To Bob Butler, Giving Back Is All In a Day’s Work

When the coronavirus pandemic swept the country, countless people stepped up to help in countless ways. Veteran KCBS-Radio reporter Bob Butler is one of them. After shopping for essentials, he makes sure they get to the right places. The thanks he gets are his reward.

By Don Sanchez

When he begins his day, veteran KCBS Radio reporter Bob Butler checks overnight stories, calls the assignment desk, and fills out his shopping list for Costco. With that last gesture, he could be saving lives.

“When the governor told people 65 and older they had to shelter in place, I thought a lot of these people are going to need food, medicine, and essentials,” he says.

So, he decided to help out by picking up the items — without charging anything for the delivery. He starts early each day, lining up at Costco before they open. Some items go quickly from the shelves.

He’s made as many as 37 deliveries in one day — everything from soups to cleaning wipes and, of course, toilet paper. Not to just people who must self-isolate, but also people in the medical profession and first responders working in this virus-challenged time.

He’s contacted people in his East Contra County neighborhood through the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program.

“I’m not doing this for any recognition. I just wanted to make a difference,” Butler says. “The reward is the thanks I get, and especially hand-drawn cards from little kids.”

Bob Butler on a Costco run.

Butler has been with KCBS since 1981, and other radio stations before that. He became a reporter after a career in the Navy.

Butler has time for this giving effort since he has cut back on his hours at KCBS. But that time is just what he needs for his many commitments to making a difference in people’s lives:

  • He mentors students who want a career in broadcasting.
  • He is a past president of NABJ, the National Association of Black Journalists.
  • And he’s the National Vice President-Broadcasting of SAG-AFTRA.

Bob Butler is not done yet. He’s started training to be a census taker. And when that is finished, who knows what he’ll do next?

His family and fellow workers are proud of what he is doing.

Broadcast Hall of Fame committee, are you listening? (That’s an editorial pitch from me … DS)

Don Sanchez was a reporter, sports reporter, news anchor, and talk show host at KGO-TV for 40 years. He is a five-time Emmy award winner, a member of Broadcast Legends and the Silver Circle, an honorary society established by the SF chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.