More Jim Pitcock

I have often written about Jim Pitcock on this blog. If you are a newcomer I suggest going to the top left and search "Jim Pitcock" on this blog. I was cleaning out my yahoo mailbox which had over 9000 undeleted emails. It went back to the year 2000, long before this blog was started. I found an article on Pitcock, which does a fine job except there is no mention of why he moved to Little Rock in the first place. It was KAAY. With that said, enjoy a bit of history:

Friday, May 04, 2001

The online home of the Northwest Arkansas Times

Veteran TV newsman Jim Pitcock wins Ernie Deane Award

Column by Maylon T. Rice

I can still see the tall, gangly guy with the crew cut and
his signature
black glasses setting up a television interview in the
mid-1960s. His
signature voice rapidly delivering a breaking news story in
a no-nonsense
style was riveting.

It was Jim Pitcock interviewing politicians on a hot, June
morning -- his
signature white short-sleeved shirt and Navy blue string
tie already wilting
under the Southeast Arkansas humidity. Often, he shot his
own film with a
bulky hand-held, wind-up camera.

In interviews, he was patient, kind and thoughtful, and he
always got the
story -- the full, balanced story.

But while Pitcock could be smooth and sweet, he was also
tough, fair and
always evenhanded in his coverage.

Today, generations of Arkansans can simply close their eyes
and hear
Pitcock's voice and immediately recall news story after
news story he has
covered in his more than three decades on television.

Pitcock is a methodical perfectionist. His professionalism
and willingness
to mentor those just breaking into the ever changing news
business are
legendary. Pitcock has helped more young news hounds
fulfill their
aspirations with a kind, firm hand.

All these things and more were said Friday night at the
University of
Arkansas' annual Walter J. Lempke Journalism Days ceremony,
but what may
have been glossed over at "J Days" was that Pitcock has
always been a ground
breaker.

He was rightfully the state's first television newsperson
to be awarded the
Ernie Deane Award for his life's work. In a news release
announcing the
award, Pitcock was ever the astute, shy gentleman, praising
the former
recipients of the Deane award -- all print journalists --
and solemnly
remembering the late Ernie Deane.

The originator of the popular Arkansas Traveler column in
the Arkansas
Gazette in 1956, Deane is best remembered locally as a
journalism professor
at the UA and a fervent supporter for preserving Old Main
when the landmark
was in peril of being torn down.

To generations of Arkansans who saw television become a
dominant news
source, Pitcock defined professionalism. A native of Fort
Smith, he signed
on in 1964 with the news department of KATV Channel 7 in
Little Rock-Pine
Bluff. Less than two years later, he was, as they say,
running the place --
named the ABC affiliate's news director.

Still, on occasions over the next two decades, Pitcock
could still be seen
covering assignments or taking his place behind the news
desk anchoring the
6 or 10 p.m. newscasts. Few people could outwork him. His
work ethic is
legendary.

Pitcock has an endless index of sources, friends,
politicians and everyday
folks at his disposal. Another hallmark of his career has
been that he knows
every nook and cranny, every hill and valley and wide spot
in the middle of
the road in this state. He instinctively knows how long it
takes to get to
the scene, and he knows a good days work when one is turned
in. He's often
called those of us in the print media with kudos about
hard-hitting pieces.

As a chronicler of Arkansas events, Pitcock helped create
the vast KATV
video archives, which now house almost 16,000 hours of
tape, all
computerized for rapid access.

Now in semi-retirement, Pitcock helped coordinate the major
network's
coverage of the Paula Jones trial in Little Rock and has
also dabbled in
some political races.

Begun in 1993, the Deane Award has honored Bob McCord,
Swampy Graves and Ray
Kimball, Richard Allin, Bob Douglas, George Fisher, Betty
and Cone Magie,
Ernie Dumas and J.E. Dunlap. Pitcock fits well within that
company of
journalistic legends.

But most of all, he has fought back against a serious
illness to remain
among us. A few years ago, a brain tumor sidelined Pitcock,
but today he's
in good health.

The Ernie Deane Award for valor in journalism recognizes
Arkansas
journalists or writers whose work best exemplifies the
spirit, style and
courage of its namesake.

Pitcock fits that mold. Congratulations Jim.

Maylon T. Rice is a features writer for the Times and has
known Pitcock for
decades. He can be reached at maylonr@nwarktimes.com.