JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tom Wills is a husband, father, grandfather, and to thousands of people, their local news anchor.
But, to many journalists who have had the privilege of crossing paths with him, Tom is also the teacher and mentor whose lessons will never be forgotten.
As Tom gets ready to retire after 49 years of dedicated service at the anchor desk, News4JAX gathered some of the great lessons that he has taught our staff over the years.
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While some may be specific to journalism, the lessons Tom has taught the News4JAX staff may be applied to any industry — and can even go beyond the workplace.
Here are seven invaluable lessons that Tom has taught some of the News4JAX staff over the years, in their own words:
1. Don’t waste words “We can just say Jaguars, not the Jacksonville Jaguars. Same with the Jumbo Shrimp, the Icemen, the Sharks, the airport, the zoo etc. The audience knows what we’re referring to. Including “Jacksonville” would be a waste of a word.
Speaking of wasting words, if I write a sentence in 10 words, see how it can be rewritten in seven words. If it can be rewritten in seven, try for five. Less is always more in a script.”
Reagan Fink, producer 2. “Our business is a trust business” “Our business is a trust business. People trust us to be factual, accurate and give them the right news. No person embodies this more than Tom.
It was probably my first month on the job and Tom came back into the sports department with the intro to a script and wanted to go over it to make sure he understood everything in it correctly. We’re talking about a tease/toss-type of thing, not a rough draft to “War and Peace.” These are seldom the longest or more in-depth things we do. It’s basically a three- or four-sentence write-up, many times done in a hurry (or not at all, to many producers’ dismay!)
Tom went through the whole thing, making sure he had the pronunciation correct, the facts correct and that he was presenting things accurately to the viewer. He made a couple notations on the paper, said “thank you,” and went back to his desk. It seems so very simple and basic, but it is the foundation of our industry. Truth. Accuracy. Trust. Presentation. How is a viewer supposed to trust you when you can’t even pronounce the subject’s name right? I’ve seen this play out a hundred times since then and it’s always stuck with me. Tom is always so detail-oriented and takes what he does (and what we do) to the highest level of professionalism there is.”
Justin Barney, sports editor “When Lynyrd Skynyrd went down, Eyewitness News sent Tom and a photographer to Mississippi to cover the plane crash, ever since, surviving band members hold Tom as a correspondent and dear friend. Just a couple of years ago I shot an interview with Tom and Ricky Medlock regarding the 45th year since the crash. After the interview, Ricky said to Tom “Everyone thanks you for telling our story and we really think of you as part of the band.”
Mark Clanton, photojournalist 3. Respect your viewers “The main thing I have learned from Tom is the passion for keeping our community informed, and doing it with the utmost respect and integrity. I LOVE that lesson, and I love the legacy Tom Wills has given us at WJXT.”
Kent Justice, news anchor
May 19, 2020: News4Jax anchor Tom Wills prepares to News4JAX at 5 p.m. from his family room as photojournalists Al Campbell and Chris O’Rourke set up the live shot. (WJXT 2020) 4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions “Tom the mentor ~
When I started with News4JAX in 2010, I’d already been in the broadcast news business 20 years. Could I still learn a thing or two from Tom Wills? Absolutely!
It’s been tremendous to sit next to Tom in our newsroom the past year. There were no formal instruction session, no seminars given. But it’s true: more is caught, than taught.
Tom is never shy about asking key questions. He asks them to reporters, other news anchors, our producers, our managers. The goal, always, is to get the information right. To be accurate. To MAKE SURE we’ve uncovered where the information comes from, if we have it verified by more than one source, that we work as a team and stay on the same page for each story.”
Kent Justice, news anchor “‘What are we looking at in this cold open?’ is a question Tom used to ask me a lot. Some days, he still asks me. That question challenges me, because if he has to ask, what we’re looking at isn’t obvious enough.”
Reagan Fink, news producer 5. Double-check every piece of information, and check again “His attention to accuracy. Lots of times, he asked me to review scripts, so, his words-- “we don’t do violence to the facts.”
Frank Powers, assignment manager “One of the many things I’ve learned from working with Tom is to never take anything for face value. I was working with a reporter on his story, and he wrote something that seemed odd to Tom. This information was in a script that I had approved. When Tom asked me about it, I said, ‘I’m not sure but that’s what the reporter wrote.’ He said, ‘Well, if the reporter wrote that the sky was falling, you wouldn’t let that stand as fact. So, let’s double-check this.’ And, of course, Tom was right, the reporter made a mistake. This was a good lesson for me, and one I haven’t forgotten.”
Marilyn Vaca, digital director “As someone who grew up in Jacksonville, watching Channel 4, it was an honor when I started writing for Tom’s evening newscasts, about six months into my time as an associate producer. Within a year of that, I was a producer who would sometimes fill in on the 6 p.m. newscast – meaning, I was producing for Tom.
Any 6 p.m. producer quickly learns that Tom doesn’t just read over the scripts in the newscast, he reads them over closely, and you will be asked about them. And it’s for a good reason: Tom carefully considers every word. He wants to make sure that what we are airing is accurate, fair, and clear to our viewers. If there’s something that sounds confusing, he is going to work with the producer to make it easier for our viewers to understand. If there’s something that’s ambiguous, he’s going to make it precise. And it’s not just the producers he works with on the stories: he will call reporters to ensure that what we’re saying leading up to their report is accurate and clear. If he makes changes, he will call the reporter to make sure he’s not mischaracterizing the story. Over time, as a producer you learn to be precise in your writing, careful with word choices, and to understand what you’re writing.”
