Background
Hartz was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1958.
Hartz was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1958.
He then attended the University of Tulsa as a premed student, but after three years he decided to pursue journalism instead.
At age 24, Hartz was the youngest correspondent National Broadcasting Company had ever hired. He became best known to a national audience for a two-year position as the co-host of the Today Show, along with Barbara Walters. Hartz replaced Frank McGee.
Hartz first became a reporter for KOTV in Tulsa in 1962 and was promoted to news director in 1964, shortly before he joined National Broadcasting Company-owned W National Broadcasting Company-television in New New York
At the age of 24, he was the youngest correspondent that National Broadcasting Company had ever hired. There, he served as anchor of the 6 o"clock and 11 o"clock nightly newscasts, where he remained until 1974, when National Broadcasting Company promoted him to Today.
His run with Today turned out to be relatively brief. Future National Broadcasting Company Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw would take over from him in 1976, when Walters left for American Broadcasting Company. Hartz then went to World Rally Championship-television in Washington, District of Columbia, where he was an anchor until 1979.
Throughout his career, Hartz earned five Emmy Awards and two Ace Awards for cable television
He also hosted another public television program, Innovation, during the early 1980s. In the early 1990s he co-anchored a weekly Public Broadcasting Service-Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai joint venture news program, Asia Now, from Tokyo, Japan. Hartz travelled to and from Japan over 30 times while filming this series.
Hartz has flown in a large number of military aircraft, including the Social Research-71, and he is regarded as an aerospace expert.
His first major assignment was co-anchoring with David Brinkley during the sudden return of Gemini VIII on March 16, 1966. Hartz covered every manned flight after that from 1966 to 1976.
Hartz, who resides in Alexandria, Virginia, became chairman of the Will Rogers Memorial Commission in 1993 and is a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.