Bob Friend (newscaster)

Infobox journalist
name = Bob Friend MBE


caption =
birthname = Robert Friend
birth_date = birth date|1938|1|20|df=yes
birth_place =
death_date = death date and age|2008|10|08|1938|1|20|df=yes
death_place =
occupation = Journalist, British Army Officer, Presenter, Newsreader
spouse =
ethnic = British
credits = BBC Radio 4's "Today programme"
First permanent BBC Australia correspondent
"BBC Breakfast"
"Sky News"

Bob Friend, MBE (20 January 1938 - 8 October 2008) was one of the original news anchors for the Sky News channel from its launch in 1989 until his retirement in late 2003.citeweb|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Bob-Friend-Former-Sky-News-Presenter-Dies-Aged-70-After-Suffering-From-Cancer/Article/200810115115343?lpos=UK_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15115343_Bob_Friend_Former_Sky_News_Presenter_Dies_Aged_70_After_Suffering_From_Cancer|title=Sky News Loses Its Best Friend|author=Botting, Anna|publisher=Sky News|date=2008-10-08|accessdate=2008-10-08]

Biography

Friend started his career in 1953 aged 15 as a cub reporter on the Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, reporting on the Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation.citeweb|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1074092/Tributes-paid-journalist-Bob-Friend-face-Sky-News-dies-brain-tumour.html|title=Tributes paid to journalist Bob Friend, 'the face of Sky News', after he dies from a brain tumour|publisher=Daily Mail|date=2008-10-08|accessdate=2008-10-08] After he undertook National Service as an officer with the Royal Gurkha Rifles in Hong Kong, Friend served a ten year freelance career in various British newspapers before starting his broadcast career with the BBC in 1969.

Starting out as the Northern Ireland correspondent of the Radio 4's Today programme, Friend served four years in Northern Ireland witnessing sectarian violence at the start of The Troubles. After a short stint in Vietnam he got his first official overseas TV posting as the BBC's first Australia correspondent in 1973, five years as the BBC's Tokyo correspondent,citeweb|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7659968.stm|title=Former Sky news broadcaster dies|publisher=BBC News|date=2008-10-08|accessdate=2008-10-08] and finally New York city as BBC Breakfast correspondent where the current Director General of the BBC Mark Thompson was his producer.

After 20 years with the BBC, Friend returned to the United Kingdom to work on the start-up Sky News. Friend's first appearance on Sky News was on 23 October 1989 alongside Vivien Creegor, but his best known on-screen partner was Anna Botting, and they became one of channel's most popular news duos.

Friend became the best recognised face of Sky News, and as a result of being spotted by Tom Cruise while he watched Sky News on a short visit to London, Friend had cameos in a number of News Corporation owned Twentieth Century Fox's 1990s films, including "Independence Day" and "." [imdb|id=0295514|name=Bob Friend]

In June 2003 he was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, shortly before his retirement presenting alongside Creegor on 23 October, exactly 14 years after his first appearance.

Friend was a guest presenter on LBC News 1152 during the 2005 United Kingdom general election.

Chairman and CEO of News Corporation Rupert Murdoch paid personal tribute to Friend:

Friend was married with two daughters. Friend died after suffering from a brain tumour, on 8 October 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.skynews.com/bobfriend Sky News Tribute to Bob Friend]
*imdb|id=0295514|name=Bob Friend