Eric Wallace, executive producer
In addition to his anchor duties.... 6. Always give your 100% “I was a street reporter in 1995 when I started at Channel 4. Tom (and Deborah Gianoulis) would pitch to me on a live shot every weekday. It’s so surreal to now be sitting next to Tom on the anchor desk; a HUGE honor for me at News4Jax! Since joining the anchor team about a decade ago, I’ve watched Tom come to work every day, and give 100 percent – no matter what is happening in his personal life. As the leader of our newsroom, he has set the bar high for excellence.”
Joy Purdy, news anchor “By every metric that matters in TV News, Tom Wills is the best. A sentiment shared by colleagues for decades. Like Brinkley with America, Larry King with interviews and Winterling with forecasts, he is a giant. Serious, honest, and unflappable yet caring when the community needs comfort (Hurricane Matthew). Enjoy retirement, Tom. We’ll try and fill your spot on the news in a literal fashion but in a figurative sense…the voice of Jacksonville remains with you.”
Scott Johnson, news reporter/anchor “Tom Wills is as warm, engaged, and sharp off-air as he is at the anchor desk.
Almost every day, Tom improves my scripts and sends them back to me to check that everything is accurate and also to make sure that a tweak to the anchor copy dosen’t leave me surprised or scrambling when I’m reporting live in the field.
Tom’s crisp writing and thorough editing always make our newscasts better, and his consistent collaboration makes our team stronger.
He works hard, earning his legendary reputation day after day.
Tom is the real deal, a true class act. I’m going to miss working with him.”
Anne Maxwell, news reporter “One of my favorite things about working with Tom is his dedication to reading every word in the 6 p.m. newscast. He reads every script I write, even ones written for Joy to read, and makes slight tweaks. I love that, because I feel like if Tom approves of each script, they’re worthy of being on TV. He’s taught me to be accepting of feedback and changes, because the final product is always so much better.”
Reagan Fink, news producer 7. Be kind to others “I am so sad to see Tom Wills go! He always has a smile on his face when he’s in the newsroom and lights up the studio with his awesome personality. I’ve learned so much from Tom over the past year I’ve worked with him. I remember my first time at the anchor desk with him while doing a sports story. It was such an honor to sit next to him I tried to play it cool on-air, but I had the biggest smile on my face because I was so excited lol. Tom is an exceptional writer and I’ve learned more about crafting sentences that are more engaging and intriguing to the audience. For that, I am grateful that he took the time to help me and teach me whenever I had questions.”
Alessandra Pontbriand, sports anchor/reporter “When I started here at Channel 4 26 years ago, I was both excited and intimidated to work with THE Tom Wills. As a Jacksonville native, I watched him as a teenager. From the moment I walked in the building, he was kind and honest. Any question I ever had in the field working on a story, I called Tom for clarity and advice. For years, I sent Tom my story scripts asking for any and all suggestions to make it better. It didn’t matter if he was off, if it was early or late at night, he would always call me and tell me what he thought. I will always be thankful to him for making me a better journalist.”
Jen Waugh, news anchor “I have been with News4Jax for nearly three years now, and while I have met so many amazing people in that time who have taught me so much, I don’t think I’ll ever meet another person in my career like Tom Wills. Tom is not only a dedicated journalist committed to getting answers and helping serve the community, he is an extremely kind and caring person. He comes into work early every day to respond to viewer emails before preparing for newscasts – just so he can make sure that the needs of our community are being addressed. Tom also knows everybody in the newsroom by name – again, going to show how much he cares for every person he interacts with.
While this retirement is well deserved, I will miss working with Tom in the newsroom. The evening newscasts won’t be the same without him.
Happy Retirement, Tom!”
Erin Seaton, news producer “Tom is a brilliant, measured, and respected journalist on the evening news daily. Anyone reading this will know that. They should also know that he’s an amazing mentor. He’s a person who builds up others. He wants others to succeed. A man with this much success could easily have an ego. Instead, Tom is humble, kind, and compassionate. I grew up watching Tom. Then I had the privilege of working with him and learning from him. Few things were more rewarding after a long, difficult news day than getting a call from Tom after the shows to thank you. His positive and constructive feedback made a huge difference for younger journalists. He checked in on heart-wrenching stories and always asked about the families affected by these local tragedies. He led by example and earned great respect this way. Tom, I’m so thrilled you and Gina get to spend more time together and with your beloved family.”
Vic Micolucci, former news reporter/anchor This story cannot be written without hearing from Tom and the legacy that he hopes to leave behind in this newsroom.
So, what is the one thing that Tom wishes to be remembered for in the journalism industry?
“Tell the truth, tell it clearly and tell it with fairness to all those involved,” Tom wrote.
And it’s not a degree or a perfect GPA that makes a perfect journalist. To Tom, it is “curiosity, clear thinking, and compassion,” that define a good journalist.
It is no secret that learning is a process that never ends. While learning may be acquired in different ways such as life experiences, school and books, one cannot deny that learning from other people may be one of the most impactful ways to learn — as evidenced by what his coworkers said above.
Luckily, over 49 years at News4JAX, our staff was able to learn from one the best in the journalism industry — an opportunity that none of us takes for granted.
Tom’s time in this newsroom may be coming to an end, but one thing is for sure: his lessons will remain.
Now, it’s our job to make sure Tom’s teachings live on for future generations of journalists.
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