Bill Kurtis is an award-winning American television journalist, producer, narrator, and news anchor, and he is the Founder and President of Kurtis Productions, Ltd. He was also the host of a number of A&E crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice, and Cold Case Files. Previously, he anchored The CBS Morning News and CBS Reports, and was the longtime anchor at WBBM-TV, the CBS-owned and -operated TV station in Chicago. His most notable reporting concerned the chemical Agent Orange, an herbicide used in Vietnam to reduce foliage, thought to be harmless to humans. Kurtis’ two investigative documentaries led to Congress and the beginning of fifty years of study that has resulted in complete medical coverage for Vietnam veterans who served there.
In 2025, Kurtis published an autobiography entitled, Whirlwind, My Life Reporting the News, recounting moments in his remarkable career as a television journalist and offering an insider look at how television evolved from an emerging news source to the dominating force in American media. Kurtis has previously authored three additional books, On Assignment (1984), The Death Penalty on Trial (2004), and Prairie Table Cookbook (2008).
