Fran Schneidau, a longtime New Canaan resident known to generations of radio listeners as the Connecticut bureau chief of WCBS 880, died Tuesday night, according to CBS New York.
She was 79.
An iconic radio voice and legend among news reporters in the state, Schneidau worked at WCBS Newsradio for four decades, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Former New Canaan First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said he knew Schneidau’s voice from growing up in the area and got to know her on a professional level as selectman, working in emergency management with the Emergency Operations Center, and then in the town’s highest elected office.
“Just a real warm, caring professional,” Mallozzi told NewCanaanite.com. “She was the go-to reporter for WCBS, and I would see her at transit meetings I went to about Metro-North, really anything around Connecticut, especially southwestern Connecticut. She was knowledgeable about everything in Connecticut, and was just as nice and professional in person as she was on the air. I will miss her.”
She retired Feb. 3 of this year and Gov. Dannel Malloy declared in Fran Schneidau Day in an official proclamation. The governor’s statement noted that Schneidau “is recognized locally and statewide as a respected and honorable reporter” and that she “has displayed dedication and a lifelong commitment to the journalism profession”:
Today is officially Fran Schneidau Day in the State of #CT. We wish the legendary @wcbs880 reporter health and happiness in her retirement! pic.twitter.com/JMMm48Krtr
— Governor Dan Malloy (@GovMalloyOffice) February 3, 2017