You can’t be a good writer if you’re not a good reader. What advice would you give to new reporters?ĭH: Learn it all-shoot, write, edit, produce, report, read. Red McCombs told me the key to success long-term is to never stop learning. Mostly I just want to continue doing what we do well: Spurs, Cowboys, high school sports. Wimbledon would be on my bucket list, but we don’t really cover that. I’ve met Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, it’s been way beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve done everything I’ve ever wanted to do-Super Bowls, World Series, All-Star games. I’m really proud of the kids who were here and are now working as sportscasters in other markets. I’ve been approved to go a couple of times and for different reasons I haven’t been able to go in the end, but I’d love to do that.ĭH: One of the things I really enjoy doing is growing young talent and mentorship. RB: There are always still things I want to do. Did you know there’s a nudist “resort” southeast of San Antonio? You hit 30 years in 2019, but you’re not going anywhere. Then there are the weird stories and the history. I still keep in touch with a family whose mom was shot in a random, stupid drive-by and I was able to kind of tell how that shooting impacted everyone, from the victim’s kids to the shooter’s family. But, also just the positive stories and the people stories I’ve been able to tell here in San Antonio. That’s probably one of the most memorable. Obviously going to Iraq with people from here at Wilford Hall. He’s completely paralyzed and he’s just a real inspiration. Eddie Moreno, an Alamo Heights basketball player who was shot randomly in a drive-by while he was in the drive-thru at McDonald’s-his courage is just amazing. What have been some of your favorite stories?ĭH: You know, that first Spurs championship in 1999, we had the games on NBC so we did an hour of pre-game and post-game coverage and we were on air until like 3 o’clock in the morning, and Beamer was live on the River Walk being drenched in beer by fans.ĭH: Those are the highs, but there have also been a few tragic stories where I’ve enjoyed getting to know-and have been inspired by-the subjects. I’ve done stories in Mexico and South America and because of the military here I’ve gotten to do stories in Iraq and Sri Lanka. We cover from Del Rio to Gonzales up to Austin and down to Laredo. There are so many different things to report on.
People who leave and come back here sometimes appreciate it more. I had the opportunity to go to Denver after that and I loved it, but it wasn’t San Antonio. I came here initially for a job at a different station. Also, I grew up here and know the sports and have been able to develop real valuable relationships with coaches and administrators and nonprofits and athletes. This is home, and after a while you never want to leave. My parents live here, my wife’s parents live here. “It’s about your ability to get someone to open up and tell their story or to find out something fascinating and tell it in the best way you can.” What’s kept you here in San Antonio?ĭH: When people get into this business, their goal is usually to be on ESPN, but my priorities changed. “It’s not about you,” says Beamer, adding that he’s ready to put the accolades that came with celebrating 30 years behind them. Since then, the two have collectively told stories around the world and interviewed renowned athletes, leaders and locals whose stories they say continue to touch them today. In just a few years, Beamer was promoted to anchor and Harris followed. “Oh,” responds Beamer, cocking his head toward Harris before agreeing that things really have changed that much. “That was back when the newsroom was full of cigarette smoke and typewriters,” Harris says. Harris, now an Emmy-winning sports anchor and director, had just accepted an internship making $6 an hour. Murrow-award-winning journalist, had just returned to San Antonio as a reporter following a stint with a station in Denver.
When the two began at WOAI in 1989, Beamer, now an Emmy- and Edward R. “No matter the platform-Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or TV-storytelling is always going to be important and necessary and wanted by the public,” says Harris, a San Antonio native. The technology, newsroom and stories may have changed over the last 30 years, but WOAI anchors Randy Beamer and Don Harris say the art of storytelling remains.
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