Huell Howser

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Howser conducts an interview for Visiting.

Huell's image on a milk bottle

Huell Burnley Howser (born 18 October 1945 in Gallatin, Tennessee) is a television personality best-known for his travel shows for PBS affiliate KCET.

Howser's shows - California's Gold, California's Golden Parks, California's Water, Visiting... with Huell Howser, Our Neighborhoods, The Bench, Road Trip, and various specials - highlight small towns, landmarks, events or places of interest throughout California which are not well-known to the general public, and Howser conducting informal interviews with the locals.

1 Career
2 Other work
3 Political Viewpoints
4 Pop culture
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Career

He received a B.A. in history from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he also served as student body president. Howser's career began at WSM-TV in Nashville after serving on the staff of Howard Baker. He began a series of "human interest" stories for WSM. Howser became extremely popular as the host of a popular segment on what was at that time still a market-dominant station, especially with regard to local news.^{[citation needed]}

Howser became the subject of controversy in the summer of 1979 when he did a story about how the former Tennessee Governor's Mansion was slated for demolition to make way for a Popeye's Fried Chicken outlet. He ignored management's orders to not mention the story on-air. His defiance led to a thirty-day suspension, but before the suspension was over, Howser had secured new employment. He has often since stated that he might still be "looking for more pet pigs around Nashville"^{[citation needed]} if this incident had never occurred.

After working in New York, he moved to Los Angeles in 1981 to work as a reporter for KCBS-TV.

[edit] Other work

Articles written by Howser have appeared in Westways, the magazine of the Automobile Club of Southern California.^[1]

[edit] Political Viewpoints

Howser revealed his disgust with both major American political parties, as well as his empathy for illegal immigrants, in a 1999 interview with the Riverside County newspaper ^[2]

Howser spear-headed a failed effort to save buildings at the Long Beach Naval Station by African-American architect Paul Williams from being demolished. ^[3]