KTRK Icon Dave Ward, Voice of Houston for 50 Years, Dead at 86

Dave Ward, 86, a veteran Houston television newscaster, died Saturday. KTRK said he was one of Texas broadcasting's most recognizable voices after 50 years of anchoring.

Ward's death ends a significant chapter in Houston's television news history significant chapter in Houston's television news history. His opening—“Good evening, friends”—has come to define the city's nightly news and civic memory for many viewers.

Ward began broadcasting in Houston in 1966 at KTRK, now ABC13, until his 2017 retirement. He has anchored the station's popular 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts since 1968, becoming a Houston media fixture.

History supports the claim that “No television news anchor has been associated with one station for a longer period than Dave Ward.” The Guinness Book of World Records named Ward the longest-serving television newscaster in the same area in June 2016. He passed away at the age of 77.

Ward was born in Dallas on May 6, 1939, and grew up in Huntsville, where his father was the First Baptist Church pastor. At Tyler Junior College, he discovered his passion for media and started working in radio rather than television. Ward started as a DJ at KGKB in Tyler before moving to Waco.

He moved to Houston in 1962 and has stayed there.

Ward covered several major events in Houston and American history, including the space program, the Vietnam and Middle East wars, and the Houston Oilers' “Luv Ya Blue” rise. He interviewed five U.S. Over his career, Ward had the opportunity to interview five U.S. presidents.

Ward published his memoir, “Good Evening Friends,” in 2019, named after the greeting that made him famous in southeast Texas.

Colleagues and viewers praised Ward for giving local journalism legitimacy, warmth, and constancy, especially despite major changes in the media and the community he covered.

On Saturday night, ABC13 reported Ward's death. Details on funeral arrangements are unknown.

For many Houstonians, Ward was more than a newscaster. For nearly 50 years, he told the city's story night after night, through successes, defeats, and change.