What’s it like to give L.A. the weather for 40 years… and still slip out for a stand-up set between newscasts? For four decades, Fritz Coleman was more than just the weatherman on KNBC Channel 4 — he was part of the fabric of Los Angeles life. But behind the “weather words” were some surprising turns: his first TV job came while serving in the Navy during the Vietnam era, he nearly pursued a full-time career in stand-up comedy, and he’ll tell us why he could never get the same job today. In this episode, we hear how a kid from Pennsylvania became a local legend in Los Angeles, why he got bumped from The Tonight Show (twice), and how he managed to balance the nightly news with late-night comedy sets. Recorded at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, where Fritz still performs his one-man show, this conversation is part nostalgia trip, part career retrospective — and part comedy routine.
What’s it like to give L.A. the weather for 40 years… and still slip out for a stand-up set between newscasts?
For four decades, Fritz Coleman was more than just the weatherman on KNBC Channel 4 — he was part of the fabric of Los Angeles life. But behind the “weather words” were some surprising turns: his first TV job came while serving in the Navy during the Vietnam era, he nearly pursued a full-time career in stand-up comedy, and he’ll tell us why he could never get the same job today.
In this episode, we hear how a kid from Pennsylvania became a local legend in Los Angeles, why he got bumped from The Tonight Show (twice), and how he managed to balance the nightly news with late-night comedy sets.