Ric Romero
Ric Romero | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | San José State University |
| Occupation(s) | Newscaster, radio personality, flight attendant |
| Years active | 1977—2015 |
| Known for | Internet celebrity via Fark; consumer reporting |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | [1] |
Ric Romero was the consumer reporter for KABC, a television station in the U.S. city of Los Angeles. He retired on November 25, 2015.[1]
Romero was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Romero graduated from San José State University with a degree in Broadcasting and Business and a minor in Theatre Arts. During the 1970s, he was one of the first male flight attendants for Pan American Airlines, describing the travel and the job as "an experience we'll never forget."[2] Later, he was a professional performer until he accepted a position at KNTV-TV in San Jose, California in 1977. His first on-camera job came in 1982 as the host of PM Magazine at KUTV in Salt Lake City, Utah.[3] In 1985, he became an investigative reporter at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, from which he moved on to KABC.[3]
Romero anchored regular segments on the 5 pm and 11 pm newscasts, and his pieces were rebroadcast on the 11 am newscast. Romero's consumer work often focused on technology and the Internet, explaining concepts to "newbies" in simple language.
Internet notoriety
[edit]Romero became a FARK cliché in October 2005 after his article effusing about the phenomenon of blogging was posted to KABC's site, several years after blogs became widely popular.[4][5] Romero's name is usually attached to an article where he (or another author) reports on a fad or cultural phenomenon that has long since passed the point of being newsworthy, or is very obvious.
On December 7, 2009, Drew Curtis discovered Romero's Facebook fan page,[6] which led Ric to ask the Farkers who joined his new Facebook page to donate to the Spark of Love Toy Drive, which subsequently resulted in 582 online donations totaling $13,659.20 (as of December 16, 2009).[7] Romero thanked the Fark community on the news for their donations, and recognized his status as a Farkism, also reporting the "breaking news" that "Water is Wet."[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ric Romero retires after 25 years at ABC7". KABC-TV. November 25, 2015.
- ^ Romero, Ric (September 25, 2011). "Ric Romero recounts working as Pan Am flight attendant". KABC-TV. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ a b "Meet the Team: Ric Romero". KABC-TV. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ Rempel, Shauna. "Web Celebs." Toronto Star. June 27, 2006. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Romero, Ric. "Your Opinions Online." KABC-TV. October 18, 2006. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ "Ric Romero has a fan page on Facebook, it's woefully unpopulated. Please help and become a fan, this man is a legend -Drew". Fark. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Romero, Ric (December 16, 2009). "Donate Toys in Los Angeles – 17th Annual 'Spark of Love' Toy Drive". Facebook. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
- ^ Romero, Ric (December 11, 2009). "Ric Romero thanks FARK.com for Donations". KABC-TV. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2011.