Chet Casselman was born in Fresno and spent his childhood in the San Joaquin Valley and San Diego. His daughter would later recall that young Chet was smitten by radio at the age of 8 when he was taken to a live radio broadcast in Hollywood.
Casselman attended Fullerton Junior College and the Pasadena Radio Institute, where legendary performer Steve Allen was one of his instructors.
After working at radio stations in Bakersfield, Sacramento and Los Angeles, Casselman arrived at San Francisco powerhouse KSFO, where he would work from 1960 to 1975. Casselman worked for several years in Sacramento radio and television, returning to the Bay Area in the 1980’s to host The KCBS Nighttime Magazine.
Though he spent several years as KSFO’s News Director, Casselman is best remembered as the “straight man” reporting the news during Don Sherwood’s morning radio show on KSFO.
In addition to his radio work, Casselman appeared in advertisements, both on television and in print, including an appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Casselman served as national president of the Radio and Television News Directors Association. He was also the founder and president of its Northern California chapter and a member of the board of directors of Sigma Delta Chi, the national journalistic society. He was one of the founders of the broadcasters’ social organization Broadcast Legends.
Chet Casselman died in 2004 at the age of 78.