Central Arkansas is mourning the loss of B.J. Sams, a familiar face on local television for nearly three decades, who passed away at the age of 91.
News of his death came on June 25, 2026, prompting tributes from former colleagues and the stations he called home throughout his long broadcasting career.
Sams built a reputation as one of the most trusted figures in Arkansas media, spending more than 50 years in the industry.
His path to becoming a household name started in an unlikely place: as a teenager in Knoxville, Tennessee, he was hired to work as a janitor at a radio station, only to be quickly bumped up to on-air duties as “B.J. the DJ.” That early break launched a career that would carry him across the country and even overseas.
From Radio Beginnings to a Television Career
After his time in Tennessee radio, Sams was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1958, where he served as a broadcast specialist.
Once his service ended, he pivoted into television, first taking a job in Louisiana before eventually landing in Little Rock, where he joined KATV and spent seven years there building his on-air presence.
His talent didn’t stay confined to Arkansas for long. Sam left the state for Honolulu, Hawaii, where he spent close to a decade working for NBC affiliate KHON-TV and became one of the most recognized journalists on the islands.
Eventually, the pull of Arkansas brought him back. He returned to Little Rock in the early 1980s and joined Today’s THV11, where he would spend almost 30 years anchoring both the evening news and, later, the morning broadcast.
A Career Built on Connection, Not Awards
Alongside co-anchors Robyn Richardson and Tom Brannon, Sams helped turn Today’s THV11 This Morning into the top-rated morning newscast in central Arkansas for more than a decade.
Colleagues say his lasting impact came not from accolades but from how he treated the people around him.
THV11 Chief Meteorologist Tom Brannon remembered Sams as someone who informed and comforted viewers throughout his career, while becoming one of the most trusted voices the state has known. Brannon said Sams would rather talk about people than awards if asked what mattered most to him.
Robyn Richardson, who worked alongside Sams for 15 years, said he became far more than a colleague to her, growing into a close friend and an important part of her family.
She also noted that although Sams was originally from Tennessee, his family wanted it known that he considered Arkansas home.
Sam retired from television in 2009, closing out a career that spanned radio and TV work in multiple states.
His accomplishments were widely recognized over the years, including induction into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2007, a spot on the Arkansas Walk of Fame in 2012, and an induction into the Arkansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2024. He also received a Mid-America Emmy Gold Circle Award honoring a lifetime of excellence in television.
Outside of the newsroom, Sams stayed active in his community, taking part in the choir and volunteering at Immanuel Baptist Church.
He leaves behind a legacy as one of Arkansas’s most recognizable and respected broadcasters, remembered by colleagues and viewers alike for both his decades of work and his warmth off camera.
