Spencer Christian
As a news junkie in my early childhood, I read the newspaper every day to get my politics fix and to satisfy my burning curiosity about the world. But I also liked a dash of humor in my news recipe, so I enjoyed watching legendary TV journalists like David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite, who often added a wink and a smile to an otherwise "hard news" broadcast.
In college during the late 1960s, my love of language and literature led me to major in English, while choosing to minor in journalism. I also played varsity baseball and had a Major League tryout in my junior year. It was clear, though, that my journalistic skills far exceeded my baseball talent; so I wisely followed my nose for news.
I began my career as a news reporter in 1971, at the NBC TV affiliate in Richmond, VA, just 25 miles from my childhood home. Aside from general assignment reporting and lighthearted features, my regular "beat" included state and local politics, the federal courts, and education. I could not have forecast then that weather would be my ticket to the big time. But, following a two-week stint "filling in" on weather, I became the station's main weatherperson; and by the mid-1970s, after a brief stop at the NBC station in Baltimore, I was on my way to WABC-TV in New York. Skies were looking sunny!
I spent 9 years at WABC, serving first as weatherman, then morning show host, and finally main sportscaster. During all of those years, I made frequent appearances on ABC's Good Morning America, filling in on weather and doing feature reports and interviews. In 1986, I joined GMA full time as weather forecaster, feature reporter, and co-host. Over the next 13 years, I not only travelled the world, but I also served as spokesperson for ABC's literacy campaign, wrote and published a series of children's books, and had the opportunity to indulge my passion for wine as the host of "Spencer Christian's Wine Cellar", which aired on HGTV and later on the Food Network from 1995 to 2000. More recently, in 2018, I released my memoir entitled "You Bet Your Life: How I Survived Jim Crow Racism, Hurricane Chasing, and Gambling."
After 22 years in New York, I heard the Bay Area and the wine country calling my name. ABC 7 has been my home since 1999, and I now get to test my forecasting skills for the Bay Area's micro-climates. In my time away from work, I enjoy visiting wineries, watching baseball (or just about any sport), working out at the gym, and doing community service. But my greatest joy is spending time with my son and daughter, Jason and Jessica--and more recently my grandsons, Noah and Zach.
Having been blessed with so many memorable career experiences, I find it difficult to name just a few, but here's a short list:
- Interviewing then-Senator Barack Obama just before he announced his candidacy for President
- Emceeing former President Jimmy Carter's 75th birthday celebration (1999) and his 95th (2019) in Americus, GA.
- Surviving and reporting from the Loma Prieta earthquake, while on World Series assignment for GMA in 1989
- Suiting up and playing baseball with the NY Yankees and NY Mets in their spring training camps
- Playing basketball against the Harlem Globetrotters at Madison Square Garden
Follow me on Twitter for quick weather updates. We can also talk wine and weather on Facebook. I'd love to hear from you.
Get Spencer's weather forecast every weekday at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on ABC7 News.
Spencer's Stories
Bay Area community members, lawmakers push for funding to restore tidal marsh to help with flooding
According to a report, San Francisco Bay could experience a foot of water in sea level rise by 2050 if high emissions continue which is leading to a push for major spending to control flooding in the Bay Area before that scenario plays out.
Whale protection network expanding beyond Bay Area to East Coast and Canada after 2 years
On the East Coast, the information could be critical for an endangered species known as the North Atlantic right whale, whose population has now dwindled down to the hundreds.
Marine heat wave deadly for starving humpback whales, study says
Humpback whales may put on a majestic show off our coast. But deep at sea, they've been falling prey to a changing ocean environment that could be a threat in the future.
Sea turtles followed with Stanford tracking device reach California coast, researchers say
When we first met a group of endangered loggerhead sea turtles last year, they were plunging into the Pacific, outfitted with satellite tracking devices.
TIMELINE: Atmospheric river brings heavy rain, strong winds with flood watch to Bay Area
Wednesday's atmospheric river is a level 3 storm with flooding likely as well as downed trees, and power outages. Here's what to expect.
TIMELINE: Strong level 3 storm Wednesday will bring heavy rain with flood watch for entire Bay Area
Wednesday night's atmospheric river has been upgraded to a level 3 with flooding likely as well as downed trees, and power outages. Here's what to expect.
Sea turtles may be using mysterious waterway to get from Japan to California coast: scientists
Why and how are some sea turtles peeling away from their usual path and heading for the coast of Mexico or California? It's a journey that should take them through waters that are normally too cold for their bodies. Here's what Stanford scientists hypothesize:
Stanford researchers propose string of small marine sanctuaries to combat climate change
As climate change forces more marine migration, Stanford researchers have identified areas off the coast of California and Mexico that might act as safe zones, many containing healthy kelp forests or other habitats.
Strategic management helps protect redwoods from future wildfires in Santa Cruz Mountains
Three years after the CZU wildfire that roared through the San Vicente Redwoods, you can go experience the changing landscape as forest management techniques are being used to help protect and regrow the area.
Climate change could be creating more turbulence on flights, research shows
Researchers believe the frequency of turbulence along North American flight routes could triple in the upcoming decades depending on climate change.