During his television career he worked as a reporter, weekend anchorman and as the East Bay Bureau Chief. Over the years he earned a number of awards including: the Jane Harrah award of the San Francisco Lawyers Guild, the Edward McQuade Award given by the Catholic Newsmen, The Broadcast Media award from San Francisco State University, the San Francisco Press Club award (twice), two Emmys, the National Assn of Black Journalists Award, the Society of Professional Journlists award and there were a number of citations and awards from civic organizations for work that he has done in the community. Ben is also a Silver Circle Inductee, Class of 2000, of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Northern California). He has also been a lecturer in Journalism for ten years at San Francisco State University.

Ben covered many big memorable stories, but the ones that come quickly to mind are the assassination of Bobby Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968. We got into the bloodied kitchen as they were taking Kennedy out, did live shots from the hospital while waiting for the announcement that Kennedy was dead, went to the home of Sirhan Sirhan the next day and to his job to do a profile on him; the attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford by Sarah Jane Moore in San Francisco and the story of Juan Corona the infamous serial killer of 27 men whose bodies were buried in a peach orchard near Yuba City. He also covered the two trials that followed his arrest.

Ben & his wife Vivian live in Oakland and have been married for 45 years and have three sons Ben Jr., Gregory and Alan.