Sometimes a mistake turns out to be the best thing that could have happened. And that’s the case when Liz Hurley stumbled into the wrong class … a broadcasting class … in college. That one misstep led her to become one of the most trusted and loved news anchors in the history of Huntsville broadcasting. For her dedication to presenting the truth in newscasts to the countless ways she gives to the people in her coverage area and beyond, the ABA is more than pleased to induct Liz Hurley into the Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame.

“I fully thought I would be going to law school. I walked into class my first day, but I had my map upside down,” laughs Hurley. “I walked right up to the front, underneath the professor. The lights come on, the curtain opens and it said, welcome to Journalism 101.”

 “I went into a panic. I’m in the wrong class but I can’t get up because the lights were all on and I was right in front. So here I sat the whole three hours.  I wish I could remember specifics, but the professor was very good and very convincing that we were all there for a purpose, for the right reasons which is when I realized it was not in the wrong class.”

It wasn’t long after graduation that Hurley found herself in Huntsville where she worked for the ABC affiliate for 13 years. In 1996, she moved to the NBC affiliate where she’s been ever since.

“She’s the ultimate journalist,” says Amanda Jarrett, former executive news producer and currently director of operations and communications for the city of Madison. “She never takes the easy way out. She doesn’t shy away from tough stories. But she also has a heart for the community and she serves the community. She kind of threads that needle of hardcore journalist and community advocate.”

“I’m proud that I am still here, still able to work because there was a time in my early 30s when that was in question,” says Hurley. “I had aggressive breast cancer. So, yes, I am a survivor.”

“That’s why I have this run every year because when I was diagnosed in 1998, we had no breast health center in Huntsville,” she continues. “We had no place for women to go. And, through my experience and through a lot of support from this community, I was able to open the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund at Huntsville Hospital Foundation. We’ve raised more than $8.4 million since 1999, and now have the biggest and best dedicated breast health center in the state of Alabama.”

“If it was the last thing she did, she was going to make sure that women get diagnosed early enough so that they can be there for their families and get the second chance like she did,” says Jarrett. “She has done that with the Ribbon Run.  It sells out every year. People line the streets. All of North Alabama turns pink in October and it’s to show support for her and to thank her. You can’t have lived here for any amount of time without knowing who Liz is. She is the godmother of local media here.”

Hurley’s ties to Alabama make this induction special.

“It means a lot because I have spent my career here. It is humbling to know that people think that much of my work and of me to nominate me. I’m humbled and I am much appreciative.

You’d be wrong if you think a Hall of Fame induction might be a step toward retirement for Hurley.

“What do you mean, retire?  I’ve still got stuff to do. I still have fire in the belly,”  laughs Hurley. “I literally have eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner with viewers in north Alabama and southern Tennessee for 45 years. They’ve allowed me into their home. They’ve trusted me with telling their stories. I’m not done!”