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| John Treadgold in 1979 and present (Present photo credit Scott Myers) |
After 44 years, KPRC 2 photojournalist John Treadgold has retired. Oh the stories he must have! I caught up with Treadgold to get a glimpse of his expansive career.
Mike McGuff: What year did you start at KPRC and what was your first position?
John Treadgold: Started in 1976, as film courier and then as weekend overnight police beat working out of the old Police Station. We drove Mach 1 mustang cars and that is still the coolest car ever.
MM: What was it like working for the Hobby family back then?
JT: The Hobby family owned KPRC radio/TV and The Houston Post newspaper. They were very interested in political coverage; and we had city hall, Austin and Washington bureau and also covered lots of “beat systems”. Courts, crime, space, education all had dedicated reporters.
MM: Give me your thoughts on how the job of the photographer has changed throughout your career?
JT: When I started there was a 1 hour 6pm newscast and Ron Stone Scene at 5 which was more feature segments. A live broadcast took a long time and lots of people to set up. We had the first Instant News live truck which made it easier; but we can now go live with a little back pack. Today we have continuous coverage and often have multiple live camera coverage across the region.
MM: What are some of the big stories you covered that stand out to you?
JT: The biggest exclusive story I broke was the horrible Andrea Yates drowning of her children in their bathtub. I had the only video of her being arrested. This was covered in 2 books. "Breaking Point” by Suzy Spencer by Suzy Spencer and “Are you there alone” by Suzanne O’Malley.
MM: As someone who has covered many big events, how do you compare those to coronavirus?
JT: Covering Harvey was more physically demanding and keeping gear operating was harder, but you could see the threat and try to avoid danger. The Virus is invisible and has killed over 1,500 in the US alone so far.
MM: Anything else you want to add?
JT: From shooting silent 16mm film to instant live video I am thankful for these years of covering the small and large events of our city.
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