From radiant sports reporter to award-winning investigator

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Lee Zurik's last day at Fox 8 anchor desk is Thursday, October 10th.

Although Zurik is stepping down from his daily anchor duties, he is not leaving the station.

Zurik's story begins at Newman High School, where he hung out in the athletic department before heading to Syracuse University to pursue his dreams.

John Snell: Are you an investigative reporter by any chance?

Zurik: I'm just an accidental investigative reporter. Come on, I was an athlete.

But first he had to pay his dues.

After college, he made career stops in Greenville, MS; Montgomery, AL; Baton Rouge, LA; and finally New Orleans.

“To cover the Saints, the Hornets back then backed out and covered LSU, Tulane in my hometown. It seemed like the dream job,” Zurik said.

But after Hurricane Katrina, everything changed. With most of the city underwater, the young sports reporter suddenly found himself at anchor overnight – and excelled at it. So much so that his bosses told him he was done with the sport.

Zurik says he offered no resistance.

“I was on board. Part of me wanted a new challenge, but part of me…New Orleans is in my blood,” he said. “I wanted to do my part to rebuild the city, and I thought I could do a bigger part by telling stories and reporting on the aftermath.”

At the time, Fox 8 general manager Mikel Schaefer was its executive producer.

“And pretty soon he took over the weekend anchor spot and became this crazy, great investigative reporter,” Schaefer remembers.

Snell: When he first started his investigative work, there was no vision that he would become Lee Zurik, Chief Investigative Reporter.

Schaefer: No. Like everything else, he puts his heart and soul into it.

Lee Zurik investigations

Until 2009, Schaefer was news director at Fox 8.

“He continued to grow and get better and learn to become an even better investigative reporter, and the totality of his work is … unparalleled,” Schaefer said.

Long before the first video frame of a story was shot, Zurik could often be found in his office, stuffed with paper, immersed in the arduous work of sifting through mountains of public records.

The national awards piled up; two Peabody Awards, three Dupont-Columbia Awards and twelve Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Fox 8 needed a bigger trophy case.

Zurik's reporting often focused on the actions of officials who strayed from the path of righteousness, only to one day be confronted with a jarring announcement – Lee Zurik is on the phone or at the door.

His reputation grew so strong that Gray Media, Fox 8's parent company, named him corporate vice president of investigations.

Then came the daily program Investigate TV+, which airs on over 120 channels across the country.

Now Zurik is taking on a new role as senior vice president of news strategy and innovation at Gray Media, where he will focus on planning the future of news and media.

“The need for us is now greater than ever because other industries have made cuts and don't have the necessary resources. That’s why we have to be there for our communities,” said Zurik.

Read more: Lee Zurik and John Snell take on new roles; Lucy Bustamante returns home as Fox 8 morning anchor