Art Rascon

Rascon was born in El Paso, Texas. While he was still a young boy, Rascon and his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and later to Albuquerque, but most of his youth was spent growing up in Denver, Colorado.{{cite web|url=https://cfac.byu.edu/college/speeches-publications/finding-peace-in-a-world-of-conflict/ | title=Finding Peace In A World of Conflict | publisher=Brigham Young University | work=Honored Alumni: Art Rascon | author=Dale Cressman | date=October 11, 2013 | accessdate=July 16, 2016}} He graduated from Green Mountain High School just outside Denver and began his college studies at Ricks College in 1980. Rascon served a mission for his faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and then returned to his studies at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah. He also spent six months in Madrid, Spain studying European political science, History, Humanities and the Arts. He graduated from BYU in 1985. While in college, Rascon worked as a reporter for KBYU-FM and KBYU-TV.{{cite book|last=Rascon|first=Art|title=On Assignment: The Stories Behind The Stories: Inspiring Experiences of an LDS Broadcast Journalist|date=August 1998|publisher=Covenant Communications Inc.|isbn=9781577342946|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/onassignmentstor00rasc}}

Rascon began his television career in 1983 in Utah, where he was an associate producer and reporter for then-PBS member station KBYU-TV in Provo, Utah and then for ABC affiliate KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City. In 1985, Rascon moved to Texas where he was a producer, reporter, and anchor for NBC affiliate, KRBC-TV, in Abilene until August 1987, then for ABC affiliate KVIA-TV in El Paso until 1988, and for NBC affiliate KMOL-TV (now WOAI-TV) in San Antonio until he moved to KABC-TV in Los Angeles in August 1989 as a reporter and anchor. There, Rascon reported on natural disasters in California and highly publicized events such as the O. J. Simpson, Rodney King, and Lyle and Erik Menendez trials, the Branch Davidian stand-off, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots among a host of other stories, including brush fires, riots and other natural disasters.

In 1994, Rascon moved to Miami as a CBS Evening News correspondent. While there, he reported on major events that occurred in the southeastern U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, including reporting on a host of stories out of Cuba and South and Central America. Rascon also covered the Oklahoma City bombing, conflicts and unrest in Haiti, Peru, Mexico, and hurricanes in the region. He interviewed both Manuel Noriega and Daniel Ortega. His spot coverage of Hurricane Opal on CBS Radio and CBS News earned him a national Edward R. Murrow award. He and the 48 Hours team also received an Emmy nomination from The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their coverage of Hurricane Fran.

In 1998, Rascon moved to Houston's ABC-owned station, KTRK-TV where he anchored many newscasts, including a long stint as co-anchor of the 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. broadcasts. He has reported on domestic and international events and conflicts, including events in the Middle East, Iraq, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Central America. He also covered three Papal conclaves. He has reported extensively on the immigration issue, following children, teen and adult immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala all the way to the U.S. border.{{cn|date=August 2016}} Rascon has covered everything from earthquakes to tsunamis and has executive produced and reported numerous half-hour special reports on a variety of subjects and reported from the scene of more than a dozen major hurricanes, including Katrina, Ike, and a host of other storms.{{cite web |url=http://saysa.us/guestSpeaker.html |title=2011 San Antonio YSA Conference - Guest Speaker |publisher=San Antonio Young Single Adults |accessdate=August 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816063719/http://saysa.us/guestSpeaker.html |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |url-status=dead }} He was one of the first to report from Haiti the morning after the quake.{{cite news |url=http://ourtribune.com/article.php?id=9685 |title=Art Rascon speaks on Haiti disaster |last=Parks |first=Kathy |date=March 30, 2010 |accessdate=August 6, 2016 |publisher=Our Tribune }}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In 2020, Rascon became an area seventy of the LDS Church, which like most other positions in the church is a non-paid position that is conducted while employed in other lines of work.[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/leadership-changes-april-2020-general-conference article on new area seventies] Rascon was president of the church's Houston Texas Summerwood Stake from 2017 to 2020.[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/new-stakes-and-stake-presidencies-announced-in-march-2018?lang=eng report on changes in stake presidencies] When the stake was formed in 2012 Rascon was second counselor in the stake presidency.[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/2012-09-01/new-stake-presidents-223-49982 Church News article on formation of the Summerwood Stake] In the LDS Church he has also served as a bishop, bishop's counselor, mission president's counselor, stake mission president, and stake high councilor.

