News anchor Harry Porterfield dies at 95
One of the first African-American news anchors in Chicago, Porterfield had a 51-year career in journalism
Harry Porterfield, one of Chicago’s first Black anchors and reporters, died peacefully from natural causes in his Munster, Ind. home Monday at the age of 95. Porterfield was a trailblazer in Chicago media circles, joining local TV news at a time when there were few minorities on-air and behind the scenes.
Porterfield was born in Saginaw, Mich. in 1928 and his first media job came in 1955 when he hosted a jazz show at WKNX-AM (now WJNL-AM) in Traverse City, Mich. Porterfield shifted to broadcasting in 1964 and was hired by CBS-owned WBBM-TV, becoming the second Black person to be hired by the station (the first was Ben Holman, according to the Chicago Tribune), coming at a time when Chicago was racially polarized and violence was the norm rather than the exception.
Porterfield finally signed a contract in 1971 and started anchoring WBBM’s Saturday newscasts and was a major fixture throughout the 1970s at the station and became the first Black weekday co-anchor at the station in 1978 with Bill Kurtis. One of Porterfield’s signature segments was Someone You Should Know, featuring everyday Chicago people. Porterfield also anchored WBBM’s Two on 2 newsmagazine show and delivered news updates on Noonbreak featuring Lee Phillip, up until its December 31, 1981 cancellation.
In 1985, WBBM demoted Porterfield from his main anchor slots for a returning Bill Kurtis, who left the CBS Morning News after three years. His demotion did not sit well with Operation PUSH, who boycotted the station for nearly a year costing WBBM Black viewers at a time parent company CBS was under severe financial constraints and nearly fell into the hands of Ted Turner in a takeover attempt. The effects of his demotion was felt for a longtime as with a few exceptions, WBBM struggled for viewers for decades to come, though WLS-TV’s fast rise led by Oprah Winfrey and the surging popularity of Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy! also had an impact.
Later in 1985, Porterfield relocated to WLS and brought his Someone You Should Know segments with him, arriving just in time for WLS to claim the top spot in local news, a crown the ABC-owned station has held ever since. After 24 years, Porterfield returned to WBBM in 2009 to anchor the station 11 a.m. newscast, and remained there until he retired in 2015 – but as reported by Robert Feder back then, Porterfield’s retirement wasn’t voluntary as his contract wasn’t renewed.
Porterfield has won numerous Emmy Awards and was inducted into the Chicago/NATAS Silver Circle in 1998. He is survived by wife Marianita, four children, and granddaughter Amanda, who is an anchor at CBS affiliate WDJT Milwaukee.