Ken Screven, a longtime reporter at CBS6-WRGB, died on Wednesday, following multiple health problems. He was in his early 70s.
Screven was the first Black man to be hired to report news in the Capital Region and started in 1976 at WROW radio. He eventually moved on to work at CBS6-WRGB, where he spent more than three decades before retiring as the Albany bureau chief in 2011.
Throughout his career, he became known for his baritone voice and for his reporting on human interest stories. Screven had a knack for reaching people even in the midst of a family tragedy or crisis and encouraging them to tell their stories.
He was awarded the Albany Damien Center “Hero Award” in 2020 in appreciation of his longtime advocacy for the region’s LGBT community.
“Ken Screven was a trailblazer and a gifted journalist and storyteller,” wrote Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan in a statement. “I always admired Ken’s work and was grateful to know him. His stoop in Center Square was a wonderful gathering spot and I always knew I would hear a great story if I stopped by to visit him. Ken will be deeply missed.”
The news of his passing comes after several years of health problems. After taking a fall at his Albany home in October, Screven went through months of treatment at Albany Medical Center and Fulton Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Gloversville. In February, a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $49,000 to help cover some of the medical bills.
Since the news of his death, many friends and supporters have taken to social media to post about the impact Screven had.
“Ken Screven was one of the most talented, gregarious, and thoughtful reporters in New York’s Capital Region,” wrote Joe Bonilla. “Ken was a fighter for social justice who did not want to be on the sidelines. As a reporter, you have to parse facts from fiction and in his retirement, he was no less as fierce or as driven in the causes he believed in.”
“Ken was not only a legend in journalism but in our region,” posted Susan Bardack, “He touched so many lives by just being Ken. When I was a young journalist I worked with him and he taught me so much, about life. He was so empathetic and cared deeply for others . . . He will be missed by many.”
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