Posted by chicagomedia.org on August 04, 2009 at 10:02:47:
Harry's back on CBS 2
Broadcast journalist Porterfield returns to WBBM as a co-anchor.
August 4, 2009
By Bob Kostanczuk, Post-Tribune staff writer
At 80, Harry Porterfield is in no mood to retire.
So the venerable newsman -- a longtime resident of Gary's Miller section -- is taking a co-anchor job on Chicago's CBS 2 News at 11 a.m., beginning Monday.
Porterfield, who turns 81 Aug. 29, said his contract was not renewed by his previous television employer, Chicago's WLS-TV (Channel 7).
After 24 years there as a broadcast journalist, Porterfield signed off from the ABC station on Thursday.
"And there I was, needing a job," Porterfield said in a Monday phone interview.
Rather than play the role of an august retiree, Porterfield has returned to WBBM-TV (Channel 2), where he started as a news writer in 1964, and became a 6 p.m. anchor before leaving for WLS-TV in 1985. The winner of 11 Chicago Emmy Awards feels the news business has not passed him by -- and explained why he chooses to continue.
"Well, for one reason, I can do it, and the second reason is I like doing it and I feel that I'm hitting my zenith at what I do," Porterfield said.
During his prior -- and lengthy -- stint at Channel 2 in Chicago, Porterfield, in 1977, created the franchise "Someone You Should Know," a beloved string of profiles designed to highlight "everyday people" who make a difference.
He's continuing the series in his new go-around at CBS 2.
"I've been writing and producing 'Someone You Should Know' for about 30 years, and you know what? I'm getting better at it all the time," Porterfield assured. "I find even more interesting people every year. It's the kind of thing I just want to keep doing because it's stimulating and it's fun -- and some of these folks really inspire me."
In addition to his weekday duties as a half-hour co-anchor at CBS 2 Chicago, Porterfield also will serve as a news reporter for station broadcasts.
"Harry has a storied relationship with viewers in Chicago," CBS 2 News Director Jeff Kiernan said in a statement. "It is both meaningful and important that the relationship continue."
Porterfield, who is married and has four children, launched his broadcast career in 1955 as a jazz and gospel radio disc jockey in Saginaw, Mich.
A native of Saginaw, Porterfield has lived in Gary, near Lake Michigan, for several decades.
"I like the Miller area -- like the neighborhood," he said. "I don't live on the lake, but I live close enough to it so I can appreciate its presence."
In television, Porterfield has also worked as a stagehand and cameraman.