ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- A colleague who eulogized Jessica Savitch at a private funeral for family and friends, called the death of the NBC television newswoman 'a tremendous loss . Because KHOU was non-union, she participated in many aspects of production as well as reporting on camera. She was the first female disc jockey in the Pleasantville area. Ms. Savitch, who rose to a $500,000-a-year job at NBC by the time she was 33, found her second husband, Dr. Donald Rollie Payne, hanged in the basement of their Washington home in August 1981. [26], The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia posthumously inducted Savitch into their Hall of Fame in 2006. Jessica had a wide following of admirers, first in Philadelphia and then on the network and just when she seemed to have found personal happiness, the untimely end.. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Under her latest contract, which she signed last summer, Miss Savitch was to anchor "NBC News Digest," for which she was to have reported to work yesterday, and beginning in January, the Sunday editions of "Nightly News.". I knew the cars are only Nebensache (sideshow) in our lives. I dont remember really listening to NBC news much. Shortly before her death in October 1983, Savitch gave a broadcast of NBC News Digest in which her delivery was erratic and she appeared to be under the influence of an illicit substance. Nobody ever talked about her big heart, her loyalty, her sense of humor, and her fabulousness as a person. Her fame was national and it was huge. PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ The estxecutive Martin Fischbein, died when the car in which they were riding plunged into a canal during a rainstorm. When Savitch arrived at KHOU, she was the only female working in the news department other than one secretary and faced a work environment hostile to females, although some male colleagues did help her learn the basics of her job. One . After falling approximately fifteen feet and landing upside down in four to five feet of water, the car sank into deep mud that sealed the doors shut. Jessicas time at NBC was filled with uncertainty, and with the uncertainty came drug use. When management failed to act, Ellerbee and other correspondents had tried to reach out to Savitch, who died before anything could be done. They aged well. Fischbein was a vice president and assistant general manager for the Post and also served as personnel and circulation director. It is a car story! Its not an ad, but a page from The National Lampoon.. She was 36 at the time of her death. Both books about her talk about open sores, scratches from coke roaches and her paranoia that sometimes manifested in manic rages. [23], Savitch's family and a group of her friends later sued the New York Post (whose insurance covered the leased car Fischbein was driving), Fischbein's estate, Chez Odette, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for damages in Savitch's death. While a number of women gained national reputations as television reporters or newscasters, Miss Savitch was the first to serve regularly as an anchor for a major national network. Tragic story. Trim and upholstery durability was much improved but the bodies were twisty and creaky and mechanically they were rubbish. Jessica Savitch, 35, an award-winning newswoman with the NBC network since 1977, drowned early yesterday after the car she was riding in plunged into the Delaware Canal in New Hope, Pa., about 35 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Nobody ever talked about her big heart, her loyalty, her sense of humor, and her fabulousness as a person She had this wonderful combination of credibility and a beautiful smile., Former NBC NewserFred Francis: When a big breaking story came with her about to go onair she was always totally pumped. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. (Okay, enough with the car detailing metaphors.). It was posted two days ago but was temporarily withdrawn for revision. Your email address will not be published. At that point the former rear-wheel-drive A-body was renamed the G-body. Comment. Yes this may be about Jessica Savitch but its interesting how she met her endnot in a Mercedes or Beemer but a modest-by-comparison G-Body Olds. A good automotive story is a good automotive story. I had old blue for over 3 years as my daily driver to college and racked up an impossible 151K miles on her (bought with 62k) and traded her for a 2 door Cutlass with bucket seats to better fit a sportier image after college. Jessica Savitch, the NBC television reporter who became one of the first women to anchor an evening network newscast, was killed late Sunday night after the car she and a companion were in. And I apologize if a few folks here think I should praise/love all the features hereor just shut up. We became friends. Savitch was one of the first women to anchor an evening network newscast solo, following in the footsteps of Marlene Sanders of ABC News and Catherine Mackin of NBC News. She lived in New York City. [24] According to the New Hope police chief, a similar death had occurred at the same spot some years before. There was no sign alcohol contributed to the crash in