Biography.guide
Home › People › Journalist › Harry Porterfield
Portrait of Harry Porterfield

Harry Porterfield

1928 – 2023

American news reporter in Chicago

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Harry Porterfield

Lived 1928 – 2023 (aged 95). Harry Porterfield was an American journalist.

Harry Porterfield (August 29, 1928 – October 23, 2023) was an American news anchor for WBBM-TV.

Life and career Porterfield was born in Saginaw, Michigan, and began his career in 1955, working as a disc jockey for WKNX. Porterfield began working at WBBM in 1964 as a news writer. Porterfield left WBBM in 1985 for WLS-TV, where he worked for 24 years, but returned to WBBM in 2009 as the 11 a.m. news anchor. In December 2015, Porterfield announced his retirement.

While working for both WBBM and WLS, Porterfield was known for his "Someone You Should Know" segments.

CBS Boycott In 1985, Porterfield was demoted from his job as anchorman at CBS affiliate WBBM to reporter when former anchorman Bill Kurtis returned to the station and was given his old time slot and position back. As a result, Porterfield resigned from WBBM and moved to the ABC affiliate WLS. This resulted in a 10-month boycott of CBS led by Jesse Jackson and Operation PUSH.

Death Harry Porterfield died on October 23, 2023, at the age of 95.

Awards Porterfield won eleven Emmy Awards, a Studs Terkel Award, and the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
DePaul University, Eastern Michigan University
Employers
WBBM-TV, WLS

People in Harry Porterfield's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Harry Porterfield's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Harry Porterfield?

American news reporter in Chicago

When was Harry Porterfield born?

Harry Porterfield was born on 29 August 1928 in Saginaw.

When did Harry Porterfield die?

Harry Porterfield died on 23 October 2023 in Munster.

What was Harry Porterfield's occupation?

Harry Porterfield was a journalist.

What nationality was Harry Porterfield?

Harry Porterfield was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Harry Porterfield

· Wikidata: Q24566028

· DBpedia: Harry Porterfield

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Harry Porterfield. https://biography.guide/harry-porterfield/

MLA: "Harry Porterfield." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/harry-porterfield/.

Chicago: "Harry Porterfield." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/harry-porterfield/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:27 UTC