Longtime TV biz journalist Mendelson dies at 70

Alan Mendelson

Longtime KCAL 9 business reporter Alan Mendelson, best known for his “Best Buys” segments highlighting consumer deals on clothing, electronics and other items, which later became a standalone program, has died at age 70.

A story in the Los Angeles Daily News states, “Mendelson was a KCAL fixture for almost two decades, including much of the 90s, and was known there as the ‘money man.’ In the early 2000s, he moved to Las Vegas and started a television production, marketing and public relations firm while hosting infomercials and other media segments. He also appeared as a newscaster in the films ‘Gentleman B’ in 2000 and ‘False Colors’ in 2011.

“A founding member of the Economics News Broadcasters Association, Mendelson won Emmy, Janus and Golden Mic awards for his reporting.

“‘Alan was very smart, informative and knew everything about money —that’s why we called him the ‘money man,’’ former colleague and CBSLA anchor Pat Harvey told the station. ‘He was a very warm gentleman that provided laughs to me while on the set … Gone too soon.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.