which Ms. Savitch, 35, and her close friend, New York Post executive Martin Fischbein, 34, died late Sunday, Dr. Thomas Rosko, Bucks County coroner, said. The car was found about an hour, hour and a half after the accident. After the jump, thoughts from Sue Simmons, Fred Francis, and Linda Ellerbeeplus Lori Savitch on the journalism scholarships that honor her sister thirty years later. He was driving a Corvair station wagon. After her death, her family filed an insurance suit against New York Post, who had insured the car Fischbein was driving at the time of their death. The networks wanted her, but Westinghouse had ironclad contracts so she acted out and became a general terror to all. The career of NBC newscaster Jessica Savitch, which ended with her death yesterday in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, rivaled the most fantastic fiction in its amalgam of . She continued as host until her death later that year, at which time Judy Woodruff took over as host. [4], The first biography, Almost Golden: Jessica Savitch and the Selling of Television News (Simon & Schuster, 1988) by Gwenda Blair, told Savitch's story within the broader context of the history of network news. Despite her local acclaim, Savitch aspired to leave local news and become a network correspondent. (Thanks to all who pointed out my earlier error!). one in the photo above. The overturned vehicle was spotted by a local couple who saw automobile wheels in the canal and called police, the chief said. There are stories on these pages that have a sadness to them. Radio Work as a Student, Miss Savitch was born in 1947 in Kennett Square, Pa., daughter of Florence and David Savitch. The eldest daughter of David Savitch, a clothing merchant and Florence Spadoni, a registered nurse. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. EspecIally in NYCthe wealthy are not so much into cars! The car fell 10 feet from the canal wall into the water and landed upside down. In the early 1980s, with cable in its infancy andnetwork anchors dominating the airwaves,one of the most identifiable, and beloved, was NBCs Jessica Savitch. And, of course, she knew it and let the superstar thing take over her life. It was a rental for a day trip to PA. People with money will rent inexpensive carsthe type of car in this instance is entirely irrelevant. For about two years she was the most riveting performer on U.S. television. She reportedly had anorexia and had several pregnancies that ended. Both biographers also write that Savitch had a problem with cocaine that eventually affected her career. As for Jessica, I couldnt even begin to describe how messed up she was toward the end. As they drove in rain and fog from the parking lot of a restaurant in New Hope, their car went off a towpath and fell into the Delaware Canal. The best articles on this site cast stories of cars in a human context, whether that context is an individual life or, as in the best pieces from Paul and Laurence, the larger culture. As I told Paul, Im on a learning curve. Her contemporary Diane Sawyer went on to have a much more durable career and homelife. However, the plot of the movie was substantially changed to become a love story quite different from Savitch's life. When I got to know her, she was very warm, and very dedicated to her job. This wagon was officially known as a Cutlass Cruiser, until it morphed into a Ciera a few years later.. His death was ruled a suicide. Despite her lack of broadcast news experience, Savitch was hired by KHOU-TV in Houston as the station's first female reporter. Jessica, Fischbein and Chewy drowned. Original humor magazine thats a LOL. But the public loved her, as it did in Philadelphia. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Probably wouldnt have made any difference. KHOU had also been ordered to hire a female reporter in order to avoid any legal challenge to its broadcast license based on gender discrimination. 1982 was the first year Oldsmobile spun Cutlass off into its own marque. Jessicas trauma and drug abuse kept her from doing the same. It ended when Payne, who had substance abuse problems of his own and suffered from depression, died of suicide by hanging in their Washington, D.C. According to her two biographers, Gwenda Blair and Alanna Nash, Savitch was haunted throughout her life by her father's untimely death, and pursued a career partly to compensate for his loss.[4]. He said there had been a similar death there some years ago. [3] In 1959, after her father died at the age of 33, her family moved from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to Margate City, New Jersey. A tragic story and one that was probably only slightly less horrifying then the 1989 death of Leslie Ann Pluhar who had her Yugo blown off the Mackinac Bridge. RIP Jessica ~ stylish to the end. [19] Biographers have also asserted that Savitch was bisexual and had romantic relationships with women as well as men. When she was initially unable to obtain a weeknight anchor shift, Savitch attempted to break her KYW contract and take a job offered by CBS in New York. If there is justification for the whining by some commenters, I think it lies in the fact that the car model was incidental to Savitchs death; i.e., she and