen Action in 2009 and In Our Own Voices in 2019. Screven was said to be in his early 70s.

Albany TV Commercials from January 1992

So what were we watching on TV in 1992? Thanks to Junkie's Tape Bin on YouTube, he was rolling his VCR on January 27th. Here are some highlights

More From 104.5 THE TEAM