FARMVILLE -- Jim Kincaid came into living rooms every night as anchor on 13News to keep Hampton Roads informed on what's happening in the world. When time allowed, he allowed the viewers into his world.
Kincaid signed off from 13News in 1996, but he has a whole new media identity.
Three hours west of Hampton Roads in the town of Farmville, Jim is known as the Grant's Glass man. With his unmistakable baritonal voice, he's the pitchman for a local glass company.
If you don't remember Kincaid as the anchor, you might call Kincaid the Reverse Mortgage man. He's on TV and the Internet and makes public appearances as the pitchman for a lending company that appeals to seniors looking to tap into their home equity.
Jim and his wife Catherine spent three decades on a 50-acre farm in Elam, but five years ago, they moved to a quaint neighborhood near Longwood University.
'It was really getting to be too much, instead of five acres of lawn, I've got a half acre now,' he says.
The former newsman enjoys his herb garden, knock-out roses, plus the chickadees, cardinals and robins that feast from his backyard bird feeders.
For those who don't know the Jim Kincaid story, he was an ABC correspondent who covered the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, the Vietnam War and even Jimmy Hoffa. He retired from the network in 1978 and moved to Central Virginia.
A year later, then State Senator Hunter Andrews suggested that Jim meet with the bosses at 13News.
''I know a man who really needs you, and I think you probably need him,'' Kincaid recounts. 'That was Tom Chisman, the owner/founder of WVEC. I'd like to get you two together' '.
The deal was made and on October 16, 1978, Jim Kincaid signed on as main anchor.
The ratings soared and Jim quickly took on star status in Hampton Roads.
Today, Kincaid is proud of his endorsements, which he says have allowed him to reconnect with this fans.
'It's my old audience in Hampton Roads that grew up with me and really do remember I was there for 20 years. I got the feeling that I was in my home town. It seems that a lot of people in Hampton Roads thought that I was a hometown guy, too.'
As a newsman, Kincaid had a front row seat on many history making event in our nation. On 13News at 11 Wednesday, he talks about the state of America and the state of affairs in the news media. When asked about 'new media,' Jim replied, 'It scares me to death.'
