Sunday, July 1, 2007

John Clark, RIP

WOWT (Cox Channel 8) News Director John Clark died Saturday night following a lengthy battle with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

In what would be his final e-mail to me in late December, Clark wrote, "My wife of 37 years (Joyce) has been my 'rock.' There is not a better caretaker in the world. WOWT - in particular my boss Frank Jonas - couldn't have been better to me during all this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate their support."

On Dec. 31, 1990, Clark succeeded Steve Murphy, who had worked as the station's news director for 20 years and at WOWT since 1949. From 1972 to 1978, Clark worked as a reporter for KMTV (Cox Channel 5) and WOWT. Read more about him on WOWT's website by clicking here.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I formerly worked with John at WOWT for several years, and he was a very nice man. This is a guy who lived and breathed news. He also went out his way to keep Steve Murphy involved in the news operation after his retirement and had a conference room named after Steve, following his death. A very classy guy. This is the end of an era for WOWT. Clarko was there to direct the news operation's rise to ratings dominance in the 90's and is one of the finest news men this market has ever seen. Rest in peace, John.

Anonymous said...

I work in the news business and unfortunately have not had the pleasure of working with Mr. Clark, but my thoughts and prayers go out to John's family and those at WOWT.

Anonymous said...

This is truly sad... I know the people at WOWT really rallied around him in his extremely lenghty battle with his illness and pulled together in his absence. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and those at WOWT.

Anonymous said...

I never worked at 6, or met Mr. Clark but I can understand the sorrow in the WOWT newsroom. Reminds me of when KETV lost Jeff Frolio. It was a very sad occasion for me, and just proves that a newsroom is just one big family working together. I just wish the Clark family and the staff at WOWT the best during this time.

Anonymous said...

I use to work at 6 and John is loved by everyone. My prayers are with his family.

Anonymous said...

As a former 6 employee, I can attest that John Clark was one of the finest people I have ever known. He was patient and would listen to another point of view, which was extremely important when dealing with my area. (Technical) He was a man that valued the input of all areas to make the show come together. He will be greatly missed. Rest in peace John. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Anonymous said...

I worked at Channel 6 for seven years, and John was a leader in the truest sense of the word. He was also a true "newsman," the type of person that is sorely lacking in today's celebrity-gossip-driven "news"rooms. While WOWT will feel John's loss most acutely, every TV newsroom in Omaha is diminished by his passing.

My thoughts are with the Clark family. Rest in peace, John.