Tony Valdez, a well-known news reporter, died at the age of 78 recently. He was well-known for his work as a reporter and anchor at Los Angeles’ KTTV Channel 11.
His son told KTTV on Friday that Valdez died of renal failure and that he was at home at the time of his death. Several other reporters and journalists paid tribute to Valdez on social media, detailing their years of collaboration with him. Journalist Araksya Karapetyan wrote on Facebook about Valdez’s achievements over the years. Araksya claims she had the opportunity to work with Valdez at Fox 11. She continued, saying:
“I remember how kind and supportive he was right from the start when I joined the team.” He was genuinely interested in me, my story, who I was, what I represented, and what I had to offer the world. We were constantly on the move, but when we had a few moments in between newscasts, we would gather in the newsroom or the corridor and talk about… life.”
Tony Valdez, according to Araksya, used to question her about her family life, and hearing his voice made her feel safe and reassured. She wrote that Tony’s narrative used to be old-school, with facts, details, emotion, and depth. She continued, saying:
“I’ve always regretted not going on one of his tours to learn more about Los Angeles.” Tony was a docent for the Los Angeles Conservancy, leading tours of downtown Los Angeles. “One of these days,” I’d say.
Tony is survived by his son Steve and three grandchildren. Contributions can be made to the LA Conservancy or the 8 Ball Foundation.
For many years, Tony Valdez was well-known for his work with KTTV Fox 11
Tony Valdez never talked about his upbringing, but he did go to Los Angeles City College and California State University. He served in the United States Army for a time. In Los Angeles, he worked for KLTA and KCET as a writer, producer, and reporter before moving on to La Opinion and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.
He began working for KTTV in 1980, reporting for the news segment of L.A.’s Most Wanted. Tony Valdez also hosted Midday Sunday, weekly public affairs show that covered local and national issues as well as current top news and newsmakers. He was the station’s weekend news anchor from 1991 to 1993.
Valdez left the news station in 2016, and the station paid tribute to him on-air on his last day. Tony also received Emmy, Golden Mike, and Los Angeles Press Club awards for his broadcasting abilities. Tony Valdez also had a falling out with KFI talk show hosts John and Ken in 2006.
Valdez lectured on Manifest Destiny and condemned the Mormon Battalion monuments, claiming that they were responsible for the deaths of many Mexicans. However, the assertions were false.
After that, John and Ken invited their listeners to send an email to KTTV, claiming that Valez had violated journalistic neutrality. Valdez was supposed to apologize during his appearance on Midday Sunday, May 7, 2006, but this did not happen, and the station instead apologized to everyone on the evening program on May 4, 2006.
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