Ronnie Fortner (October 12, 1941 – February 7, 2003) was an American

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and

television anchor A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

Early life

Fortner was born in

Poteau, Oklahoma Poteau ( ) is a city in, and county seat of, LeFlore County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 8,520 as of the 2010 census. History In 1719, Bernard de la Harpe led a group of French explorers through this area, and gave the river it ...

Career

Fortner spent more than thirty years as a broadcaster, working alongside veteran California

newscaster A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news broadcasting, news program on televisio ...

Michael Tuck Michael Tuck (born 24 June 1953) is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL). His 426 career games was a VFL ...

both in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Immediately after Fortner's death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

, Tuck took it upon himself to help raise

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

and support funds for his son, 13-year-old Blaise Alejandro Fortner.Story about Michael Tuck fundraiser at signonsandiego.com
/ref> According to Tuck, "Ron had hit on hard times over the past few years and I wanted to do something to help. He was a terrific guy, professionally and personally." Fortner's work in the San Diego TV market included stints at

XETV-TV XETV-TDT (channels 6 and 16) is a television station located in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, broadcasting programs from Canal 5 and NU9VE. Its terrestrial signal also covers the San Diego area across the Mexico–United States border. The ...

Channel 6 during that station's initial attempts at creating a news department. He later moved to

KNSD KNSD (channel 39, cable channel 7), branded on air as NBC 7 San Diego, is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, serving as the market's NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations d ...

-39 and had a

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

show during that time at

KSDO KSDO is a radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasts at 1130 KHz. The station is licensed for 10,000 watts of power from a directional antenna system, but has been operating since 2016 with 2,500 watts non-directional from a different sit ...

(AM). In the early 1970s he and Tuck anchored ''The Tuck and Fortner Report'' on San Francisco's

KTVU KTVU (channel 2) is a television station licensed to Oakland, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network through its Fox Television Stations division along ...

-2. Upon his move to

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, Fortner concentrated on radio as the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

host of ''The Ron Fortner Show'' originally carried on

KNWZ KNWZ (970 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Coachella, California. It simulcasts a news/talk format with sister stations 1140 KNWQ and 1250 KNWH. It is owned by Alpha Media. The studios are on North Gene Autry Trail (California ...

(AM). Poor ratings meant a move to KESQ (AM)

Palm Desert Palm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. The city is located in the Colorado Desert arm of the Sonoran Desert, about east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The populat ...

. After that station's sale, Fortner moved one final time to KGAM (AM) Palm Springs. While at KNWZ, Fortner was host of a national show bearing his name on the

Talk Radio Network Talk Radio Network (TRN) was an independent radio producer and Broadcast syndication, syndicator of news and talk radio programming headquartered in Central Point, Oregon. TRN consists of a number of associated companies, which have launched or ...

Personal

Ron was profiled on a number of media outlets about emerging rejuvenation clinics and therapy, it isn't clear if the testosterone injections contributed to his health issues or cancer growth.

References

1941 births 2003 deaths American talk radio hosts American television news anchors Deaths from cancer in California People from Poteau, Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-stub