Remembering a legend - tributes from the world of broadcasting for journalist Ken Rees
Presenters, newsreaders and colleagues from the world of television, both local and national, have been remembering Ken Rees, who has died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 76.
HTV faces Bob Crampton, Richard Wyatt and Sherrie Eugene are among those who have shared memories of their former Head of News.
Watch Kylie Pentelow pay tribute to the much-respected reporter and Head of News at HTV
Ken Rees was a well-known face on HTV. He was born in Cardiff and started work at Harlech Television in 1967, later joining the reporting team at the company's Bristol studios.
His friend and former colleague Stan Hazell said: "Ken proved a natural communicator, full of enthusiasm, able to handle hard news but also the off-beat and whimsical with a sense of fun and mischief."
This is illustrated in this 1971 report for HTV West about a craze that was all the rage at the time.
'Clackers' or 'K-nockers', as Ken called them, were later banned and remain so to this day!
Stan also remembers Ken's piece about the bulldozing of houses near the studios for a new road that never happened - which featured his characteristic humour.
This Report West clip from 1977 features the Tottering Totterdown story a few minutes in - and Ken reading the news headlines later on:
Richard Wyatt, who was presenting the programme on that day in 1977, remembers Ken as a giant of a man, in every sense of the word.
Ken Rees's abilities were spotted by national news. In 1978 he became ITN's Northern Correspondent where he covered the Yorkshire Ripper trial. He also reported on international stories - notably the Falklands when he nearly got killed by an angry Argentinian crowd and the funeral of Indira Gandhi.
Ken won another promotion in 1985 - to one of the most prestigious roles in broadcast news, that of ITN's Washington Correspondent. Ken's reporting won him a hugely coveted RTS Award and he was even featured on News at Ten.
In 1991, Ken returned to his first newsroom, HTV in Bristol, as Head of News and Current Affairs. As well as managing the news team, he also kept up his work in front of the camera covering occasional news stories and fronting the regional current affairs programme, The West This Week.
Former ITV West Country weatherman, Bob Crampton, remembers Ken's return to the HTV newsroom in Bristol.
Sherrie Eugene-Hart, who started her career at HTV as a young sign language interpreter and went on to present the local news, really appreciated Ken's input as Head of News and Current Affairs.
During Ken's leadership of the HTV West news team, the company launched an ambitious scheme to become the first TV station in the world to have a fully computerised news operation. There were some 'anxious moments' but the digital newsroom became a reality in 1997.
On leaving HTV in 1997, Ken joined a local financial public relations firm, Winningtons, and also ran media skills courses and training for young journalists.
Later, in retirement, Ken travelled the world on cruise ships, with his wife Lynne, giving talks on his career. His travelling was cut short when a cancer diagnosed ten years earlier returned.
He died at his home in Monmouthshire and is survived by his wife, son Christian and daughter Samantha.
Ken's funeral will be held at Glyntaff Crematorium in Pontypridd on Tuesday 9 June at 1.30 pm. The service will be family only because of coronavirus restrictions but will be livestreamed.
The family would welcome donations for Rainbows4Children, a charity close to Ken and Lynne's hearts.
Here are some tributes to Ken from the world of broadcasting