Media production company executive
James Kim McNutt was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to James A. McNutt and Sophia I. McNutt, née Chavez. Raised in the American Southwest, he developed an early interest in communications and media, an interest that would shape both his professional path and his long-standing ties to regional journalism and public information.
McNutt earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from New Mexico State University in 1982. He later pursued postgraduate studies at the same institution beginning in 1992, complementing his professional experience with continued academic training in media and education.
McNutt began his career in broadcast journalism as a news anchorman at KOBE-AM in Las Cruces from 1983 to 1984. During the same period, he joined KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, where he served as bureau chief from 1983 to 1990. He later worked as an anchor and reporter for KVIA-TV, serving audiences in El Paso and Las Cruces between 1990 and 1992.
Parallel to his broadcast work, McNutt founded McNutt Media in 1985, where he served as owner and producer, developing video and media projects for a range of clients. In 1992, he became manager of distance education at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, a role reflecting his growing involvement in instructional media and technology. He was also listed as a qualified video producer in Las Cruces beginning in 1987 and became a member of the Las Cruces Cable Compliance Board in 1995.
McNutt received multiple professional honors for journalism and media production, including Best Agricultural Reporting awards from the New Mexico Farm Bureau in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985, as well as a Best News Reporting award from the New Mexico Associated Press in 1983. He later received Best Video Production awards from the New Mexico Press Club for 1994 and 1995.
He has been a member of the United States Distance Learning Association, the City Cable Compliance Commission, the New Mexico Press Club, the Southwest Media Coalition, and Toastmasters, where he served as membership vice president from 1993 to 1995.
James Kim McNutt married Diane Murray on August 7, 1982. They have two children, Kara Jaime McNutt and Matthew James McNutt.
