Chron culture writer Peter Hartlaub says Dennis Richmond ranks up there with two other classic Bay Area TV news anchors: Dave McElhatton (middle) and (Fred) Van Amburg (right). Richmond announced yesterday he will be retiring in May after 40 years at Channel 2.

“As much as Richmond was a unstoppable news reading machine, watching Dave McElhatton was like wrapping yourself in a warm news comforter, and then pouring yourself a big cup of news hot chocolate,” Hartlaub wrote. “Amburg was probably the most confident of the newscasters, and did more to shape the news anchor landscape than anyone else of the era.”

Hartlaub also has links to an Van Amburg tribute and the on-air obit of another great anchor, Jerry Jensen.