News anchor to deliver ECU commencement speech

GREENVILLE, NC  —   A North Carolina native who holds one of the top broadcast news anchor positions in the country will deliver East Carolina University’s spring commencement address, May 8. John J. Beard of KNBC-TV in Los Angeles has accepted an invitation to be the commencement speaker. His address is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Ficklen Stadium.

The spring event will recognize about 2,000 ECU graduates. ECU held a fall commencement last Dec. for —– students completing their degree programs. Beard has anchored KNBC-TV’s evening news program since 1981. The station is owned and operated by NBC and is the same station that launched Tom Brokaw and Tom Snyder into national network prominence. In his work, Beard has won Emmy Awards for his special productions at KNBC. He has also appeared as a substitute co-host for the network’s popular “NBC Today” morning show.

A native of Saint Pauls, Beard graduated from ECU in 1975 with a degree in Drama and Speech. While attending school he worked at WITN-TV, Washington, as a reporter and as the anchor for the stations 11 p.m. news. After graduation he held positions at TV stations in Winston-Salem and Buffalo, New York before landing one of the most prestigious jobs in television at KNBC.
The May 8 commencement ceremony will include a band concert starting at 9:15 a.m. and the processional at 9:45 a.m.

If rain is expected on commencement day, ECU officials said the ceremony will move indoors to Minges Coliseum. If the commencement site changes to Minges then two ceremonies, at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m., will be held.