In October 2021, Rascon announced he would step down from his position at KTRK effective January 2022. It was reported that his son, Jacob Rascon, would be joining the station as his replacement.{{cite web|url= https://abc13.com/art-rascon-jacob-abc13-ktrk/11064791/ |title= ABC13'S ART RASCON LEAVING THE ANCHOR DESK, BUT SON, JACOB RASCON, JOINING THE STATION |website=ABC13.com|date= 30 September 2021 |accessdate=6 October 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://abc13.com/art-rascon-jacob-anchor-abc13/11362376/|title=Art Rascon anchoring newscast with son, Jacob, on final day at ABC13|date=January 1, 2022|website=abc13.com (KTRK)|accessdate=January 2, 2021}} The younger Rascon is one of three hosts for the station’s early morning programming.{{cite web|url= https://abc13.com/art-rascon-jacob-abc13-ktrk/11064791/ |title= Jacob Rascon joins abc13 mornings |website=Mike McGuff Media|date= 30 September 2021 |accessdate=7 January 2022}}

On January 3, 2022, Art and Jacob co-anchored the 11 a.m. news together, marking the end of the father’s run at the station and beginning of the son’s.{{cite web|url= https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/father-anchors-midday-newscast-in-houston-with-son-on-his-last-day/237499/

|title= Father Anchors Midday Newscast in Houston with Son on His Last Day |website=TVSpy.com|date= 3 January 2022 |accessdate=5 January 2022}}

Rascon has been nominated for and has received many awards, including two national Edward R. Murrow awards,{{cite web|url=http://history.cfac.byu.edu/index.php/Art_Rascon|title=Art Rascon|publisher=BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications History|accessdate=July 25, 2016}} one for his spot coverage of Hurricane Opal in 1995, and 19 Emmy Awards out of 25 nominations. He has also received an RTNDA Award for Continuing Coverage, 18 Associated Press Reporting awards, three National Association of Hispanic Journalists' awards, two National Headliner Awards, and a Rotary International award.{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/mormons-making-a-difference-in-texas |title=Mormons making a difference in Texas |publisher=LDS Newsroom |date=June 2008 |quote=Rascon is a reporter and anchor at KTRK-TV’s 13 Eyewitness News. He has received 17 Emmy Awards, three National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ awards and 15 Associated Press reporting awards, among other recognitions.}}

Rascon was once named by The National Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the '100 Most Influential Hispanics in America'. He is an active participant in several local and national charities and has served, or is currently serving on, several notable national and international Boards, including: Executive Board Member of Interfaith of The Woodlands, YMCA International, and the BYU School of Communications Board of Advisors. He has served twice as president of the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP),{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/houstonbusinessconnections/docs/january_2010_houston_business_connections_newspape/21|title=People You Should Know In Media |work=Snapshots |publisher=Aubrey R. Taylor Communications|page=21|date=January 2010|accessdate=July 21, 2016}} and is a former board member of the Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA).

Jacob Rascon, one of Art's five sons who began at KTRK in January 2022, was a reporter at rival station KPRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Houston from 2017 to 2021. He has also worked as a Dallas-based correspondent for NBC News and at NBC owned-and-operated station KNBC in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/knbc-reporter-bumped-up-to-the-network/131528|title=KNBC Reporter Bumped Up to The Network|website=Adweek.com|date=2 October 2014 |accessdate=2 January 2022}}

• {{cite book|last=Rascon|first=Art|title=The Heart of the News|date=October 17, 2007|publisher=RMG Press|isbn=9789798370052|edition=1st}}
• {{cite book|last=Rascon|first=Art|title=On Assignment: The Stories Behind The Stories: Inspiring Experiences of an LDS Broadcast Journalist|date=August 1998|publisher=Covenant Communications Inc.|isbn=9781577342946|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/onassignmentstor00rasc}}

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• [http://history.cfac.byu.edu/index.php/Art_Rascon BYU School of Communications wiki article]

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Category:American Latter Day Saints

Category:American Mormon missionaries in the United States

Category:Hispanic and Latino American people

Category:Mass media people from El Paso, Texas

Category:Writers from Denver

Category:American television news anchors

Category:1962 births

Category:Living people

Category:Brigham Young University alumni

Category:Brigham Young University–Idaho alumni

Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries

Category:Latter Day Saints from Texas

Category:Latter Day Saints from New Mexico

Category:Latter Day Saints from Colorado

Category:Television anchors from Houston