For longtime Arkansas broadcaster Craig O’Neill, a return to Warren is more than a trip down memory lane — it is a return home.
O’Neill visited Warren on June 11 to help kick off the Warren Branch Library’s Summer Reading Program, which coincided with the 70th Annual Pink Tomato Festival weekend. During the event, he read his original story, “How the Grinch Stole the Pink Tomato Festival,” featuring illustrations by longtime educator Dr. Sue Martin.
Known in Warren during his childhood as Randy Hankins, O’Neill was born in Little Rock but spent the first six years of his life in Warren before his family moved back to the capital city. Despite leaving at a young age, his connection to Warren has remained strong throughout his life.
Some of his earliest memories include walking to the Pastime Theatre, visiting a local diner to buy Elvis Presley bubblegum cards and an adventurous moment when he “ran away” from home at age 4.
“Maybe I didn’t run away so much as I just walked out of the house and didn’t tell anyone I was leaving,” O’Neill said with a laugh.
Even after moving away, frequent visits to his grandparents kept Warren firmly rooted in his heart.
When asked how the city has changed over the years, O’Neill pointed to the disappearance of landmarks he remembers fondly, including the drive-in theater and rodeo arena that once stood on the west side of town.
More than places, however, it was the people of Warren who helped shape the person and storyteller he would become.
O’Neill credits his grandmother, Myrtie Hankins, with nurturing the values and sense of humor that would later serve him throughout his broadcasting career.
“Families are noted for being storytellers,” he said.
He recalled family gatherings on the front porch of his grandmother’s home on Hankins Street, where stories, laughter and conversation flowed freely.
“That was where it all began,” he said.
The seeds of his broadcasting career were planted early.
“My voice changed at a very early age,” O’Neill said. “We were the first TV generation, and I was mesmerized by Johnny Carson.”
Carson, who began his own career in radio before becoming one of television’s most iconic personalities, became a model for the young O’Neill as he mapped out his future.
After graduating from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, O’Neill launched his career in radio. Along the way, a producer suggested that “Randy Hankins” sounded too Southern for broadcasting and encouraged him to adopt a more streamlined professional name. Craig O’Neill was born, and a distinguished media career followed.
While working at KLAZ in Hot Springs, O’Neill became well known for his prank telephone calls, using his talent for voices and improvisation to entertain listeners.
“That all ended with the invention of a little thing called caller ID,” he joked.
One of the highlights of his career came in 1988 during a roast held in his honor when none other than Johnny Carson joined by telephone to take part in the good-natured teasing.
In 2000, O’Neill transitioned to television, joining KTHV Channel 11 in Little Rock as a sports broadcaster. He later moved into news broadcasting in 2008 and became one of Arkansas’ most recognizable and beloved television personalities.
His retirement in December 2023 marked the end of a broadcasting career that spanned more than five decades across radio and television.
Despite his success in broadcasting, O’Neill remains passionate about reading and literacy. For many years, he has read to children in schools and libraries throughout Arkansas and has recorded readings of children’s books for Arkansas PBS, making stories accessible to young audiences across the state.
When asked what advice he would give aspiring broadcasters and journalists, his answer was simple.
“Never stop reading,” O’Neill said. “Read every day. Learn how to tell the stories and convey them.”
That love of storytelling was evident throughout his visit to Warren, where he spent time encouraging young readers and sharing memories of the community that helped shape him.
Asked what it means to return to Warren, O’Neill became reflective.
“It means the world,” he said. “It is impossible to come into the city limits of Warren and not feel like I’m eight years old again. I still feel like I should see my grandmother on that front porch.”
O’Neill noted that Warren continues to hold a special place not only in his heart but also in the minds of many throughout the state.
“In Little Rock media, Warren brings a smile to people,” he said. “It’s regarded as a wonderful example of a Southern Arkansas town.”
For one afternoon at the library, children gathered to hear a story, but for O’Neill, the visit was also a chance to reconnect with the place where his own story began.
