Bill Redeker says he’s making a smart move transitioning from a career as a nightly-news correspondent to one as a Park City Realtor.
It may sound a bit like switching jobs at Blockbuster Video for one at a Hummer dealership, but Redeker says not so.
“I’ve had a lifelong attraction to real estate,” he said. “It’s a good time to get in the business as far as training is concerned. I’m learning all the various traits required and then putting them into practice.”
Besides, he said, it’s a really good time to get off the fence and buy.
He’s not naive or a spin doctor. In fact, he has six Emmy Awards from more than 35 years as a journalist for ABC and CBS.
Redeker says he knows what he’s talking about; he’s been dealing in real estate his entire career as a sort of hobby.
“I thoroughly enjoy it,” he said.
As the networks have pushed out senior reporters in a desperate grab for younger viewers, Redeker said he’s seen many colleagues make a transition into new careers. Many go to academia; some have opened restaurants or other hospitality businesses. With his interest in real estate, the move was a natural one, he said.
The two careers aren’t dissimilar; in journalism, about three-quarters of one’s time is spent researching and the same is true for a Realtor, Redeker said.
And Redeker is starting out with no shortage of contacts. He was the principal ABC correspondent for Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the arms for hostages scandal in Iran, the civil war in Lebanon, the TWA highjacking in Beirut, refugee crisis in South East Asia, the Somalia civil war, the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, famines in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and a revolution in the Philippines.
He’s also been stationed around the nation as well as in Tokyo, London, and Jerusalem. He’s also worked for CBS Evening News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, and Closeup (the ABC News documentary unit).
Still, he said he has to be careful about using those contacts.
“I want to be cautious and not use contacts to irritate or provoke any ill will,” he said. “I want to be very diplomatic.”
And he hasn’t left the world of journalism completely. He’s created a presentation on how media has changed over the last four decades and can be hired as a speaker through Rocky Mountain Connections.
He also does media consulting and recently worked with a conference of attorneys explaining trends in the media. He plans to do some writing of his own maybe even a book or two.
Today’s television journalists must do the work of five people. It’s economical, but that leaves less time for research and fact checking. And anyone over 50 must be careful moving forward or they’ll be out of a job, he said.
But speaking of himself, Redeker said he was ready for a change.
“I don’t resent it to any degree. I had a tremendous run in the industry,” he said. “I’ve lived everywhere I have nothing but great memories.”
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