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Why don't you start with with just that? The timeframe? Well, for over 35 years, Velvet Davis has been integral part of my life and broadcasting in television. I was working at K P I X in the 19 sixties, and along comes Belvin Davis, the first black

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woman ever to be in television and the Bay Area, that matter of maybe in California. Uh, and she joined the staff and we sat almost next to each other in the newsroom, and you've got to know each other well. And we were both really beginning. And

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then I went Thio KQED, And not long after that, along comes Bell Va and now she's got an anchor job and she's got an anchor position. Things have changed. Bell was growing up. We're both growing up. And then I leave KDDI and going to Cray Aro

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in And who's right behind you within two years? Belber Davis. So now we're back again and we spend, uh, I don't know, 15 years to 2020 years and that k r o. And almost and that's s O. I mean that z been my whole life with

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in television is, but with velvet Davis. Now, Bell was been more than more than just a friend and two in broadcasting for me. She really has. She certainly is my closest friend. But we we had advised each other. We talked about everything we talked about contract.

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Should we sign them? Shouldn't we sign them? What should we sign them? Before we talked about family relationships and our jobs and how difficult it was to work on that we advise ourselves as to what we ought to be doing in in the in broadcasting. We

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just way fortified one another. We criticized one another. Uh, but we were She was my best friend. Start with that. She was my best friend. Start with that. Okay, well, bell. But it was my best friend in broadcasting, I guess through time. And we always thought

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of ourselves a sort of the odd couple in television. I mean, here we share this show together on Koron. For years before that, we've been a KQED before that we've been a k p i x together. But I mean this this really was that we were

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really were the odd couple, not only for the obvious reasons of race and gender, but in background We were so totally different. We had really nothing in common except we had every It turns out we had everything in common you care about and Oh, yes. Ally,

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are you OK? Do you want it? Yeah. No, no, no. In fact, let me ask you let me ask you something. Some broader questions. If I could find my yeah, um how journalists in are oftentimes characterized as if they're supposed to be a tough bitten, hard

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hitting, hard driving, hard drinking. Uh, that's not velvet. She doesn't seem hard driving and tough, but yet she is tough. Could you talk a little bit about that? Well, Nobel Viz, Not the hard drinking, hard driving journalists that you find in most places. Nobel was very,

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very different. Belvin Bell, The first is a lady. I mean, it's a highly moral person, and I think that that's that's what motivates velvet one. Anything else and Velvet was truly dedicated to two things. Velva was very, very, very conscious of being a black woman on

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television and that this was important to her and to the black community. She worked extremely hard in getting the industry and integrated both in a local level and at the national level, and AFTRA, where she worked at it. Velva always had two things. Really. I would

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characterize her. One is to be excellent in what she personally did and to a total commitment to advancing black black people. Now that's that's unusual for journalists. I mean, she was. She had an unusual role to play as a journalist because when she came in, black

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people, in fact minorities across the board really didn't have a presence that voice in broadcasting in the Bay Area. So here she is a journalist. She can't just come in and be sort of this overarching above it all. Objective journalist she she was. She had a

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different responsibility. I think she felt as a journalist, could you explain a little bit of that? Yeah. Belgium made life for herself very difficult because she said it enormous, highly high standard for herself that that in and of itself, that drives most people crazy. But she

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she did that in. In addition, she felt, because she was in the position she was in, she had an enormous responsibility to see that other people could do the same thing of of her race and and other minorities, but particularly and within the black within the

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black community. And she, uh, she dedicated herself to this. She believed, and still believes deeply that the main mission in her life is to do something for somebody else is to advance other people. And she felt very unselfish person. Very unselfish person. Um, what was good

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about working with dollars? Uh, the best thing about working with velvet is that she paid. She kept me sharp. I mean, she would push May were very much. The opposite is where Belleville is very driven. Keeps going on missions are I'm the time. Totally the opposite

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in personality. So Bella was always pretty good and sort of kicking me in the rear end. Said you go ahead and do this and you don't You know, you tell them you want to do this and you tell them you want to do that. Um, how

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do you feel about this change? Now? She's well, let me use the word retirement, But semi retirement isn't perhaps accurately, I've used that myself. Semi retirement. And how do you feel about this from your own personal standpoint, but also from the standpoint of viewers who aren't

