Former ‘Today’ anchor dies at 82

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A former “Today” co-anchor has died at 82.

Jim Hartz anchored NBC’s venerable morning show alongside Barbara Walters for two years in the mid-1970s, though he was part of the network’s news division for much longer.

Hartz died April 17, 2022 from COPD, according to published reports. His death was not widely made public for several days.

He originally joined NBC’s flagship station WNBC at age 24 in 1964, where he anchored the 6 and 11 p.m. news.

When “Today” co-anchor Frank McGee died in 1974, he took over the anchor chair. He also worked with Tom Brokaw to cover the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Brokaw would eventually take over Hartz’s spot on “Today” in 1976.

Also during his time at NBC, he appeared alongside David Brinkley and others to cover various space missions.

After that, Hartz transferred to the network’s Washington, D.C. station, WRC, and anchored the news there until 1979.

He then headed to PBS where he hosted a show called “Over Easy” alongside actress Mary Martin. He also hosted a show called “Innovation” for PBS.

A later assignment saw him traveling extensively to Tokyo to host a joint production between PBS and the Japanese network NHK that focused on news from the continent.

Hartz was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and started his TV career in that market.