Q&A with John Tracy: after more than a decade in news, this TV guru makes a move.

• Author: Hardan-Smith, Sara J.

Popular television news anchor, John Tracy, recently left KTUU Channel 2 to pursue a new career and co-ownership at Bradley Reid + Associates in Anchorage.

With a new path ahead of him, Tracy discusses his new role at the advertising and public relations firm, his stepping out of the public eye, and gives advice for those starting out in a tough field.

ABM: In 1985 you took a weekend anchor position at KTUU Channel 2 in Anchorage. What about living and working in Alaska appealed to you?

Tracy: Nothing at the time. I was simply looking for my first on-air reporting job after two years in the Seattle market as a writer/ producer. John Larson, now with NBC News, was news director at KTUU at the time, and he offered me a job within a couple of days of getting my resume. I was so eager to get started I accepted the job quickly and sight unseen. Within a week, I also got offers from Portland and Boise. But since I had given John my commitment, I came to Anchorage.

When I discovered the newsroom was in the basement of the 4th Avenue Theater, I must admit I had second thoughts. But obviously things worked out for the best, and I've never regretted the decision. That was 23 years ago.

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ABM: When you look back at your time at KTUU, what stories or events stand out?

Tracy: There are many, but at the top of the list is the Exxon Valdez oil spill for many reasons. For me personally, it was the biggest story I had ever covered and would ever cover. I got the call at 3 a.m., and was in a chopper over the tanker at daybreak before the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) shut down the air space. It was the first day of what would be not months, but years of coverage that continues to this day.

It changed the Channel 2 newsroom, because we simply refused to be shoved aside by the national press, which flooded into Prince William Sound. Our General Manager, Al Bramstedt Jr., gave us complete freedom to pursue the story because of its importance.

As a result, we increased the size of the staff, became the dominant television news station in the market, and won our first national Edward R. Murrow Award. Within a year of that event, I became news director, and because of our news dominance, we expanded to a one-hour newscast at 6 p.m.--one of the few in the country.

But more than anything, it helped establish the tradition of excellence in the newsroom that continues to this day. As Alaskans, we are very fortunate to have such a large and...