Hundreds gather to honor the late Jim Houston
Funeral services for Jim Houston are underway at Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert. Jim Houston, along with his wife Jackie Lee, bought CBS Local 2 in 2002. He sold the station to News Press and Gazette Company in 2012, merging it with local stations KESQ-TV and KUNA-TV. CBS Local 2 anchor Kris Long said, “Mr. Houston was a wonderful man, who brought the CBS Network to the Coachella Valley. It was an honor to work for him and his late wife Jackie Lee.”
Former KPSP Local 2 Vice President and General Manager remembered working with Houston from 2007 to 2012. He said working with Houston was fun, creating projects including the Coachella Valley Spotlight, recognizing Valley organizations making a difference in the community.
“Jim made it easy,” Perry said. “He was a great entrepreneur. He really understood the business world. Even though he had not specifically been in the TV business before, he knew where the leverage points in the business were. He would always say, ‘Do the right thing for the community.’ You don’t hear that a lot in broadcasting anymore, but he was able to do that.”
The Houstons have always been known for donating to many valley charities including the McCallum Theater, Palm Springs International Film Festival, FIND Food Bank, Eisenhower Medical Center and many others.
PSIFF Chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement, “A great loss. A great man and a great friend.”
We will have full coverage of his funeral online and on air tonight on CBS Local 2 and KESQ.
