After 32 years working at KATV Channel 7 in Little Rock, Harding alumnus Tim Hamilton has returned to the university this fall to take on a newly created position in the department of communication as multimedia producer.
Hamilton will focus on Harding sports production — overseeing the coverage of games, staffing and helping expand sports programming for TV16.
“I think [TV16’s] vision is just a matter of taking the programming of Harding sports kind of to a new level, just doing more games, using more cameras at a game, working in graphics, … more instant replay capability during the games,” Hamilton said. “It’s like taking it up a notch.”
Hamilton went straight to work at Channel 7 after he graduated from Harding in May 1980. Hamilton said he has “come full circle” because he worked his last day at Channel 7 on Aug. 24 and began working at the school on Aug. 27. During his time at KATV, he worked as a news editor, photographer and news producer. Hamilton was the senior news photographer for the station at the time he left.
During his time at KATV, Hamilton had the opportunity to follow a bus tour Bill Clinton held from New York to St. Louis during his 1991 presidential campaign. He has also visited about 16 countries for his job and even helped cover a story on Harding University in Florence.
As a Razorbacks fan, Hamilton said his No. 1 favorite assignment with Channel 7 was when he helped cover the 1994 national championship basketball game between Duke University and the University of Arkansas.
Hamilton has also earned many accolades throughout his time at KATV, including two Emmys, two Edward R. Murrow Awards and 20 Arkansas Associated Press awards.
Instructor of Mass Communication Ginger Blackstone, who directs TV16, said TV16 was glad to have Hamilton on board.
“We’re just really thrilled to have him,” Blackstone said. “We’re so excited. When we saw his resume pop up, I just kind of stopped and went, ‘Really?’ We literally just stopped and our jaws dropped. We were just so amazed that his resume was in there.”
Hamilton said he felt he was at a good point in his career to change positions.
“After 32 years at Channel 7 and with all of the fun assignments I’ve had, I got to thinking, ‘Is there anything out there that I didn’t get to do, that I’d like to do, that would be worth plugging along longer, someday I’d love to do this one more thing?'” Hamilton said. “And to be very honest, I really couldn’t think of it. … I just thought now is probably a good time to complete the Channel 7 career and move on to something else.”
