Jim Avila taught me more about the television news industry — and about life — than almost anyone I’ve met in this business.
When he worked with us here at Barrett Media, I had the chance to learn from someone who was not just a veteran ABC News correspondent, but a steady voice who carried decades of experience without ever making you feel lesser for having far less.
Jim Avila died Thursday at 69, and the news hit me harder than I expected. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Few people leave a mark that deep.
Jim shared infinite wisdom about the TV news business. If I had a question, he answered it. If I needed insight on a network, an executive, or a talent, he had it. Jim could walk me through topics in a way that made the complicated seem obvious. He didn’t hoard knowledge. He handed it out freely, as if he felt a responsibility to make sure the next guy didn’t have to learn the hard way.
That’s not as common as it should be in our business. Television news can often feel like a competition between colleagues who should be teammates. Some veterans love to remind you how long they’ve been around. Others like to flash their scars and treat survival as a badge you haven’t yet earned. Jim never acted that way. He knew the value of experience, but he didn’t wield it like a weapon. He shared it out of generosity.
And that generosity wasn’t limited to the newsroom. Jim believed deeply in helping the next generation get a fair shot. That extended well beyond media. It was a philosophy about life. He didn’t think success should be guarded or treated like a family heirloom locked behind glass. Too many in the baby boomer generation — and I say this as an observation, not an insult — tried to pull the ladder up behind them as they climbed. Jim did the opposite. He held the ladder.
He insisted you climb higher than he did. That’s clear in the way he exited his final on-air TV role in San Diego. When he could sniff that budget cuts could be on the horizon, he voluntarily stepped away, saying that it wasn’t fair for those younger than him to lose their jobs while he — in his late 60s — held on.
His guidance was not loud or performative. It was thoughtful, patient, and came without the slightest hint that he expected something in return. He believed the business got better when people tried to lift each other up, not push each other out of the way. He believed people got better the same way.
I respected him in a way I have respected very few. You don’t meet many people who give time and advice with no strings attached. You don’t meet many who blend toughness and kindness so seamlessly. Jim Avila could analyze the structural flaws of a network with the precision of a surgeon. He could also remind you, without sounding preachy, that the work matters less than the people you meet doing it.
In our conversations, he told stories from decades in network news, but never in a self-serving way. He talked about the craft, the stakes, the pressure, and the mistakes that shaped him. When someone with his level of experience takes the time to mentor you, you listen. And you carry those lessons with you.
His passing is a loss for the industry, but it’s a much larger loss for the people he helped along the way. I’m grateful to be one of them, even in the slightest sense. I’m grateful he offered insight and treated me like a colleague long before I had earned that status.
I will miss him. I will miss his insight and his willingness to make this business feel less cold than it can sometimes be. My condolences go out to his family and friends. They shared a man who made an impact on more lives than he probably realized.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
