Art Rascon
Encyclopedia
Art Rascon is the anchor for the five o'clock news for ABC
in Houston, Texas
. He is an Emmy Award
winner and a former vice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
. Hispanic Business
magazine once named Rascon one of the one-hundred most influential Hispanics in America.
, the Middle East
, Serbia
, Kosovo
, Bosnia and conflicts throughout Central America and elsewhere. He reported Pope John Paul's
travels, death, and the Papal Election and reported from New York City
and Washington D.C., on terrorist attacks. Rascon has covered everything from earthquakes and tsunamis, most recently being one of the first to report from Haiti the morning after the quake. He has executive produced and reported numerous 30-min Special Reports on a variety of subjects and reported from the scene of more than a dozen major hurricanes, including Katrina, Ike, and a host of other storms.
1994-1998: CBS NEWS Correspondent. Rascon covered such events as the Oklahoma City bombing
, Haiti
's civil unrest, Mexico
's guerilla wars, Peru
's hostage standoff; Cuba
's downing of U.S. planes, TWA, Value-Jet, and other airline disasters. He also covered hurricanes throughout the Caribbean and reported from the heat of conflict in Central America, interviewing such tyrants as Manuel Noriega
and Daniel Ortega
. During his time at CBS he travelled extensively reporting on a host of domestic and international issues.
1989-1994: Rascon worked for KABC-TV in Los Angeles
, covering such notable stories as the O.J. Simpson case, the Rodney King
beating trial, the subsequent Los Angeles riots, the Branch Davidian stand-off
, the Menendez trial, as well as earthquakes, fires and floods.
1983-1989: Rascon worked as a reporter/anchor at several cities in Texas, including San Antonio, El Paso
, and Abilene
. He also worked as an associate producer in Salt Lake City and as a reporter at KBYU-TV in Provo.
Rascon has been nominated for 25 Emmy Award
s and has won 19. He is the recipient of more than three dozen other local reporting awards from press clubs in Houston, Los Angeles and Miami and a host of national awards, including two Edward R. Murrow awards, three National Association of Hispanic Journalists' awards, the International Rotary award
, two Headliner Awards, the RTNDA Award for Continuing Coverage and 18 Associated Press Reporting awards. Rascon has reported from more than 50 countries, five continents and nearly every State in the Union.
Rascon was once named by The National Hispanic Business Magazine
as one of the '100 Most Influential Hispanics in America. He is a former board member of The Radio Television News Directors Association and a former Vice-President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He is an active participant in several local and national charities and currently serves as a board member of Interfaith in The Woodlands. He also serves as President of the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals.
Born in El Paso
, Texas
, and reared in Denver, Colorado
, Rascon graduated from Brigham Young University
. He also studied Spanish, Humanities, and European Politics/History in Madrid
, Spain
. Rascon is happily married with six children.
, then Albuquerque, but he largely grew up in Denver, Colorado
. He graduated from Green Mountain High School
just outside Denver and began his college studies at Brigham Young University Idaho in 1980. Rascon served a mission for his faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and then returned to his studies at Brigham Young University in Utah. He also spent six months in Madrid
, Spain
studying European political science, History, Humanities and the Arts. He later graduated from BYU in 1985. While in college Rascon worked as a reporter for KBYU-FM and KBYU-TV.
Rascon wrote a book entitled The Heart of the News about his experiences as a reporter. Rascon has also written another book about his reporting career On Assisnment: The Stories Behind the Stories: Inspiring Experiences of an LDS Broadcast Journalist (ISBN=1577342941).
Rascon is the current President of The Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals. He also serves on the Executive Board of Interfaith of The Woodlands and South Montgomery County Community Clinic. Rascon is also an active participant in various other Non-profit charitable organizations.
Rascon is a popular motivational speaker, regularly speaking at dozens of educational, business, and non-profit organizations each year.
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He is an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winner and a former vice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico...
. Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business, Inc. is a media company based in Goleta, California, in the United States of America. The firm was founded by Jesús Chavarría in 1979 and its publications are oriented towards Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs.-Publications:...
magazine once named Rascon one of the one-hundred most influential Hispanics in America.
