LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
Fred Roggin has been a fixture in L.A. Sports for decades. Now, after 42 years as the face of NBC4 Sports, he's making a change.
"I'm stepping away from local TV news, but I'm not stepping away from television." Roggin said in an interview on Wednesday with our newsroom's public affairs show AirTalk — which airs on 89.3 FM.
"I just don't want to go on every day anymore," he said.
Roggin's influence on both local sportscasts and nationwide is visible to this day.
When he started out at 23 years old, sportscasting was a serious endeavor. Roggin was part of a handful of sportscasters in Los Angeles who started to take a lighter approach to the sports broadcast, incorporating humor and a more personal storytelling approach.
It became his calling card — from the punny names of his shows to how he spoke on sports on air. Over the years, Roggin he won the hearts of Angelenos with his coverage of the rise of the Showtime Lakers, multiple Olympic Games. And then there's the laundry list of the beloved shows he's responsible for, like Going Roggin.
Another, Roggin's Heroes, which highlighted great plays in high school sports and became so popular it was nationally syndicated from 1990-1993.
The announcement was first made public on Tuesday, but Roggin told us that this decision with NBC4 was months in the making.
"We knew everything, it was all planned," he shared.
Why now? Roggin says it's time for him to be done doing daily newscasts.
"What I want to do is produce my shows. I'm a sports guy, but I'm a producer," he said.
He also noted that he finds some people seemed surprised to learn he was still on TV at all, an indication of changing viewer habits.
Roggin says he will now focus on his sports radio show on AM570, Roggin & Rodney, as his full-time job, and says TV will be "side hustle."
He says he expects plenty of opportunities. He added he'd be willing to jump back on the air at NBC4 when they need a veteran presence during major stories.
