Jim Wieder


Jim Wieder is an American former television and radio news anchor and reporter, chamber of commerce president, and business owner in Hayward, California. He is owner of the Hayward Ace Hardware and is active in the East Bay business community.

Broadcasting career

Wieder, born in New York City, is the son of Holocaust survivor immigrants from Budapest, Hungary. He started his broadcasting career in 1978 at WCJB-TV Gainesville, Florida as the weather anchor. In 1983, Wieder switched to news management as news director for WKFT-TV Raleigh/Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 1988, Wieder was anchoring the evening news at KMST-TV in Monterey, California. He joined San Francisco's KGO-TV in 1995, leaving them in 2005 after 11 years, including a stint as morning anchor. Wieder reported and anchored for KOVR-TV Sacramento from 1989 to 2005. From 2006 to 2008, Wieder reported for ABC NewsOne Los Angeles, the ABC Radio Network, and the Weather Channel. For more than a decade, Wieder was also a frequent fill in talk show host for KGO Radio Newstalk 810 in San Francisco. Wieder's reporting assignments included the Loma Prieta earthquake, the O. J. Simpson murder trial and the 1992 Los Angeles riots, where he arrived just over an hour after the verdict. Wieder also reported on the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks from New York. He reported from Kuwait during the Iraq War. Wieder's journalism awards include the Edward Murrow Award of the Overseas Press Club of America for reporting excellence during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Business career

In 2006, Wieder purchased the Ace Hardware, an historic building in downtown Hayward, California, near Hayward City Hall, after completing small business training at the Contra Costa County Small Business Development Council. In 2007, Wieder completed Ace Hardware Top Gun training for retailers and the property quickly earned Ace Vision 21 status for superior sales and customer service. In 2008, Hayward Ace was awarded an A+ rating from the Alameda County Better Business Bureau and was named Hayward Small Business of the Year by the Hayward City Council. In 2008, Wieder was appointed President and CEO of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce and retained that post until 2010. Wieder was on the Chabot College Foundation Board of Directors from 2008 to 2011.