The NABJ Family Mourns the Loss of 2019 Journalist of Distinction Mel Showers

The NABJ family is mourning the loss of 2019 Journalist of Distinction honoree Mel Showers.

In the 1960s, Showers broke down barriers that paved the way for Black journalists. He was one of the first Black anchors in the Mobile-Pensacola television market and the first Black journalist to anchor an evening newscast full-time at WKRG-TV.

An Alabama Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee, Showers retired in 2019 after 50 groundbreaking years at WKRG. He was known for his courageous and thought-provoking coverage of major stories, including the KKK lynching of Michael Donald in 1981 and Hurricane Frederic in 1979. In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, Showers reported on air for 24 hours a day for nine straight days, covering the community’s destruction. His impactful storytelling and commitment to journalism earned him the Mobile Press Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Showers began his career in media as a reporter covering beats such as the courts, local police, the Alabama Legislature, and Mobile’s city and county governments. Before his journalism career, he served as a military intelligence analyst in the Far East, Middle East, and other regions with the U.S. Air Force.

Showers, who passed on Oct. 19, was 78 years old.

He is remembered by his loved ones, colleagues, and viewers as a voice of calm, comfort, truth, and reliability.