KTVU meteorologist Bill Martin started as a weekend weatherman at KTVU in 1992, also did the weather for KRON4 and KPIX, and delivers his final SF TV news weather forecast on KTVU Thursday night as he surfs off into retirement.

KTVU meteorologist Bill Martin was living in a van when he got his first weatherman gig in 1991 at KFTY Channel 50 in Santa Rosa, as recalled by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The UC Berkeley and SF State grad had never worked in television before, yet beat out more seasoned TV meteorologists for the job. A year later, Martin filled some pretty big shoes at KTVU, taking over for the retiring Pat McCormick — a local cult hero, because McCormick had also hosted the popular local shows Dialing for Dollars and the children’s puppet series Charley and Humphrey.

And now it is Bill Martin’s big shoes that need to be filled, as KTVU’s chief meteorologist announced last month he would be retiring. And tonight, Thursday, February 27, Martin will broadcast his final weather reports on the KTVU evening news.  

Martin will deliver weather reports on Thursday’s 4 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm, and 11 pm broadcasts. So you've got five more chances to see Bill Martin do the weather on KTVU, but tonight's 11 pm news will be his final outing on KTVU FOX 2.

“I’ve never been anywhere else,” Martin said (referring to the Bay Area market) when announcing his retirement in the January 23 broadcast above. “I started in the Bay Area market. But I think about Dennis (Richmond), I think about Elaine (Corral), I think about Randy (Shandobil), and I think about Bob MacKenzie and John MacKenzie, all the people we’ve known over the years who’ve come through this place.”

Martin also had brief stints with KPIX and KRON4 in the early- to mid-1990s, before returning permanently to KTVU in 1996.

Indeed, it’s been a tumultuous couple of years for the great titans of the golden age of KTVU news. The legendary Dennis Richmond passed away at the beginning of this month, we also lost his fellow anchor Leslie Griffith in 2022, and of course, there has been that whole Frank Somerville thing.  

And now the retirement of their three-decade meteorologist Bill Martin. But true fans will still be able to catch Bill Martin doing the weather, as he’ll continue doing his daily Bill Martin’s Weather Show on Youtube. Today’s episode is seen below.

Related: Beloved Longtime KTVU Anchorman Dennis Richmond Dies at Age 81 [SFist]

Image via KTVU