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Matthew joined KTVA-TV CBS 11 News in October 2005. His prior experience includes work as a general assignment reporter at KAKE-TV (ABC) in Wichita, Kansas; reporter at WSFA-TV (NBC) in Montgomery, AL; and weekend anchor/investigative reporter at KOMU-TV (NBC) in Columbia, Missouri. Simon's career started as a promotions producer at WVTM-TV (NBC) in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. A graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism,Simon earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree with a minor in history.
Simon is a recipient of Warwick Communication's 2004 Datlon Pen Broadcast Journalism Excellence Award for his series, "The Unspoken Affliction: Testicular Cancer." The series, based off of Simon's own experience, told the story of an 18-year-old who ignored testicular cancer's warning signs, because he was not educated, and eventually ended up dying. It also exposed how, even though testicular cancer is the number one cancer-killer of 15 to 35 year-old young males, most men, along with their parents, do not know about it. The stories ultimately showed warning signs and how men can survive and lead normal, productive lives.
Simon brought the award winning series to CBS 11 News viewers in May of 2007, along with the debut of the Cancer Connection program. In 2007, the Alaska Broadcaster's Association honored Simon and the CBS 11 Cancer Connection program with a "service to children" Goldie award. For the past two years Simon has hosted Alaska's Cancer Telethon, raising more than $15,000 for Alaska's American Cancer Society. In late 2008, for a second year in a row, the Alaska Broadcaster's Association again honored Simon and the CBS 11 Cancer Connection program with a "service to community" Goldie award.
As part of the Cancer Connection, every year Simon talks to hundreds of Anchorage School District children about his experience as part of a CBS 11-ASD partnership. Inside ASD's mandatory 8th grade heath education classes, students are taught breast and testicular cancer's warning signs. Also, as part of the Cancer Connection program, on the 11th of every month, in every newscast, CBS 11 News viewers are reminded, as part of Cancer Check 11, to call a friend and remind them to do their monthly self-cancer check.
Born in Gillette, Wyoming, Matthew moved to Birmingham, Alabama when he was two. He grew up in the Birmingham suburb Mountain Brook. Simon is active in the community and focuses his energy on raising cancer awareness. He serves as an adviser for various local American Cancer Society events, as well as an Alaska Men's Cancer Run board member, and appears at numerous community cancer events. In his free time Matthew watches movies; plays board games; reads biographies, blogs; works out; enjoys Alaska's seafood and restaurants; watches whatever his TiVo records; roots for Alabama and Missouri sports teams; racks up way too many cell phone minutes keeping up with family and friends scattered across the Lower 48 and, of course, watches and reads the news.
Follow Matthew's coverage of Alaska politics and breaking news now through his Twitter page by clicking here.
