R.I.P.: Arkansas Radio/TV Personality Gene Stewart

Gene Stewart

Longtime radio personality and former KARK-TV reporter Gene Stewart passed away early Tuesday morning from complications following a surgery.

He was 71, according to kait8.com.

Stewart began his media career in the late 1960s as a DJ and the news director for KBTA radio in Batesville, then moved on to similar positions with KCON in Conway, and KAAY in Little Rock.  In the 1970s, Stewart switched to television, joining KARK-TV in Little Rock as a producer, news editor, and reporter, specializing in police and traffic reporting, frequently providing updates from the Sky 4 Eyewitness News helicopter.

Stewart rejoined KARK for a time as a crime reporter, before returning to Batesville where he continued his media endeavors, forming his own company, Gene Stewart Video.