New York anchor remembered

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/3/2000

WWOR-TV News Director Will Wright recalls telling Reggie Harris that the day that WCBS-TV New York let Harris go was "a blessed day for me. Harris replied: Well, maybe it is for you, but it' s not so hot for me.' I told him it was blessed because Now you can come and work for me.' I promised him we would make him happy here. And, just last week, he told me he was happier than he had ever been in his life."

Harris, the 46-year old anchor and reporter who had been with WWOR-TV since 1997, died of a heart attack last week while exercising on a treadmill in his home. Wright said his friends knew that an irregular heartbeat had been found a few years ago but knew of no other heart trouble. "He could have been a role model for fitness. He was a role model for his sense of fairness and balance, and for his work ethic." Wright said he will remember Harris as a gifted journalist who worked to the last minute on a story for the latest and most accurate information.

Harris was also active outside of work, mentoring and motivating at-risk youths. "He was a personal role model for me, even though he was a few years younger," Wright said. "He was, for me, the quintessential African-American professional, a tremendous talent with an uncanny sense of giving back. We' ll miss him very much."