01 Jun 2025 Author of the Month: Jason Pederson

By Susan L. Peterson

As KATV’s program “7 On Your Side” is designed to help Arkansans understand their rights as consumers so they do not fall victim to dishonest business schemes. From 1999 to 2019, TV journalist Jason Pederson was the face of the program, the “man of the moment” who knocked on doors to expose scams and scoundrels around the state.

“Somebody’s Knocking: Lessons Learned from a Quarter Century of TV Reporting” is a book released in June 2023 by Pederson. It gives background information on his top stories and allows the reader a peek into the journalistic experience of how these shows are produced. If you were a fan of the show, chances are you will remember some of the stories and people in the book.

“The act of going after the people who had done somebody wrong and trying to hold them accountable was appreciated and celebrated by viewers,” Pederson said. Sometimes he was ignored, and one time he faced a shotgun. It was always an adrenaline rush.

He was inspired to write his book early in his career after reading Ted Koppel’s “Nightline: History in the Making and the Making of Television,” which gave backstories of his most interesting interviews. He thought he might want to do the same one day, so he started saving notes and video clips of his more memorable episodes.

Nearly 20 years later, that “someday” finally arrived, thanks to the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, giving him time to write and compile his work. Through advancements in technology, Pederson was able to take his book a step beyond written text by adding QR codes linked to original videos of the reports. In a sense, it’s more than a book; it’s an interactive jaunt that gives readers first-hand information on the cases, people and little-known (and sometimes surprising) outcomes.

In addition to the villains, Pederson tells about the warm-hearted Arkansans he met along the way. Those who have read and reviewed his book remark on the humor and heartfelt concern infused in his work.

Pederson left his job at KATV in 2019 to work for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, where he is director of constituent services. He and his wife, Mary Carol, reside in southwest Little Rock and have recently celebrated their 30th anniversary.

Pederson enjoys speaking to groups about his book and was featured at the Six Bridges Book Festival. To learn more about him or the book, visit jasonpedersonbook.com.