Santa Barbara lost one of its shining lights on Tuesday night, July 7, when Debby Davison lost her long, valiant battle with cancer. Davison was the face of Santa Barbara’s television station KEYT for nearly two decades, and she will long be remembered for her professionalism, elegance, and grace under pressure.
Debby was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1950. She got her start in the news business in Florida, eventually heading west to become the first co-anchor for the legendary Hal Fishman in Los Angeles at KTLA. She then worked in Tucson but was recruited by KEYT station owner Bob Smith to come to Santa Barbara. Here she worked as a main anchor for 16 years, retiring in 2006.
Her first big news story broke about two weeks after she arrived in Santa Barbara, the 1990 Paint Fire. Her calm on-air presence during those tragic hours reassured Santa Barbarans and established an immediate confidence in KEYT’s broadcast. She mentored many of the people she worked with over the years, making them better newspeople and often sending them on to bigger markets. And, most of all, viewers trusted and respected her.
