Jim Vance, a veteran news anchor for Washington, D.C. NBC affiliate WRC-TV, has died. Vance was one the first leading Black news reporters on television and was part of one of the first all-Black news anchor teams in the nation.
James Howard Vance III was born January 10, 1942, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia. Vance attended and graduated from Cheyney University, teaching for a few years before moving to television. He took his first television job with a now-defunct independent station that served the Philadelphia market before joining WRC-TV.
Vance worked 45 years for the outlet and was well-known for his unwavering cool, smooth goatee, and earrings while delivering the news.
From NBC4:
From Jackie Bradford, president and general manager of NBC4:
“We are heartbroken to announce that Jim Vance died this morning.
“For more than 45 years, Jim Vance was not only the soul of NBC4 but of the entire Washington area. His smooth voice, brilliant mind and unforgettable laugh leaves each of us with a tremendous void.
“Vance always celebrated the good and acknowledged the parts of life that didn’t go so well. That made him a great man.
Vance and late WRC-TV sports news reporter George Michael landed back in the national limelight due to a now-viral clip of a broadcast where the close friends launched into a fit of hysterics at a model fumbling during a catwalk performance.
Back in May, Vance announced that he was battling cancer but continued working when he could.
Jim Vance was 75.
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Photo: NBC4/NBC Washington
