Not Easily Retired   

Jess Marlow, a 42-year news veteran, is a well-known and respected face in the Los Angeles area. "Everybody in Southern California knows who Jess Marlow is," says KCET-TV's Al Corral. And at age 71, Marlow, who opted to semi-retire in 1998, has decided to come back to television news.

In late January, Marlow debuted on KCET's "Life & Times Tonight," a news and public affairs show that won 10 of Southern California's Golden Mike Awards in 2000. "He's a dream," says Corral, news director of "Life & Times Tonight."

"I'd always been very fond of KCET," Marlow says of the PBS station. "This was an opportunity to do a little payback." He adds that the show, which airs five nights a week, is taped on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Working two days per week makes him feel like he is still semi-retired.

Marlow says he enjoys working with an issues-oriented broadcast and being able to devote seven or eight minutes to one story, something he was not able to do during the 27 years he spent as an anchor, reporter and commentator at L.A.'s KNBC.

Val Zavala, Marlow's coanchor and vice president of news and public affairs for KCET, has a glowing opinion of her new teammate. "He's a gem," she says. "He is a complete professional but also a really warm person. I can't believe he spent all of this time in local news, because he is so calm and relaxed."

Marlow is equally admiring of his new coworkers. "They like what they're doing and are proud of the product," he says.