REMEMBERING – JOE MOORE
BY DONNA BELL
A ROCK IN OUR COMMUNITY
1943-2015
“…he truly loved Panama City. He cared about the people, and that’s what made him so special.”
When you sit next to someone for an hour a day, five days a week, for 16 years, you get to know that person pretty well. I consider myself blessed because I got to know Joe Moore better than most. Now, still trying to grasp the reality that he’s no longer with us, I feel compelled to share some of what made Joe so special. After all, he shared so much space with this community, for 43 years on air at NewsChannel 7. Now, I think he’d want me to share with you how much this community meant to him.
Every young journalist probably looks back with gratitude at the person who gave them their first start in the business. Joe hired me 21 years ago. He also hired hundreds of others in his four decades at WJHG. Some of his first hires went on to top markets, like Shepard Smith of FOX news. After Joe died on December 9th, a little piece of all of us died, too. For those of us who had the privilege of working with Joe, or being hired by him, losing him was like losing a piece of our foundation. The tributes that have flooded into our station have been overwhelming. I hope Joe knew what an impact he had, and how far it reached.
Joe was about as simple and down to earth as his name. Joe Moore. He didn’t need anything fancy—that was not his style. He drove a small Volkswagen with one of those race stickers on the back that brags about how far you’ve come. His said, “0.0, I DON’T RUN.” I always laughed when I saw that because Joe certainly wasn’t a runner; but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a marathon man. Joe had the kind of endurance in the news business that you rarely find. He started at WJHG in 1971, and he retired 43 years later in 2014. He anchored the entire time, and he led the newsroom as a former News Director and Vice President of News. This is a business that is very competitive, stressful, and the burnout rate is very high; but not for Joe. For Joe, news was fun! He loved it, he breathed it, he lived it, and he chased it. He felt no need to move on to bigger markets, because he truly loved Panama City. He cared about the people, and that’s what made him so special. Joe built relationships with people in all walks of life, and he always stopped to talk with them, even when he was short on time. Many locals grew up watching Joe, and his calm, soothing voice and friendly demeanor guided us through the storms and successes in our lives and our community. Joe led by example, teaching his staff that you have to put people first, and earn their trust. As media changed, Joe changed with it, embracing the new technology and the ever increasing demand for news. For him, social media was just another fun way to connect with locals.
Sitting next to Joe for so many years, I learned what mattered most to him wasn’t news, it was his daughters. We spent a lot of time talking about Monica and Molly, who were the light of his life. He was so proud of the women they became, and the only thing he loved as much as being their dad, was being a grandpa to Molly’s four young children. Joe also made his friends feel like family, and he made his viewers feel like family. That’s because, to him, they were. He genuinely cared about others, and that’s ultimately the secret to Joe’s success. He listened to people to tell their stories, and when he told their stories, people listened.
When Joe retired, he never really slowed down. He was excited about trading one race for another, exiting his marathon career as a news man, and entering the race for Panama City Beach mayor. In the end, he died while enjoying the race of life, a true marathon man until the very end. He still called me several times a week with a news tip, or just to chat. I will miss those calls most of all. If I listen closely, and if we all listen closely, we’ll still hear his voice and be comforted knowing Joe was a part of our lives and our community. Something tells me he’s now staying busy getting the scoop from the angels on topics we all wonder about. When we meet again in Heaven, perhaps Joe will be the first to fill us in, just as he always did.
[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2016/01/Donna-Bell_Bio.jpg” ]Donna Bell is the News Director for WJHGNews Channel 7 (NBC) and WECP Local 18 (CBS) in Panama City Beach, Florida. She also anchors News Channel 7 at 11 a.m. She started her Broadcasting career at WJHG in June 1994, after graduating from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. Donna is an avid volunteer for several non-profit organizations. When she is at work, she spends time with her husband, Dirk, and their two sons. Together they love traveling, skiing, baseball, and cheering on the Florida Gators![/author]