Wiegand was born in
Rochester, New York, where he graduated from
Irondequoit High School in 1965. He earned a BA in English and an MA in journalism from
American University in Washington, D.C., in 1969 and 1973. In the 1970s, he worked at a number of local newspapers in Massachusetts, all now part of the
Wicked Local media group. In 1979, he resigned as editor of the
Amesbury News to run the office of
State Representative Nick Costello, while continuing to write television criticism and other arts articles for North Shore Weeklies. He left the State House after about a year and became editor of the
Cambridge Chronicle, then after almost ten years, managing editor of the chain, Dole Newspapers. After moving to
San Francisco in 1992, Wiegand became a temporary copyeditor on the "Datebook" section of the
San Francisco Chronicle; in 1995 he became entertainment editor, overseeing the section) and in 2006 executive features editor, with the title of assistant managing editor. He was found dead of natural causes at his home on May 1, 2018, after last being seen at a performance of
Tony Kushner's
Angels in America on April 28. His faithful dog, Angus, was with him. ==Awards==