SAN DIEGO -- Bob Dale, a longtime fixture on San Diego television known for his bow ties and folksy humor, died this week at the age of 83.

Dale spent more than 40 years on the local airwaves in a variety of jobs, from weatherman to afternoon movie show host, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Shows he worked on included a half-hour national series filmed at The San Diego Zoo called "Zoorama" in the early 1960s, and later on, "Pet Parade," a reoccurring television segment in which Dale worked with the humane society.

Colleagues said Dale had a knack for connecting with his audience and looked into the camera lens as though he was talking to a single person.

"He had the ability to make people feel like he was speaking directly to them," former television reporter Cathy Clark told the newspaper. "He made anyone he was interviewing feel important, and he made the viewers feel important."

Clark worked with Dale at channels 39 and 8.

Dale had been absent from local airwaves for the past seven years, the Union-Tribune reported, adding that he had been in poor health and died at San Diego Hospice Monday. He reportedly wanted no funeral service, according to the newspaper.