History
1998-CURRENT: KTRK/ABC Houston. Art Rascon joined ABC-13 in 1998 as 5pm anchor. He has reported on wars in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Bosnia and conflicts throughout Central America and elsewhere. He reported Pope John Paul's
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
travels, death, and the Papal Election and reported from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Washington D.C., on terrorist attacks. Rascon has covered everything from earthquakes and tsunamis, most recently being one of the first to report from Haiti the morning after the quake. He has executive produced and reported numerous 30-min Special Reports on a variety of subjects and reported from the scene of more than a dozen major hurricanes, including Katrina, Ike, and a host of other storms.
1994-1998: CBS NEWS Correspondent. Rascon covered such events as the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
's civil unrest, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's guerilla wars, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's hostage standoff; Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
's downing of U.S. planes, TWA, Value-Jet, and other airline disasters. He also covered hurricanes throughout the Caribbean and reported from the heat of conflict in Central America, interviewing such tyrants as Manuel Noriega
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno is a Panamanian politician and soldier. He was military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on...
and Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
. During his time at CBS he travelled extensively reporting on a host of domestic and international issues.
1989-1994: Rascon worked for KABC-TV in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, covering such notable stories as the O.J. Simpson case, the Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
beating trial, the subsequent Los Angeles riots, the Branch Davidian stand-off
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
, the Menendez trial, as well as earthquakes, fires and floods.
1983-1989: Rascon worked as a reporter/anchor at several cities in Texas, including San Antonio, El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, and Abilene
Abilene
-Places:Syria*Abilene , a plain in Syria, on the east slope of Anti-Lebanon mountain rangeUnited States*Abilene, Georgia*Abilene, Kansas*Abilene, Texas*Abilene, Virginia-Movies:*Abilene Town, a 1946 western film starring Randolph Scott....
. He also worked as an associate producer in Salt Lake City and as a reporter at KBYU-TV in Provo.
Honors
Rascon has been nominated for 25 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s and has won 19. He is the recipient of more than three dozen other local reporting awards from press clubs in Houston, Los Angeles and Miami and a host of national awards, including two Edward R. Murrow awards, three National Association of Hispanic Journalists' awards, the International Rotary award
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, two Headliner Awards, the RTNDA Award for Continuing Coverage and 18 Associated Press Reporting awards. Rascon has reported from more than 50 countries, five continents and nearly every State in the Union.
Rascon was once named by The National Hispanic Business Magazine
Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business, Inc. is a media company based in Goleta, California, in the United States of America. The firm was founded by Jesús Chavarría in 1979 and its publications are oriented towards Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs.-Publications:...
as one of the '100 Most Influential Hispanics in America. He is a former board member of The Radio Television News Directors Association and a former Vice-President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He is an active participant in several local and national charities and currently serves as a board member of Interfaith in The Woodlands. He also serves as President of the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals.
Born in El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and reared in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Rascon graduated from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. He also studied Spanish, Humanities, and European Politics/History in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Rascon is happily married with six children.
Early Years
Rascon was born in El Paso, Texas. His family moved to Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, then Albuquerque, but he largely grew up in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He graduated from Green Mountain High School
Green Mountain High School
Green Mountain High School is a high school in the western part of the city of Lakewood in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is administered by Jefferson County Public Schools. The student body numbers approximately 1600...
just outside Denver and began his college studies at Brigham Young University Idaho in 1980. Rascon served a mission for his faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traces its current dispensation beginnings to Joseph Smith, Jr. on April 6, 1830 in Western New York. Initial converts were drawn to the church in part because of the newly published Book of Mormon, a self-described chronicle of indigenous American...
and then returned to his studies at Brigham Young University in Utah. He also spent six months in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
studying European political science, History, Humanities and the Arts. He later graduated from BYU in 1985. While in college Rascon worked as a reporter for KBYU-FM and KBYU-TV.
Rascon wrote a book entitled The Heart of the News about his experiences as a reporter. Rascon has also written another book about his reporting career On Assisnment: The Stories Behind the Stories: Inspiring Experiences of an LDS Broadcast Journalist (ISBN=1577342941).
Rascon is the current President of The Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals. He also serves on the Executive Board of Interfaith of The Woodlands and South Montgomery County Community Clinic. Rascon is also an active participant in various other Non-profit charitable organizations.
Rascon is a popular motivational speaker, regularly speaking at dozens of educational, business, and non-profit organizations each year.
Sources
- LDS Newsroom article that features Rascon
- KTRK bio on Rascon
- LDS Church News, June 17, 2000; Jan 1, 1994