Longtime Los Angeles news anchor Diane Thompson retired Friday at Entercom's KNX 1070 AM.
Covering events such as the 1984 Olympics, 26 Academy Award ceremonies, 14 Rose Parades (one in which her 4-year-old son at the time vomited on her during a live report), the opening ceremonies of the Reagan Library, the official visits of both Pope John Paul II and South African president Nelson Mandela, and interviewing hundreds of people for her well-known KNX Hero of the Week feature series, Thompson is a memorable veteran in the business.
According to the KNX website, Thompson’s first job was in 1979 at KVUE-TV in Austin. After a brief stint in Phoenix, she moved to Los Angeles to work at the legendary station KFWB, then KHJ, and then to KNX – where she’s been for the last 34 years.
Thompson has been on the scene of countless major news stories over the years. From the Los Angeles riots to both the San Francisco and Northridge earthquakes, the Simpson and Goldman murders, the Cerritos mid-air collision between a commercial jetliner and a private plane; to her breaking the story nationally of the murder of actor Phil Hartman.
She has covered 1984 Olympics, 26 Academy Award ceremonies, 14 Rose Parades (one in which her 4-year-old son at the time vomited on her during a live report), the opening ceremonies of the Reagan Library, the official visits of both Pope John Paul II and South African president Nelson Mandela, and interviewing hundreds of people for her well-known KNX Hero of the Week feature series.
Ken Charles KNX program director says that although he’s happy for Thompson, it’s bittersweet, as he knows how much listeners will miss her.
I miss Diane and her upbeat personality in reporting traffic problems all over the Southland! She was great…..jw
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