Additional Resources:

Long version of "17 Kids" edit
for NBC's Today Show

"Ants" edit for NBC's Today Show

"Little Rock Radio" Shot for
NBC Nightly News by Don Smith

My Final Cut Pro "Prefs" trick
to simulate User Profiles.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

12/83 - Present (Except as noted in next entry)
FREELANCE ANCHOR, PRODUCER
AND NETWORK NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOTAPE EDITOR.
Dallas, Texas
• My years of anchor work and the shooting and editing of my own stories as a reporter prepared me for doing it all and doing it well. I work as a freelance news photographer, videotape editor, and producer for the network news bureaus in Dallas. I’ve worked on most of the magazine shows including ABC’s “20/20”, CBS’ “60 Minutes” and “Sunday Morning.” I’ve shot everything from presidential campaigns (travelled with George Bush for CBS in '84 and '88, and with Bill Clinton for NBC in '92) to plane crashes. I've covered earthquakes, hurricanes and football for the networks. I was the daytime camera for CBS during the Branch Davidian stand-off in Waco. If you watched the building burn on CBS, you were watching my camera. In addition, I’ve also been the on-camera talent for several industrial videos.

Home

Don on Air Force Two with George H.W. Bush.I'm on the right. '84 Bush campaign. This was about twenty minutes before Air Force Two dove to avoid a mid-air with a single-engine plane. I floated near the roof. The pilot of AFII was faulted. Don with George Foreman"60 Minutes" shoot with George Foreman. 1997. Very nice man. It's true that he has a picture of a hamburger on the mats of his car.

11/98 - 2/00
REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER - The News of Texas, Dallas Bureau.
• My position was unique among the 20 reporters of the News of Texas. I was the only person in the network that functioned as a reporter who shot his own stories. Even better, my job was to produce human interest stories such as the lady in Muleshoe (18 miles from Earth) who runs a television channel in her upstairs bedroom or the passing of the drive-in movie theater era. I traveled around north Texas to produce the stories.

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Mexico City - 1985

Mexico City - 1985
I was there for NBC. We chartered out of Houston. All flights to Mexico were held at the Texas border but for reasons unkown to me, Mexico ATC called and allowed us to land in Mexico City. As far as I know, I got the only aerials in existance of Mexico City burning.

 Don with Ross Perot.
Ross Perot gave me a tour of his office when I arrived early to shoot an interview for NBC Nightly News. The "Spirit of '76" painting? It's an original, of course.

Medico City - 1985
I'm holding the camera and working with Tom Brokaw doing a 'walk and talk' with then Mexico President De la Madrid. We were walking through the rubble of the '85 quake and fighting off the crowd. Wayde Duncan is my sound tech by my left hand.

Home

12/81 - 12/83 SATELLITE NEWS CHANNEL BUREAU CHIEF.
SOUTHWEST BUREAU - San Antonio, Texas.
• Anchored five-minute hourly cut-ins for my five-state area in addition to managing a staff and daily bureau duties. Coordinated news gathering and satellite distribution for the southwest region. The job terminated when SNC was sold to Ted Turner, who turned it into CNN Headline News.

6/80 - 12/81 KTXS T.V., Abilene, Texas.
News Director and Anchor.
• Anchored the 5, 6, and 10pm newscasts.

6/79 - 6/80 KIII T.V., Corpus Christi, Texas.
• Assistant News Director and anchor.

4/77 - 6/79 KENS T.V., San Antonio, Texas.
Anchor/Reporter.
• Anchored Noon and 5p.m. Newscasts.
• General Assignment Reporter

1976-1977 KRAV Radio, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
News Director.

1971-1976 WFTV T.V., Orlando, Florida.
• Weekend Anchor.
• Weekday Reporter.

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First radio job at KRSY in Roswell, NM. 1964.
1964 - My my first job in broadcasting at KRSY Radio in Roswell, NM. I worked the midnight-to-6 shift for $1.25 an hour. At school, you could set your watch to the 10am thump of my head hitting the desk.		 My senior picture from the 1964 Roswell (NM) High School yearbook.Don's High School Picture from 1964.

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CURRENTLY -
• KVIL, Dallas, TX - Weekend Airshift

3/64 - 2/67 Disc Jockey at:
• KRSY, Roswell, NM.
• KKUB, Brownfield, TX.
• KSEL, Lubbock, TX.
• KONO, San Antonio, TX.
• WLOF, Orlando, FL.

MILITARY SERVICE
•2/67 - 2/70 U.S. Army - Germany and Vietnam.
Air Defense Radar
Wuerzberg, Germany, 1968.
• Near Qui Nhon, South Vietnam, 2/69-2/70.
• Vietnam Commendation Medal.

EDUCATION
• Two years of college at Florida Technological Institute.
Orlando, FL. Radio-Television Major.
• Graduated from Roswell, NM High School.

PERSONAL
• Born 11/17/45 - Married with three children with two young ones at home.
• Touch-Type 60wpm.
• Fast, creative writer.
• 35 Years of broadcasting experience.
• Awards for writing and news photography.
• Macintosh computer enthusiast to include Web development and online database creation.
• Commercial pilots’ license with an instrument rating.
• Advanced Class amateur radio license (KK5DON).
• Close-up magic.