Jim Avila, journalist for NBC, ABC and KNBC, dies at 70

Jim Avila, a longtime web quality analogous who reported connected the O.J. Simpson proceedings for KNBC successful Los Angeles, died Wednesday astatine Providence Hospital successful Mission Viejo. He was 70.

Avila died from complications from a fall, according to NBC News analogous Josh Mankiewicz, a person and erstwhile colleague. A kidney transplant recipient, Avila had been successful hospice attraction for six weeks.

Avila is the lad of the precocious Jim Simon, a vigor enforcement who helped pioneer the quality speech format astatine KABC successful Los Angeles. He went by his maternal grandmother’s past sanction professionally, arsenic did 2 of his 3 brothers who each worked successful broadcast journalism.

Avila grew up successful Lombard, Ill., a occidental suburb of Chicago wherever helium attended Glenbard East High School. He began his vocation successful 1973 arsenic a newsman for KCBS-AM, an all-news presumption successful San Francisco. He shifted to tv 3 years aboriginal astatine KPIX-TV, wherever helium was the San Jose bureau chief.

Avila headed to Chicago successful 1980 wherever helium joined the section quality cognition astatine ABC-owned WLS and aboriginal worked for the CBS outlet WBBM, wherever helium reported connected authorities and served arsenic an anchor.

Avila moved to Los Angeles successful 1994 to articulation KNBC, and became a fixture extracurricular the downtown courthouse wherever Simpson was connected proceedings for the execution of his wife, Nicole Brown, and her person Ron Goldman. Avila covered the communicative from the time constabulary archetypal investigated the killings astatine Simpson’s Brentwood home. His enactment earned an Emmy and a Golden Mike Award.

As with galore TV journalists astatine the time, the Simpson saga was Avila’s summons to a web career. He moved to the Midwest bureau of NBC successful Chicago successful 1996 and became a nationalist analogous for “NBC Nightly News.”

Durable and versatile, helium averaged 130 reports annually during his years connected the NBC broadcast. He reported from Afghanistan and Iraq, and helium filed from wrong the network’s Baghdad edifice compound during and aft a violent bombing attack.

Avila jumped to ABC News successful 2004, wherever helium was the elder justness and instrumentality analogous and covered high-profile trials for the network. Avila had a stint arsenic White House analogous from 2012 to 2016.

Avila was the analogous for a 2012 ABC News study connected the usage of processed nutrient merchandise known arsenic pinkish slime, utilized arsenic filler successful crushed beef. A South Dakota nutrient processor, Beef Products Inc., said it was damaged by the study that questioned the information of its goods and filed a defamation suit against ABC News for $1.9 billion.

ABC News settled the lawsuit for $177 cardinal but stood by its reporting.

In 2017, Avila worked retired of Los Angeles, specializing successful instrumentality and justness and user investigations. A predominant beingness connected “World News Tonight” and “20/20,” helium remained with the web until 2022.

Avila won galore awards implicit his career, including Reporter of the Year from the National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists successful 1999. He won a Cine Golden Eagle Award for a study connected an migrant mates who enactment their lad done MIT by collecting cans done the streets of Los Angeles.

Avila concisely came retired of status successful 2023, moving part-time arsenic an investigative newsman for KGTV successful San Diego.

He is survived by his mother, Eve Simon; 2 brothers: Jai Avila, an investigative newsman for WOAI successful San Antonio, and Thomas Avila; a sister, Kari Lemay; and 3 children, Jamie, Evan and Jennifer.