Veteran Journalist Jim Avila Dies at 69
A celebrated career spanning local and national news has come to a close with the passing of Jim Avila, a veteran journalist who died Wednesday at his home in San Diego, California. He was 69 years old. Avila’s decades-long commitment to impactful reporting earned him numerous accolades and established him as a trusted voice in American journalism.
Avila began his broadcasting career in radio and local television, working at KCBS in San Francisco, KPIX-TV in the Bay Area, and Chicago’s ABC 7 before joining CBS Chicago in 1984. For nearly a decade, he was a prominent figure on Channel 2 News, covering a wide range of stories with a distinctly Chicago focus.
During his tenure at CBS Chicago, Avila’s reporting encompassed everything from political developments and crime investigations to the cultural shifts marked by the openings of iconic venues like the Hard Rock Cafe and the Limelight nightclub. He was notably on the scene at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on November 25, 1987, when Mayor Harold Washington passed away. Avila also played a key role, alongside the late Mike Parker, in covering the still-unsolved 1992 murder of college student Tammy Zywicki.
His commitment to international reporting led him to Tel Aviv, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia in 1991 to cover the Persian Gulf War. Avila’s reporting extended to the TWA Flight 847 hijacking and the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, as well as the civil wars in Lebanon and Nicaragua. He worked alongside broadcasting icons such as Bill Kurtis, Walter Jacobson, and Lester Holt during his time at CBS Chicago.
Following his prosperous run at CBS Chicago, Avila transitioned to KNBC-TV, NBC 4 in Los Angeles, where he served as the lead investigative reporter for the O.J. Simpson trial. He continued to rise within NBC News, working in the Chicago bureau and later as a national correspondent, reporting on the September 11, 2001 attacks and providing coverage from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Avila later joined ABC News as a senior law and justice correspondent, focusing on high-profile trials. from 2012 to 2016,he covered the white House during the Obama administration. in 2021, Avila returned to local news, joining San Diego ABC affiliate KGTV 10 as a senior investigative correspondent in 2023.
Throughout his distinguished career, Avila was recognized with multiple Emmy and Edward R. murrow Awards, as well as the prestigious Merriman award from the White House Correspondents Association. His family noted that his father,James Wesley Simon,held leadership positions at both CBS News and Mutual Broadcasting.
Avila is survived by his mother, Eve Simon; his sister, Karie Simon; his brothers, Tom Simon – formerly of Fox News and CNN and currently with Williston Trending Topics – and Jaie Avila, an investigative reporter for NBC affiliate WOAI in San Antonio; and his children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan. His legacy as a dedicated journalist and a fearless reporter will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations.
