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“When my dad passed, I got his 1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup truck. He bought it brand-new, and I’ve been working on restoring it. … I drive it all the time.” (Photo by Sarah Der)
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Off-air, Bevins returns to his happy place — his home in Hartfield — to tune out. “I spend 99% of my time outside when I’m home,” he says. “It’s just really beautiful.” (Illustration by Virginia Strobach)
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“I love to build things. I recently built a patio, some flower boxes and a chicken coop. I call myself a squint carpenter — if you stand back about 15 yards and squint, it looks pretty good!” (Illustration by Virginia Strobach)
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“I’ve driven convertibles my whole life. The one I have now is a 2013 Volkswagen EOS. Not a lot of folks know about them; they don’t sell very many of them in the United States.” (Illustration by Virginia Strobach)
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“Music is the No. 1 thing in my entire life, besides my sons. I played saxophone when I was a kid. I’m one of the few people that still owns CDs, and I have a collection of vintage radios.” (Illustration by Virginia Strobach)
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“I have twin boys, Austin and Jake. They’re 25 years old, and they live together in Louisa. They are great kids — it’s crazy to think that they’re on their own now.” (Illustration by Virginia Strobach)
Most people know Feb. 14 as Valentine’s Day, but in Richmond, it’s also known as Bill Bevins Day, as announced by Mayor Levar Stoney last February to mark the 50th anniversary of Bevins’ start in the broadcast industry. This summer marked 35 years that the “Virginia This Morning” co-host has worked for WTVR-CBS 6. “After I worked my way in, they couldn’t get rid of me,” he says, laughing.
The Chesterfield native began his career in 1970, as a radio announcer for WSVS, a small station in Crewe, Virginia. He bounced around radio stations for many years — including a brief stint in Providence, Rhode Island (“culture shock for a Richmond boy,” he says) — before returning to his hometown for good.
In the mid-1980s, Bevins became a familiar face on CBS 6 as the weatherman before joining Cheryl Miller to present the noon news, all while continuing his radio work. In 2001, he began a 16-year partnership with Shelly Perkins as morning radio hosts for Lite 98 and the former Star 100.9. In 2006, Bevins and Miller became hosts of the newly aired “Virginia This Morning” talk show, and today, he shares the spotlight with Jessica Noll as the pair chats with local chefs, entertainers, community leaders and lifestyle experts each weekday.
Bevins continues to serve as a host for Virginia Lottery’s weekly drawing — a role he’s performed for decades — and he has also appeared in a few films, making cameos in “The Contender” (2000) and “Mickey” (2004). He’s been honored by the Richmond Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. Still, Bevins remains humble.
“I’ve been lucky to work with some really smart, creative people,” he says. “Radio is more of an individual thing — you write your own jokes, your own commentary; it’s all you. But TV is a team sport. There are 20 people who are working hard to put together a great product. It’s not just about you.”
Bevins says he’s been privileged to witness growth and change in Richmond over the past 50 years (“What’s different? Everything,” he says), and he looks forward to seeing what the rest of his career will bring. When he isn’t working, Bevins retreats to the quiet solitude of his home, a small former fishing cottage on the Piankatank River in Hartfield, Virginia.
“I have a dock right by my house that I sit on all the time, and I have a boat to take trips on the river,” he says. “It’s absolutely fantastic; it’s one of my favorite things.”
