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Television presenter Joel Bartlett, who served as a meteorologist for more than three decades for KPIX in San Francisco, has passed away.
The 81-year-old died on the evening of March 31 at his Sonoma County ranch. As per George Lang, a family friend who used to work with the veteran reporter, Bartlett died before 11:00 PM at his residence, surrounded by his wife, family, and all his animals.
Mayor London Breed recently presented Bartlett with an official city of San Francisco proclamation in honor of his many years as one of the Bay Area's most popular television personalities.
Brief information about Joel Bartlett
Bartlett worked at KPIX from 1974 until 1989, when he joined KGO-TV. The San Francisco television veteran remained there until 2006, when he retired after 31 years of working in the industry. In 2003, he was inducted into the Silver Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Born in February 1941, Joel Bartlett was raised in Arlington, Virginia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech University in 1962. He later joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and then the US Air Force, where he was eventually commissioned as a second lieutenant.
His higher officers advised him to become a weatherman when he was in the Air Force. They were looking for someone who had a background in math and science, which Bartlett possessed. He quickly discovered how passionate he was about meteorology. He then decided to travel to the west coast in the late 1960s.
In 1968, he accepted a position as a staff meteorologist with PG&E in San Francisco. After six years, he was given a weekend meteorology position at KPIX.
The KPIX Eyewitness News crew, which included anchors Dave McElhatton, Wendy Tokuda, sportscaster Wayne Walker, and Bartlett, was the team to watch during the 1980s. KPIX's Eyewitness News became the most-watched newscast in the Bay Area in 1982.
While speaking with Off Camera in 2012, Joel Bartlett explained:
“We had a big weather map, and I’d write the temperatures on that map with a big Magic Marker pen. While doing the weather, I started flipping the Magic Marker in the air. I started doing it occasionally, then I started doing it every night, when it was appropriate. I’d then tell viewers to ‘go out and make it a great day.’”
When Bartlett joined KGO-TV in 1989, he formed "The Naturalists" with veteran KGO-TV meteorologist Pete Giddings and the rest of the station's weather crew. Each submitted news pieces regarding ecology, nature, and the environment, in addition to weather reports.
After retiring in 2006, Joel Bartlett devoted his time to assisting local charities in the North Bay.
