LOS ANGELES - Longtime consumer journalist David Horowitz has died at age 81, his wife told NBC4.

Horowitz was best known for his Emmy-winning TV program "Fight Back! With David Horowitz" that investigated defective products, advertised claims and confronted companies with customer complaints.

The show debuted on KNBC under the name "California Byline," and Horowitz was a celebrated member of the NBC team for two decades.

"I don't consider myself a consumer advocate," Horowitz told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. "If you're on television you have to really be broadcasting in the public interest... but you also have to be objective.

"Yes, you can do a commentary and advocate certain issues if you feel that way, but I do a lot of stories where the consumer's wrong -- where they're trying to rip off companies, too. I have to really walk that fine line in terms of being fair about something."

Horowitz started out at newspapers and television stations in the Midwest. He became a writer for NBC's "Huntley-Brinkley Report" and held several other positions with the network before joining KNBC in 1973 as its consumer reporter.

His closing line for each consumer advocate report, "Stay aware and informed, Fight Back, and don't let anyone rip you off!"

Story Date: February 23, 2019