After nearly 30 years, KLTV 7 Tyler's Longview Bureau chief Bob Hallmark retired on August 21, 2025.
In fact, Gregg County Judge Bill Stoud declared the date as Bob Hallmark Day.
Raised in Aldine, Texas, he joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 before attending Chapman University in California. Before settling in East Texas, he worked as network director for the Houston Astros, network producer for the Houston Aeros, and at radio and television stations in Boise, Idaho.
However, Hallmark’s career in television began almost by accident.
“I was working for Major League Baseball when a guy came up to me from Fox Southwest, which was cable at that time," Hallmark remembered. "And, he said, ‘We need somebody to shoot a football game for us.’ I said, ‘I don’t know how to do that. I’ve never used a camera in my life.’ And, he said, ‘Give me five minutes.’ And, that’s how it started. That’s how I got into television. I got a five-minute lesson on a camera, and the next thing you know, I’m working at television stations."
That journey led him to KLTV in 1998, where he started as a morning show producer.
“The first day on the job, they actually introduced me, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s your anchor, Joan Hallmark.’ I went, ‘Oh, Hallmark? Really?” he said.
It turns out, after some investigation, Hallmark learned that he and Joan’s husband were distant cousins.
In 2000, Bob briefly left KLTV to return to radio, but returned to KLTV as a Longview newsroom reporter.
News Director Kenny Boles encouraged Hallmark to loosen up on the air. Once he did, strangers approached him as if he were an old friend, which led him to weave humor into some of his reports.
As technology evolved with smaller cameras, Hallmark embraced it, often shooting and producing stories by himself.
Though stepping away from the daily grind, Hallmark has agreed to contribute the occasional story. Mostly, he’s looking forward to spending more time with his wife and enjoying life on their farm.
