Skip to main content

August 1976 - News Magazine Program '28 Tonight,' Hosted by Clete Roberts, Debuts

Support Provided By
Clete Roberts
Clete Roberts

In August 1976, the award-winning news magazine program "28 Tonight" premiered. Hosted by former KNXT-TV (now KCBS) and KTLA-TV anchor Clete Roberts, the weeknightly program, aired reports and documentary segments on local affairs and issues.

In July 1976, KCET Programming Director Chuck Allen created KCET's first news and public affairs unit and hired KCET's first News Director to produce a news magazine show to air Mondays thru Fridays. Gail Christian, a female African American news reporter from NBC, was hired for the job.

The program, called "28 Tonight" was envisioned to be a "capsulized version of '60 minutes.'" The new department would treat news more aggressively than all previous teams, with emphasis on investigative programming.

"28 Tonight" became a ratings hit, and viewership even surpassed that of PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre."

Among "28 Tonight's" most notable reports was a piece on the lending practices of Mechanics National Bank and two of its principals regarding loans under the Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Administration programs. Participants claimed mortgage lenders were "redlining" poverty areas when considering applications for loans under those programs.

Although the bank and its principals received an ample opportunity to review the "28 Tonight" segment and comment on it, they refused. Their counsel instead demanded a full retraction threatening to sue KCET if it wasn't forthcoming. The station refused to relent, believing the program had reflected responsible journalism.

"28 Tonight" also featured the 1976 Lynnel Littman-directed documentary segment titled, "Number of Our Days," based on an anthropological essay by Dr. Barbara Meyerhoff. The documentary portrayed elderly Jews living in a retirement community Venice. That documentary won the Academy Award for Documentary Film (Short Subject) in 1977.

Co-hosts Tom Thompson, Susan Friedman, and Bob Navarro were added in 1977. The program ran until 1980.

Support Provided By
Read More
Members of Jacques Cousteau's team readies the famed explorer for a dive

The 1970s: Cousteau's Odyssey Continues

To a very small degree, I have done my best to follow in the footsteps of Jacques Cousteau.
The view from atop Mount Wilson. Catalina Island can be seen top left, and the downtown Los Angeles skyline is visible far right. The entire city of Pasadena is visible in the lower half of the picture. | Photo: Elson Trinidad

Transmitting Live from Mount Wilson: How KCET's Signal Comes to You

Keeping KCET running on the air, which requires a lot of electricity, a lot of equipment, and a lot of backup systems.
Zarii Arri

Zarii Arri: Teach Our Children to be Nice

Zarii Arri moved to California for acting and ice skating.