The longtime KTRK reporter Dave Ward died on Saturday at the age of 86. For more than 50 years, Ward's steady presence on Houston TV news made him famous. It was Ward's Guinness World Record to have worked at the same TV station in the same market for the longest time.
.jpg)
Dave Ward, an 86-year-old veteran TV newscaster in Houston, died on Saturday. After 50 years as an anchor, KTRK said he was one of the most recognized voices in Texas radio and TV.
With Ward's death, a big story in Houston TV news comes to an end. His opening line, "Good evening, friends," has become a part of many people's regular news and civic memory.
Ward began his career in Houston in 1966 at KTRK, which is now ABC13. He worked there until he retired in 2017. He has been the host of the station's popular news shows at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. since 1968, making him a media icon in Houston.
It is true that "No television news anchor has been associated with one station for a longer period of time than Dave Ward." In June 2016, Ward was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the TV newscaster who had worked in the same area the longest. He was 77 years old.
Ward was born in Dallas on May 6, 1939. He grew up in Huntsville, where his father was pastor of the First Baptist Church. He found his love for media at Tyler Junior College and began working in radio instead of TV. Before coming to Waco, Ward worked as a DJ at KGKB in Tyler.
He has lived in Houston since 1962.
Ward wrote about many important events in Houston and American history, such as the space program, the Vietnam and Middle East wars, and the "Luv Ya Blue" rise of the Houston Oilers. During his time, he talked to five U.S. presidents.
Ward's autobiography, "Good Evening Friends," came out in 2019. It was named after the phrase that made him famous in southeast Texas.
People who worked with and watched Ward said that he gave local news credibility, warmth, and consistency, even though the media and the community he covered went through significant changes.
ABC13 told people about Ward's death on Saturday night. No information is available about the funeral plans.
A lot of people in Houston saw Ward as more than just a newscaster. He told the city's story every night for almost 50 years, through wins, losses, and changes.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)