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gonna have much Velva to go around here. Well, Bubba's retirement, the negative on it, is that the viewers lose Velva And Bella was an important voice, an important she was a good reporter and she was an important reporter. Have on. I think the best thing in

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the world is for Belvita retired. She knows I believe that, and I think she should have done it earlier than she is. And, uh, it's there's a time to go and Bell was reached it. She could go on and still be. Belvin should still should always

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be good, but she ought to get out. And I think it's great for her, and I'm not sure she thinks yet. It's great for her, but I think it iss mhm. Now. You know, we all hate to make mistakes. We're always trying to get the fax

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correct. Mm hmm. And that was no exception to that. Except if she made any mist ake a faux pas on the air, the wrong grammatical word and her hair was a certain way. She was looked at as a black woman. She was like that more harshly.

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There were people who wanted her to fail in the beginning, especially. So I guess my question is, what kind of pressure was that? Add to the normal pressure of being a journalist? Well, for Bella, aside from having the pressures you have in television, which is being

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on camera, having an appearance, being there, being competitive with other people who are doing this on trying to be successful in the field. She was also under the carrying burden of being a black woman, being black and being a woman, neither of which were common when

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she came in in 19 sixties. And so she felt she had to succeed. She had to succeed. She couldn't afford to fail when she just couldn't. And she didn't. But she pushed herself. I mean, she always has, and she's always pushed herself and would push me

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because then take care of. She took care of me, too. Um, Bell vis says about you. He taught me to make the most complicated political issues interesting to us. Sometimes dis interested electorate. She thinks she calls you her mentor. Well, uh, I think that I probably

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did because I felt that way I mean, I believed a deep sense of commitment to what I was doing it because I believed what what I was reporting was more important than me, how I was reporting. To me, television has always been just a vehicle to

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do what I wanted, which I like best, which was politics on I just. But I knew that politics needed to be explained what television audience you had to sort of grab the audience and say, Now listen to this story. This is what this guy's doing is

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important. This is what I'm about to tell you is important, and this is why it's important. And Velva understood that, because she and also I think, and so for that reason that it worked. And she also likes politics. Willie Brown says about Delva. She was never

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a fence he'd never exploitive. I suspect that every politician in the country, if they had to be interviewed by one person, they would choose Bell. Why is that? She's a softy or why why? Well, bell vis theories. I think I'm doing interviews the same, largely his

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mind, and that is we're not out to get you. We're not out for hard soundbites. We're not in your face interviewers we didn't believe and I still don't believe that That's the role I oughta play is a journalist. My role is to try and get the

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person I'm interviewing to express themselves and what they want to believe. What they believe in and what they want to say about a given subject is not my job there. T try and embarrass the person I'm interviewing. And so I didn't I never felt it was

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unnecessarily confrontational. Now, I had confrontational interviews at times, but that was by accident. But tell that same thing through Belle Voce Askew saw delve approach. Well, I think that that's first of all this Bell was nature not to be confrontational in that sense, the But don't

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you, as a journalist, don't you have to be? I mean, we're used to seeing that Sam Donaldson, Mr President, you know, hard hitting, trying to embarrass, trying to get you to say the headline sounds. Yeah, but I don't think No, I don't think you have to

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be. Walter Cronkite didn't do that. Uh, the most of the people on 60 minutes, Mike Wallace is one exception. He was he was the confrontational one. He was the guy that kicked in the door, walked in with a camera going and a microphone. But the others,

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the other thing who did the interviews on 60 Minutes didn't do that was kind of what was the key to Elvis style and effective. The key to barrel this style and effectiveness and just the personality of Elva. I mean, you liked her. And if you like

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somebody, you'll talk to them. And all of a sudden she could get people to say things and talk to her just because they trust her and they should. And she gets Justus Muchas if she went in there and shouted at him. War! In fact, um, Willie

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Brown on Cecil Williams both said she opened the world of television to communities of color in the Bay Area. She made sure we were included. Any comment on on their common? No, I think that Za given Okay, um, this is from my own point of view,

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having worked, she did more incidentally on, but in that sense, just not in the Bay Area. Bell, who became a member of the national board in a very important member of the National Board of the Union of AFTRA, and in that chief sat and demanded We're

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going to negotiations with the management of the television networks in the country demanding that more blacks beyond seen on television programs, dramatic shows. How come you never see a black in this dramatic show? How come you never see a person of color on this dramatic? How

