When you watched the news in Honolulu during the 1970s, three familiar faces would be seen on our television screens: Bob Sevey at KGMB, Don Rockwell at KITV and BJ Sams at KHON. For nearly a decade, Sams anchored the news in the islands, and this month we look back at his career.
Sams originally hails from Tennessee, where he got his start working as a radio station janitor. He quickly worked his way up, becoming a deejay for the station — "BJ the DJ."
Sams graduated with an industrial management degree from the University of Tennessee. He was drafted into the Army in 1958 as a broadcast specialist and took basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, with Elvis Presley. After the Army he worked at radio stations in Oklahoma and Tennessee, before landing his first television spot in Monroe, La., covering the weather and sports. In 1966 Sams was hired to anchor at the ABC affiliate in Little Rock, Ark.
In 1973, KHON was looking for a news anchor to work alongside Bob Basso and hired Sams. After just two months at the station, Sams was in a tragic plane crash on Easter weekend near Honolulu Airport that killed his son and the pilot, KHON reporter Al Allen.
"After the terrible tragedy in which he lost his son and fellow newsman, Al Allen, shortly after moving to Hawaii, I saw how BJ’s personal fortitude and faith in God gave him strength day after day after day when he returned to work at KHON TV," said former KHON reporter Scott Shirai, via email. "Most malihini, when struck with personal disaster and stuck in a place thousands of miles from home, with no relatives or no roots, would have left the bad memories behind.
"As a news person, one gets to see fleeting glimpses of the bright and dark side of a lot of people, but to me no one shined through as brightly and steadfastly as BJ. He was quite an inspiration when it came to human courage, strength and faith," he said.
Sams would primarily anchor at KHON with Barbara Tanabe and Les Keiter. He also worked with Joe Moore, Ray Lovell, Ed Evans, Ken Wilson, Melanie Granfors and Pete Pepper.
One of Sams most memorable moments at KHON was witnessing the return of Vietnam prisoners of war at Hickam to American soil. More than 600 POWs returned home in a six-week period during the Vietnam War’s Operation Homecoming.
"Everyone was crying — it was quite emotional to me," Sams said. "A very powerful moment, and it happened right here in Hawaii."
In 1979, Sams left KHON and worked in real estate for a while before returning to local television news the following year at KITV. He anchored the weekend news with Rick Quan for two years.
Quan and Sams came from similar news backgrounds. "We did share a slightly unusual connection of both coming from jobs in Arkansas — he from Little Rock, me from Jonesboro," Quan said. "I remember BJ as a real pro and a Southern gentleman."
In 1982, Sams returned to Arkansas, anchoring at the CBS affiliate in Little Rock. He covered the rise of then-Gov. Bill Clinton into national politics and eventually the presidency. Sams sang in the church choir at Immanuel Baptist Church with the future president, who chose to have the choir perform at both of his inaugurations.
For 12 years Sams anchored the morning news in Little Rock, where the station enjoyed its best ratings with Sams at the helm. In 2000 the Associated Press named Sams its broadcaster of the year.
In 2009, Sams retired after 56 years in the radio and television business. Accolades poured in during the week of his retirement with video tributes from former President Clinton and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The KTHV studio in Little Rock was named in his honor.
"It’s been a nice ride. I’ve got to meet movie stars, politicians, Miss America winners, the news makers," Sams said.
In 2007, Sams was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame, an honor also bestowed to author John Grisham and singers Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Al Green and Charlie Rich.
Sams was inducted in 2008 into the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Gold Circle for his contributions to the television industry. Sams was also inducted into the Arkansas Walk of Fame in 2012.
Turning 80 next month, Sams is enjoying his retirement and returns to the islands during the winter nearly every year.
"I love the 80-degree weather. It’s a nice break for me. Hawaii is almost like a second home," Sams said.
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A.J. McWhorter, a collector of film and videotape cataloging Hawaii’s TV history, has worked as a producer, writer and researcher for both local and national media. Email him at flashback@hawaii.rr.com.
