Atlanta is saying goodbye to one of its true TV legends.
Veteran news anchor Wes Sarginson, a familiar and trusted face on local television for more than four decades, has died at 82 following a battle with esophageal cancer. He passed away on February 4, leaving behind a legacy that helped define broadcast journalism in the South.
Sarginson became a household name through his work at WSB-TV and 11Alive, where he didn’t just sit behind the desk — he chased stories, wrote scripts, and delivered the news with a steady authority viewers came to rely on.
Colleagues say Sarginson was a rare breed. He anchored the 6 p.m. broadcast, headed back into the field to report another story, then returned in time for the 11 p.m. news — all in a single day.
“He was that industrial-strength breed of TV news anchor who could out-reporter reporters, outwrite writers and out-storytell storytellers,” former 11Alive reporter Keith Whitney told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was one of the last of his class. A master class. We won’t see news giants like him again.”
Long before Atlanta, Sarginson’s career was already making history. As a young reporter at WKAB-TV, he interviewed Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march — a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.
From there, he worked in major markets including Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Detroit before landing at WSB-TV in 1978.
One of the most memorable chapters of his career came when he co-anchored Action News alongside Monica Pearson. The pair became a powerful presence on Atlanta television.
“He was one of the hardest working people I know,” Pearson said. “He was a good ol’ boy but smart as a whip. He loved to write. And he was really a people person.”
After leaving Atlanta in 1984 and returning to Washington, Sarginson later resurfaced at WFLA-TV in Tampa in 1988. It was there that he launched what would become one of his most beloved contributions to journalism: “Wes Side Stories.”
The short human-interest segments spotlighted people in need — and they didn’t just tug at heartstrings. They delivered results.
One segment alone helped raise $76,000 for a child’s organ transplant.
Sarginson eventually returned to Atlanta in 1997, joining 11Alive as a morning anchor before moving to the evening desk alongside Brenda Wood. While he covered major events like the 1998 Hall County tornadoes, the Heritage High School shooting, and the 2006 Winter Olympics, it was his community-focused storytelling that he cherished most.
Over the course of his career, Sarginson earned eight Emmy Awards, five United Press International honors, and seven Associated Press awards — a reflection of both his talent and relentless work ethic.
Even after retiring from anchoring in 2007, he continued producing “Wes Side Stories” under contract until 2008.
Beyond the newsroom lights, Sarginson was a husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Ann, his children Todd and Jennifer, and three grandchildren.
For generations of Atlanta viewers, Wes Sarginson wasn’t just delivering the news — he was part of their nightly routine. And in a world where anchors come and go, his steady presence will be deeply missed.
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