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come there never any Hispanics on this show? You just never do them. And And she was, She plays. She forced that issue, too. I mean, she wasn't just doing, uh, wouldn't more blacks and news. I mean, she worked very, very hard to try and get to

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get minorities in on scene in non minority roles in television in general. Are you saying she was She was an activist for against stereotypes, for inclusion and against area? Oh, yes. All forms of inter. Absolutely. Oh, yes. Absolutely. Could you give that to me in a

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summary? Yeah, well, I would say the bell was one of Elvis greatest. Uh, I think attributes one of one of the things I would I would give it. The greatest credit for was their efforts to get blacks and Hispanics and Asians and all minorities into programs

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in non stereotype rolls and brought them into the broadcasting industry. Azaz just natural, really people. Uh, it's hard to do a story on somebody like Go, I tell you, you have a documentary. You can't story. Now I know from personal experience Bella could say something to

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me in a certain way. I was working with her. It was just my name. But it was the way she said it in my spot would straighten. And by golly, I knew this was seriously I better get it right. In other words, she had she had

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a power for all in that small, fragile package. She had a toughness and a power. And, as you say, a moral compass. Yeah, I told you what was right. What was wrong. And you should do it. Um, and Cecil. Andi, Willie both At first I said,

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No, no, no, no. And then yeah. Yeah, that's that's true. That phone call from Velva, you and you responded. So I guess my question is, here's this woman who, as you say, is so feminine, so polite, almost fragile. But what was underneath that I mean, that's

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Bell brilliant. In that sense. Okay, Belgium really was fragile and is, uh, she's not. She's not a tough, uh, She's not a tough woman in, In in in the way. She's tough in that. She's she's tough on herself. She had a goal. She knew what she

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wanted to do, and she would just and she would push and push and push and push to do that in the right way. But she's basically not a tough person. I don't think no other people may think she may think she is, but to me, uh,

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that's that's more of a offensive weapon. And then that a characteristic of of hers. Yeah, I just know if she was always courteous, but you just there was something in her voice when you knew that something was important. You had to get it right? Yeah. No,

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I did. She she intended to be a perfectionist. That was that was a weakness. I mean, nobody is a perfectionist, bill, but I think drove and asked too much of herself. And sometimes maybe somebody she was working with, I don't that I'm not sure of. But

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she she's always was searching for perfection. And I'd always have to try and try and calm her down on that, you know and say, Look, this is fine. You've got what you've got is good. Don't worry about it. Stop worrying. So again, I think this is

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my last question as a journalist. What kind of journalists was built? Oh, a za journalist. Velvet Davis was a four star. I mean, you can't do any better. I mean, she worked hard at it. She worked to get his contacts. She knew who she knew, who

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to talk to. She knew how to get in, to get to the people. She needed to talk Thio. And when she got to talk to talk to them, then she knew what to ask and how to get information. But always always looking for the story, the

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scene, the setting, the perfection, the writing thing that always bothered more than anything else was the writing that was the hardest thing for to do was just right on on. And she she really struggled with that. But the rest of it just came naturally and again.

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How do you personally feel about your took some 35 years with Balvin? there was a great experience. I mean, Greenwood village. I mean, it was it was wonderful. I mean, we were so I mean, we really so close. Our desks were together and practically next to

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each other all the time. So e way took each other, we could hear each other's phone calls. I mean, we knew everything. I mean, it was just it was just part of it. And we we sort of protected ourselves on each other. I think it was

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It was a marvelous experience. She taught me mawr, certainly about minorities that I never would have known in a lifetime Norm Velvet. And I think she may be a more human person part. Okay, Now, let me explain one other thing that we're doing it's a very

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simple thing and taste. So Alright, Bell, I'll tell you right now, baby, you ain't retiring. You're gonna find out that being retired, you're gonna work twice as hard as you are Now. You're just changing your jobs, that's all. Now you're gonna figure out what your job

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is gonna be, but you'll find it, and you're gonna be working 8, 10, 12 hours a day. I bet on that, okay? Yes, sir. I'm gonna get a wide shot too. And just meet me talking to you, okay? Andi, you're listening and you know you know

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the drill on and and again. I know it's short notice. Thank you for having me today. Uh huh. And that's it. I play.