Dave Ward hits 45 years at KTRK 13, wanting more

The Houston Chronicle's David Barron has a great piece on KTRK 13 anchor Dave Ward's 45th anniversary with the ABC owned and operated station. Ward is believed to be the longest tenured news anchor at a single station. Barron reports that at age 72, Ward is aiming to hit the 50 year mark at channel 13.

Another interesting aspect of Ward's career:

Bob Allen with Laura and Dave Ward

He moved to Channel 13 in 1966 as a reporter, much to his father's chagrin.

"He told me, 'Frankly, David, I think you're making a mistake. You've done very well in radio, and now you want to throw that away to work on television?' " Ward said. "The only thing I could tell him was, 'Dad, I feel good about this. I think it will work.' "

Ward's father eventually came around to the idea of television. He became something of a student of Nielsen ratings and was always proud to tell people his son was the lead anchor at Channel 13.

"Dad said to me one day, 'David, I've been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over Texas for all these years, and you speak to more people in one night that I've reached in my entire life,' " he said. "I told him, 'Dad, that's probably true, but the message is not the same.' " READ THE REST

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