Jim Heath is a television news correspondent and author.
Broadcaster
Heath has been a broadcast journalist for nearly two decades, including serving as the Political Correspondent and Analyst for WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio. He was also the moderator of the weekly political program Capitol Square, aired each Sunday on WBNS. Prior to joining WBNS, Heath was the Statehouse Correspondent and Capitol Square Moderator for the Ohio News Network. From 2003 to 2009, Heath was the primary evening anchor at the ABC-TV affiliate WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. From 2000 to 2003, he was the primary evening anchor at the NBC-TV affiliate KYMA-DT in Yuma, Arizona. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Heath made national news following an interview with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. During the interview, which took place in Columbus, Ohio, Heath asked Romney whether he supported the Blunt Amendment. The controversial legislation was being voted on by the U.S. Senate the following day. Romney answered "no, I do not support the bill" but later in the day reversed his position, claiming he misunderstood Heath's question. The reaction to Romney's initial answer made headlines across the county and was the topic of national cable television political shows. For his political reporting, Heath was awarded the national Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Political Coverage. He has also won two news Emmy Awards out of a total five nominations.
Author
Front Row Seat at the Circus: One Journalist's Journey through two Presidential Elections is a behind-the-scenes look at Heath's coverage of both the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. Steve Scully, Political Editor of C-SPAN Networks and Past President of the White House Correspondents' Association said about the book, "Electing a president has turned into a political circus and nobody captures it better than Jim Heath. From his vantage points in South Carolina and Ohio, which are ground zero in presidential campaigns, Jim provides amazing insights and remarkable stories. This is a 'must-read' for anyone interested in the sport of politics". Covering Mitt chronicles Heath's coverage of Sen. Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Mylo the Panda Travels to Washington, D.C. is Heath's first children's book, written to address the "negative and angry tone" in America.
Social media
Prior to Ohio's 2012 presidential primary, The Washington Post named Heath to their "Best Super Tuesday Twitter List." GQ Magazine named Heath to their Weekly National Power List, writing: "Heath’s interview, and the corresponding controversy it sparked when Mitt Romney seemed to come out against Blunt’s amendment, counts as the biggest scoop on the campaign trial this week." Dylan Byers, from POLITICO, added: "Romney has shown an uncanny ability to step in it right when he should be picking up momentum—whether on the day after a primary victory or the day after a strong debate performance. If you’re the person who draws that out of him, it’s a big week for you, no question."
Readership
Jim Heath TV is officially non-partisan. Heath told C-SPAN that his website regularly includes a variety of reality TV articles, because "from the president on down, so much of our politics today is like a reality TV show."
Biography
Prior to television, Heath spent a decade in the political arena, including serving as the first congressional press secretary for Rep. J.D. Hayworth, chief of staff to corporation commissioner Dale Morgan, and a candidate for statewide public office in Arizona. In addition, he was elected the youngest Republican county chairman in the country in 1989, and was a George Bush Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1992. Heath registered as an Independent prior to the start of his broadcast journalism career. Although born in Ohio, Heath grew up in Lake Havasu City, Arizona and was a communications major at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He completed his broadcasting internship at KTSP CBS in Phoenix.
