Van Hackett

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Van Hackett
Born
Perry Van Vliet Hackett

(1943-04-22) April 22, 1943 (age 82)
Scarsdale, New York
StatusMarried
OccupationTelevision journalist
SpouseClara Ann[1]

Perry Van Vliet Hackett (born 1943) is an American television journalist who worked as a news anchor at TV stations across the United States.

Early life

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Perry Van Vliet Hackett was born April 22, 1943, in Scarsdale, New York.[2] He graduated from Parsons College in Iowa in 1965.[3]

Career

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Though Hackett had earned a biology degree at Parsons, he decided to enter television news to make money, first working at KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri. He then served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and left in 1970 with the rank of first lieutenant.[1]

Hackett was hired by WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1973. He served as the assistant news director[4] and 5:30 and 11 p.m. news anchor until being dismissed in 1976. At the time, the station was adopting electronic news gathering, and its management felt another anchor would be a better fit for the forthcoming format.[5] Hackett cycled through jobs over the next several years, working short stints at KTVV in Austin, Texas (1976–1977);[6] WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee (1977–1978)[3][7]; and KTVX in Salt Lake City.[8]

In 1980, Hackett joined the news staff of KTRK-TV in Houston.[9] He anchored the station's Live at Five newscast[10] before moving to weekends in 1983.[11] In 1984, Hackett and Melanie Lawson were named the station's full-time weekend anchor team while continuing to do reporting.[12] He was moved to anchor the 7 a.m. news in 1986.[13]

Hackett departed KTRK-TV in 1987 after being offered a job by WWOR-TV,[14] a New York City–market station in Secaucus, New Jersey. Hackett initially slotted into the noon and 8 p.m. newscasts, replacing Tom Dunn,[15] but the news department was in the middle of an overhaul under new owners MCA Inc.[16] On October 12, the station debuted an hour-long 10 p.m. newscast anchored by Hackett and Jennifer Valoppi, replacing the 8 p.m. newscast.[17]

Less than a year after Hackett was hired, veteran New York City anchorman Rolland Smith became available after CBS canceled The Morning Program, a short-lived national morning show. WWOR-TV news director Tom Petner hired Smith, who was more known to New York–area viewers than Hackett; calling him "the crown jewel", he was placed on the 10 p.m. news with Valoppi, with Hackett moved to the noon news.[18] That program was canceled as part of a major reorganization of the station's daytime programming,[19] and Hackett departed upon the expiration of his contract in August 1989, refusing an offer to stay on in another role.[20]

At the end of 1989, Hackett was hired by WVIT in Hartford, Connecticut, to anchor the station's 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Hackett brought a profile of experience to the position, as previously WVIT evening anchor Joanne Nesti had been paired with newcomers to broadcasting—Anthony Everett and Toby Moffett. However, industry observers doubted that Hackett would provide a ratings boost to WVIT's third-rated local news.[21] WVIT's news fortunes did not change while Hackett was at the station, and in 1993, he was forced out by a broader news anchor reshuffling at Connecticut's TV stations. WVIT hired Gerry Brooks, a popular anchor at market-leading WFSB, to present the 6 and 11 p.m. news alongside Nesti, and Hackett acknowledged the move would lead to his departure.[22] Hackett doubted he'd work in television news again, telling Jon Lender of the Hartford Courant that he was not "impressed with the direction the medium was heading in" and lamenting its "trivialization".[23]

Though he worked in radio news in New York, Hackett remained out of the television industry until December 2003, when he became the main anchor and news director at WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He retired from the position on August 18, 2006.[1]

Personal life

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Off and on over the years, as early as 1984,[24] Hackett worked on a novel fictionalizing his experiences in Vietnam.[23] He was still marketing the manuscript, as well as a second book, as of 2006.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Wright, Dan (July 29, 2006). "Signing Off - WHSV News Director And Anchor Hackett To Retire Next Month". Daily News-Record.
  2. ^ "Alumni News". Splinters. Vol. 51. Rogers Hall School. Spring 1944. p. 34.
  3. ^ a b "WBIR-TV Names Van Hackett as News Director". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. July 10, 1977. p. TV-4. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Assistant Director". The Stuart News. Stuart, Florida. October 18, 1973. p. 6-C. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Smith, Thom (April 1, 1976). "Television Station WPTV Dismisses Newsman Hackett". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. p. C2. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Tuttle, Lisa (December 23, 1976). "KTVV news gets personnel boost". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. C8. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Bob Selwyn Replaces Van Hackett at WBIR-TV". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. June 24, 1978. p. 16. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Collett, Rod (January 22, 1979). "Upfront: News Stars Viewed". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. p. TV9. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Hodges, Ann (July 31, 1980). "Has a 'juvenile squad' taken over Houston's TV news?". The Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. p. 1:18. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Station break: Pair anchors Ch. 13's 'Live at 5'". The Houston Post. Houston, Texas. March 26, 1981. p. 11D. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Hodges, Ann (October 28, 1983). "Fallis ends 10-year stint as television reporter, anchor at Ch. 13". The Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. p. 5:8. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "NBC series do well in ratings, but network again No. 3". The Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. July 19, 1984. p. 3:4. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Hodges, Ann (August 19, 1986). "Feeling the bite: Oil crunch mires 'Dallas' dealing". The Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. pp. 4:1, 4. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Hodges, Ann (July 3, 1987). "Morning anchor Hackett, two others to leave Ch. 13 staff". The Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. p. 4:13. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Maksian, George (July 16, 1987). "As the soaps (and hearings) turn; Eddie scores". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 82. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Maksian, George (August 12, 1987). "Channel 9 starting up new 10 p.m. newscast". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 73. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Maksian, George (October 1, 1987). "Ch 9's new news for 10 p.m." Daily News. New York, New York. p. 91. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Alexander, Randy (June 6, 1988). "Rolland Smith to anchor WWOR-TV at 10 p.m." The Times. Trenton, New Jersey. p. B7. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Maksian, George (July 21, 1989). "Big changes at Ch. 9". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 105. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Maksian, George (August 10, 1989). "Ch. 9 anchor Hackett decides to call it quits". Daily News. New York, New York. p. 92. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Endrst, James (December 21, 1989). "Channel 30 hires New Jersey newsman as co-anchor with Nesti". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. p. A2. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Gerry Brooks gets anchor job at Channel 30". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. August 24, 1993. pp. D7, D9. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b Lender, Jon (December 20, 1993). "Anchors aweigh in turbulent newscast seas". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. pp. D1, D2. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Ewing, Betty (June 16, 1984). "Gala event caps off 'Sweeney Todd' rehearsal: Houstonians, stars highlight celebration". The Houston Chronicle. Houston, Texas. p. 6:5. Retrieved August 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.