Bill Kurtis, longtime news anchor for WBBM-TV (Channel 2 Chicago) and host of the A&E Channel’s The Great Explorers program, explained the need for people to take notice of a crisis with the water supply throughout the world.
The world’s population is growing, but the world’s water supply is not growing, it is in stasis. Kurtis spoke of this problem as part of a conference on the subject of “Water and Peace” at NEIU.
The conference included Deborah Shore of the Board of Commissioners of the Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The overriding theme was the importance of water to the world, the effects of overuse and global warming, and how to take care of the Earth’s water.
The Independent spoke with keynote speaker Kurtis shortly before his speech. “99 percent of world scientists says it is changing and we’re causing it and we better do something to hold the line to at least 450 parts per million,” Kurtis explained this as “line in the sand, or in the air if you will,” addressing the rising carbon dioxide levels.
“Carbon dioxide numbers are currently at 350 parts per million and is expected to increase to 650 parts per million in 50 years,” explained Kurtis stating that it would change the atmosphere. “I like to breathe oxygen,” he said.
“We have to start living like the Israelis did many years ago … Where in Qumran, which is on the Dead Sea, the Romans and the Jews 2,000 years ago had cut channels in the rock to carry the thunderstorm water all the way down to fill ritual baths,” said Kurtis said. “If they could do it, we can do it.” He continued, “We need to start learning how to do this.”
Kurtis also explained that as a result of global warming “We’ll have more hurricanes, more tornadoes, more floods and more droughts.” He went on to say that we may not know where these events will occur but more importantly that we need to know that there will be an increase in the frequency of these occurrences.
Kurtis, a longtime broadcaster and local Chicago anchorman also spoke to the Independent about his concerns with the state of the media. “There has never been a more chaotic time in the media.” He explained that everything is going be replaced by the computer and the Internet, and that it is a free medium for media. “But we know one thing, somebody is going to have to have the skill of communication, that means the spoken and written,” he said.
He is calling this time the “end of the million dollar anchor.” Kurtis referenced the recent WBBM-TV (Channel 2) anchor Antonio Mora, whose contract was not renewed. Kurtis said, “It is hard to pay big money if the company is not producing big numbers.”
According to Kurtis the broadcast world is trying to catch up with the 18-35-year-old demographic by changing its programming. “Court-TV is changing its name for God’s sake,” he exclaimed. “Look at Katie Couric, she can’t buy ratings and she can’t stay for that reason,” he continued.
He also recounted his first time on YouTube, by watching Paul Potts singing on Britain’s Got Talent.
Kurtis recounted his big break into broadcast journalism, “While I was studying for the BAR in 1966, I worked at the Topeka, Kansas news station and a guy wanted me to fill-in for him for the six o’clock news and it happened to be when we got a tornado warning,” This is when he was 26 and the storm was heading straight for downtown and he was told to send the alarm, “For God’s sake take cover!” he said over the airwaves.
The storm wiped out eight of ten buildings at the University of Kansas, where he went to school and ripped a hole out of the capitol dome. The swath of damage stretched for twelve miles. “It did send me to Chicago in three months,” he said.
“I never looked back and spent 30 years at CBS (Channel 2 Chicago),” he said.
“Weather stories are the biggest stories we’ve got it seems,” he said “Now look at Greensburg, Kansas … where a storm wiped out the ‘entire’ town down to the slabs,” said Kurtis. He leaned in with interest his eyes widening, “Not an F5 an EF5, with 28 tornadoes that were down on the ground at the same time, it’s got to be because of global warming,” concluded Kurtis.