Bill Capo
Bill Capo
A New Orleans native, WWL-TV's Bill Capo has been attracted to television news reporting since before he was "old enough to ride the streetcar alone." When he was 7 years old, Bill started making a daily trek to a local television station to watch all aspects of news gathering, reporting and editing firsthand - when it was still done on film. His first job was a 17 year-old courier by day, studio camera operator by night.
After receiving his BA in Communications from Loyola University in 1975, Bill took several reporting jobs in the southeast before coming to WWL-TV in 1980. In his years with WWL-TV, Bill has covered everything from papal and presidential visits to cat-in-the-tree stories. He is also well-known for his rides aboard Hurricane Hunter airplanes. But Bill says that he "absolutely cannot pick a story to call (his) favorite. My job is utterly fascinating...everyday there's a story completely unique that needs to be told."
With the spread of technology, we also give folks a peek at some of the gadgets they might be using in just a few years."
Since 1985, he has been the Eyewitness News Action Reporter. He offers help to Southeast Louisianans, whether they're fighting city hall, facing organ transplants or experiencing financial emergencies. Aside from cutting red tape, Bill often brings together people who need help and those willing to give it. "Many times, New Orleanians 'make' the Action Report. You will not find more generous people anywhere."
In fact, his telephone hotline receives an average of eight thousand calls per year, with people looking for help with all types of consumer problems. "I've seen it all," says Bill, "from people whose bank accounts were drained when a bank failed to destroy misprinted checks, to a sport fishing yacht that turned out to be leaky rubber raft." Bill adds, "being able to make a positive influence on so many people's lives really makes my job fun.
Bill also says that his wife and two daughters positively affect his work. "I have a bulletin board facing my computer with various pictures of my family on it. I call it my 'deadline board.' Whenever I have a writer's block on a story and wonder how it will impact the viewer, I just look up at all the pictures of my family and the story . . . just comes to me."
Bill's Action Reports air on the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. editions of Eyewitness News. And he also shows viewers how to make safe holiday cheer with his 12 for the Road series every December.
"My work has taken me to a lot of places around the country and the world," Bill Capo says. "I can't think of any place I'd rather live than New Orleans."
