FRED ZEHNDER, who spent the last 21 years making KTVU's

"The 10 O'Clock News" the best in the Bay Area, retired Friday, just as he always said he would, on his 65th birthday.

Under Zehnder's leadership, "The 10 O'Clock News" on Channel 2 got a well-earned reputation for no-nonsense reporting, fairness and thoroughness. Viewers responded by making the newscast "appointment television," the kind of loyalty that often gave KTVU enormous ratings numbers despite weak lead-in shows.

Zehnder's departure wasn't actually a surprise, since he'd talked about retiring and spending more time running his own newspaper, the San Leandro Times. But the announcement, right after Friday's "Mornings on 2," still sent the newsroom reeling.

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"I really hadn't told anyone," Zehnder said. "Kevin (O'Brien, the station's general manager) and I talked. My last day isn't until the 28th of May, but he thought I ought to make an announcement in case it got out. So I did it on my birthday."

"He's without question the greatest news journalist in this market by far," O'Brien said. "He's had the greatest impact on this station. The guy is truly an icon. Today's a sad day."

In many ways, Zehnder is the last of a rare breed in TV news, an old-fashioned, hard-nosed journalist shot through with integrity and grit.

"He's the Edward R. Murrow real deal," said anchor Leslie Griffith. "Fred's the most incredible boss you can have. He's real rare. He's a journalist in this world of television broadcasting."

Griffith recalls getting her first call from Zehnder back in 1986, when she was working for KSBW in Salinas. He was interested in bringing her to KTVU, but she'd never heard of him. Griffith made him spell his name slowly, then put him on hold and asked another reporter if he'd ever heard of Zehnder. The reporter said he'd been trying for years to meet with him.

"I carried that calendar page around for 10 years," Griffith said. "I kept every good note Fred ever sent me. He didn't pass out compliments very easily. They were very rare. You had to earn them."

Zehnder has worked in TV journalism for years, after getting his degree from Humboldt State. He was the broadcast director for the Army's information office in Fort Bliss, Texas, where his immediate superior was Sam Donaldson, the ABC News anchor and reporter.

Zehnder was the first news director for KVIQ in Eureka before coming to the Bay Area and working at KPIX Channel 5 for 11 years, beginning in 1962. There he did almost everything, including work as a cameraman, before becoming assistant news director. In 1976, he joined KTVU as assignment editor, then left a year later to be assistant news director at KGO Channel 7. But Zehnder wasn't gone long, returning to KTVU a year later to start his run as news director, where he won four Emmys and a slew of other awards.

He recalled his first meeting with the staff, where he was to lay down the blueprint for conduct that would guide the station to this day. "I told them to act as if their journalism teacher was in town and was over for dinner. And they could turn on the TV and say, "This is our newscast,' and feel proud about it."

Zehnder was characteristically selfless after his announcement, saying he was "not worried about KTVU at all - it's a very self-sufficient group of people." He said the station has been running on its own without much input from him.

Zehnder's retirement won't be spent golfing. In 1991, he started a weekly newspaper, the San Leandro Times. He'd meant to retire not long after that, but "the first few years weren't good for the paper. It was like dumping money down a hole."

Now the paper pays for itself "and a little more," so Zehnder is going to join his staff of eight as the publisher. "I can do some grunt work," he said. He's been laying out three pages a week and doing some typesetting even while working at KTVU.

His low-key approach at KTVU was disrupted with his announcement. "It's tough to talk to them today," Zehnder said. "I didn't want to get emotional. Everyone on the staff is a good friend."

No replacement for Zehnder has been announced. Griffith says she hopes the news director comes from KTVU so the person can continue "that Fred Zehnder brand of integrity journalism."

Griffith's wish will probably come true, because O'Brien said he was sure they would promote from within.<