Cawthorne Takes Channel 10 Job

KGTV (Channel 10) has hired outspoken and often controversial black community leader Herb Cawthorne, the former president of the San Diego Urban League, as a full-time commentator and reporter, the station announced Tuesday.

Cawthorne, now chief executive officer of the Black Federation of San Diego, will file a regular feature on community issues called the “Cawthorne Report,” in addition to regularly anchoring Channel 10’s news updates on CNN’s “Headline News,” according to Channel 10 news director Paul Sands.

He eventually will be one of three commentators filling the nightly “Perspective” position, now handled by Michael Tuck.

Tuck, who is leaving Channel 10 to take an anchor and commentator job with KCBS-TV (Channel 2) in Los Angeles, will continue to do “Perspective” commentaries after he starts work at Channel 2.

He will share the “Perspective” slot with Channel 10 reporter Marti Emerald and Cawthorne, Sands said. Each will file two commentaries a week.

“We think Herb will be the first regular minority commentator” for a network-affiliated news program in San Diego, Sands said. “We think it is extremely important to get a nonwhite voice on the air in that position.”

Cawthorne is scheduled to start at Channel 10 on July 2. He won’t start doing “Perspective” pieces until Tuck begins work in Los Angeles.

Tuck’s contract expires in September, but he said last week that there is a good chance he will leave earlier, perhaps by Aug. 1.

Cawthorne “brings an obvious knowledge of the community and an ability to deal with both the poor and the powerful” to Channel 10, Sands said. “He is an articulate, strong voice that deserves to be heard.”

Cawthorne, who could not be reached for comment, worked in television and radio in Portland, Ore., where he headed the local chapter of the Urban League before joining the San Diego Urban League in 1987.

He left the Urban League last June amid charges that he mismanaged funds. The dispute still is unresolved.

Urban League Chairwoman Deborah Brady-Davis was not available for comment Tuesday.

“We certainly looked at the whole picture,” Sands said. “The Urban League situation has shown itself it be a private problem that will be solved by private parties.”

After leaving the Urban League, Cawthorne spent four months as a vice president of the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce and formed a development company before joining the Black Federation in January.