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Bernard Waterman, owner of Waterman Broadcasting and a legend in Southwest Florida journalism, died this Sunday at his Sanibel Island home.
Known as Bernie, he and his wife, Edith, founded Waterman Broadcasting in 1956, about six years after he graduated from the University of Missouri. He purchased NBC2 (WBBH-TV) in 1978 and was known as a hands-on owner, mentoring the journalists who came through the station.
“He fostered a culture of real journalism and smart journalism that served as a springboard to journalists who have gone on to all kinds of big things all across America,” former NBC2 investigative reporter Mark Greenblatt told Gulfshore Business in 2014.
Waterman Broadcasting also operates ABC7 (WZNR) in Fort Myers and owns WVIR in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Watermans were also philanthropists, donating to the Mayo Clinic and helping establish the Bernard and Edith Waterman Center for Cancer Genetics.
Read more about Bernie Waterman in Gulfshore Business’s December 2014 cover story.