Mitch McCoy

KARK’s investigative reporter and breaking news anchor Mitch McCoy is well-versed in news and broadcasting, as well as its various methods of delivery. Now, after spending several years with KARK, McCoy is determined to use a wide swath of knowledge and experience to help those in Arkansas who struggle to stand up for themselves against the people who do them wrong. * * * * * * * * *

McCoy has been interested in television news since he was a child growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“I convinced the principal at my elementary school to let us do news and announcements every Friday morning, and I was able to make them,” McCoy recalled. “That’s when I started getting passionate about TV news and journalism and telling peoples’ stories.”

In middle school, McCoy started job shadowing journalists, and his passion grew as he helped with his high school’s TV production program. But life’s journey rarely goes in a straight line from one milestone to the next. McCoy’s journey was no exception.

“When I was in high school, my dad was diagnosed with stage four adenoid cystic carcinoma cancer, and he had to stop working,” he shared. “My mom had owned her business for 20 years, and she stopped to help take care of my dad. So I ended up having to get a job after high school to help pay bills — I got a job in radio, so I did not go to college. I went in head-first. I knew I had to get a job to help my family.”

McCoy grew up fast, and when his father moved to St. Louis for a life-extending surgery in 2013, McCoy and his brothers made the move as well. After moving, McCoy got a job as an executive producer and reporter at KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri. The KQTV station was owned by Nexstar Media Group, the same organization that owns KARK. McCoy’s supervisor asked him if he would be interested in attending a conference hosted by KARK, and McCoy indicated that he was interested in learning more. One weekend was all it took for McCoy to fall in love with Little Rock.

“Not long after visiting, a reporter position opened and I applied for that job, and I was initially turned down. But then, after a few months, they offered me the position,” McCoy said.

Since then, McCoy has spent his tenure at KARK, cracking down on con artists and shady contractors who are out to hurt Arkansans.

“My passion for news and investigative journalism came from my parents,” McCoy said. “My mom was a small business owner and my dad was a carpenter. I saw all the hard work and the hours that they put into their jobs, and it made me realize that hard work and a little knowhow can go a really long way. That’s given me somewhat of a foundation in my career and it made me want to protect the people that are in a bad situation. I want to protect people like my mom and dad, who are working hard to pay the bills and want to make ends meet. To go after the con artists and bad contractors . . . being able to give the hard workers protection gives me the drive and the fuel to do this job and do it well — to try and give these people a voice.”

On his mission to help the Arkansans who need it the most, McCoy has had a chance to fill nearly every news role, from producer to reporter to radio. He even recently had an opportunity to do his own podcast.

“I recently did a podcast about Sydney Sutherland’s tragic homicide. I had done radio work before, so I knew about the value of telling someone’s story through the voices of the people close to them. But podcasts are insanely detail-oriented in order to get audio cues just right, like crickets or footsteps or a car door shutting,” he said. “It is so time-consuming to do radio or podcasts because you have to captivate your audi- ence with sound. I have so much respect for people who work on audio platforms.”

McCoy discussed the difference between his career behind a microphone and his career in front of a camera.

“With radio, it’s more or less the sounds of everything — you tell a story through an audio track. But with TV, you work with a photojournalist who will help you tell a story visually. Every platform we have now is different compared to even just a few years ago. Now, I’m telling a story for both our TV audience and our digital audience. Back in radio, I’d show up in jeans and a sweatshirt. In TV, I have to wear a suit and tie and be well-groomed,” he explained with a laugh. “In radio and podcast, you hear from people themselves. On TV, you’re able to see some of these people’s faces. To see the mom, or the veteran that has been wronged — it just weighs on people differently. To see the faces of the people who were victims of a crime — that matters today to the community. It helps people relate.”

And McCoy’s efforts are paying off. In the last year, he won an Emmy and Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for his “Denied” series, which was an investigation into a judge’s denial of people in need of public defenders.

When he’s not in front of a camera, McCoy loves spending time with his friends and trying new things together.

“I have a really good core friend group and we love the local restaurant scene, especially Heights Taco and Tamale on a Friday night,” he said.

McCoy revealed he also loves thrift shopping and taking walks.

“I love thrift shopping. My dad was always a huge ‘let’s see what kind of garage sale we can find and what kind of bargain we can get’ type of guy,” he said. “I love thrifting; it goes back to how hard work and knowhow can set you up for success. When I’m not thrifting, I love walking. I’ve lost 20 pounds since February. I’ve been walking in the morning and night, but now it’s so cold and gets dark so quickly that I’m trying to find my new routine.”

As McCoy looks ahead to the future, his family and his community lie at the core of his ideals.

“Family is so important to me. I lost my dad in August of 2021, and my family is spread out in Michigan and St. Louis, and other places across the U.S.,” he said. “I’ve been talking with them and want to make sure that they’re doing well. I want to continue standing up for the everyday folks. Nowadays, especially with the cost of everything going up, peoples’ money is tighter now. If they lose $500 on a contractor or a bad business deal, that means more today than ever before, and I have to keep fighting for those people.”

Regardless of the format through which McCoy delivers the news, he’s eager to continue improving his community.

“I want to keep pushing for change and standing up for people,” he said. “But with this world and its current pace, there are always going to be new challenges, and we have to continue to tell peoples’ stories in unique ways. I continue to push for a better community and a better place to live.” c b

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