More than four decades have passed since Art Holliday first appeared on St. Louis area airwaves at KSDK, yet his dedication to viewers that have followed him since his 1979 debut has not weakened. His signal is still quite strong.
Holliday now serves as the station’s news director, following a journey that has seen him serve as a sports and news reporter, anchor, and community representative at many regional events.
He has been at home at Busch Stadium as he has in St. Louis City Hall, courtrooms, concerts, or Fourth of July celebrations.
“I’ve spent most of my lifetime reporting sports and news, anchoring our morning show, and serving as a news manager during my 45 years at KSDK. And I did it in my hometown,” said Holliday, a St. Charles native.
“Thousands of stories, sportscasts, and newscasts. Jimmy Carter was president when I started.”
He began his career as a sports reporter and in 1989 was named Jennifer Blome’s co-anchor of “Today in St. Louis.”
He held that role for 22 years before serving with the station’s Storytelling Unit and as Kay Quinn’s co-anchor at 4 p.m. He was named news director in March 2021 after serving in an interim capacity from December 2020.
“It’s been one surprise after another, one re-invention after another, so it is my honor to be the news director at KSDK Five On Your Side,” Holliday announced on Twitter/X.
A bevy of Emmy Awards and accolades have been bestowed on Holliday during his illustrious career.
He won sportscasting Emmys in 1985, 1988, and 1989. In 2022, Holliday was inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, and he received the President’s Award from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that year, as well.
Holliday was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists in 2021.
In 2002, the National Alliance on Mental Health presented Holliday its annual Media Award, and the following year the University of Missouri-Columbia selected him for its prestigious Faculty-Alumni Award. In 2009, he was inducted into the St. Louis Media Foundation Television Hall of Fame.
Holliday will accept the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Paragon Awards ceremony on Oct. 17, 2024, at the Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Blvd.
The Ivy Foundation of St. Louis host the Paragon Awards, along with partners Omicron Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated®; and Epsilon Lambda Charitable Foundation.
“All these decades later when an organization singles you out to say, ‘well done,’ it’s special and I’m grateful,” said Holliday.
“Any recognition is nice, but when the words ‘lifetime achievement’ precede the award, it’s a sobering moment that makes you reflect.”
The awards celebrate the achievements of Black men in the St. Louis community. Nine other men will be honored at the ceremony.
“Art’s dedication to St. Louis is not measured by his years of service but rather his passion and the impact he has made on countless lives,” said KSDK President and General Manager Alicia Elsner.
“Art continues to make an impact in our newsroom through his stellar leadership and unparalleled recruitment talents. We are blessed to have him as our news director.”
Art the news story of the century happened and no body realized it. I’ll drive up to Saint Louis and display it for you if you want.
My husband and I have enjoyed Art Holliday’s personality and reporting since he started in St. Louis. We have respected his style and trusted his values in his honest reporting. We wish him all the best in his retirement and hope he will continue to be involved in the St. Louis community.