her companion would have had the same difficulty opening the doors of an upside-down Mercedes smooshed into a muddy canal bed. CRACKED .. open..R,I,P, Your email address will not be published. However, if you are buying hard liquor and look older than 21its the sellers judgement call if he/she cards you the buyer. . Savitch went on to bethefirst woman to anchor a weekend newscast for NBC, and perhaps was best known for her highly-visible primetimenews capsule updates. The powers that be were convinced Jessica was going insane and would kill herself. I didnt see this personal element in this story. Prior to joining NBC News, she was a popular local anchorwoman in Philadelphia and before that, while working at a Houston television station, she was the first female news anchor in the South. While Miss Savitch attended Ithaca College in upstate New York, she worked as a disk jockey at radio station WBBF-AM in Rochester. Savitch constantly worked on improving her news reading delivery, using a voice coach and other techniques. Did anyone else notice how radically different her appearance was in her final news broadcast versus the other photos? Remembering Jessica Savitch, 30 Years After Her Death By Alissa Krinsky on Oct. 18, 2013 - 7:00 AM In the early 1980s, with cable in its infancy and network anchors dominating the airwaves, one. If you want a site tailored only to your specific interests, start your own. ''At last I felt that I belonged.''. Chrysler did the same with LeBaron and New Yorker. Her death was tragic, and in the first reports, the circumstances seemed mystifying and unfathomable. She held a variety of posts at NBC, including those of general assignment reporter, Senate correspondent, and principal writer-reporter for Saturday editions of "NBC Nightly News." (The article title should not change; this might cause a disturbance in the permalink universe). There, she did on-camera and voiceover commercial work, and while still attending college became a popular top 40 disc jockey known as "Honeybee" at WBBF (now WROC-AM). townhouse. Kind of sad, but still nice to know someone else out there remembers Jessica. Bucks County coroner Thomas Rosko ruled late yesterday that both victims died of drowning.He said it appeared that Miss Savitch had made some attempt to get out of the Oldsmobile station wagon, but that Mr. Fischbein was found strapped into the driver's seat. ''It looked like they tried to kick the doors open but they couldn't.'' But the years flyby swiftly and she would now be 65, something I can hardly believe. It was just applied to some other cars within Olds. I appreciate your work and want to encourage you to continue. Savitch's experiences as a pioneer anchorwoman also helped inspire Will Ferrell to make the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. NBC News president Reuven Frank said she served as "an example for many young women looking for a career in television journalism, as a symbol of the gradual disappearance of the obstacles to women in broadcast journalism.". Please, dont get me wrong. The series was also screened by community groups and state legislatures in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, helping to bring about legislative changes, and motivating several state and local governments to open rape crisis centers. According to the window sticker mine actually came with a no charge 3.08:1 rear gear or code GU4 as a 2.73 was standard on 231 V6 wagons and sedans came with 2.41 gears. Ms. Savitch documented her professional rise and personal problems in her recent autobiography, 'Anchorwoman,' and she was an outspoken advocate of women's professional rights. And to this day, many states and municipalities in the U.S. (particularly in the South) allow easier access to the purchase of beer and wine; liquors must be sold under a harder-to-obtain license, or in a state-owned store, if its allowed at all. This week I'll travel from my home in Kentucky to stand at the spot in New Hope, Pa., where NBC News anchor Jessica Savitch (right) died 30 years ago tonight on the rainy fall evening of October 23. Miss Savitch was in the back seat, Mr. Everett said, and Mr. Fischbein was in a seat belt at the wheel. Her first marriage, to Mel Korn, a Philadelphia advertising executive, ended in divorce after less than one year. One more thing-I remember the week she died as being a big week for news; first the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, and then the Great Big Battle of Grenada. This was the genesis of the Jessica Savitch Scholarships at her alma mater, Ithaca College, as well as Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania [in Savitchs native Philadelphia]. I did not expect such a somber write up on a typically festive, party filled day. this kind of story is NOT what I come to Curbside Classics for. But on Sunday, Jessica had a date with the New York Posts Martin Fischbein. I was always impressed by how un-rattled she was on the air. Considering this story was pulled once because a few details about the car Ms. Savitch was killed in, (or was about Oldsmobile Cutlasses?) Not terrible, mind you, it just seems like a couple of more cycles of editing could have buffed out the minor defects before it was published. You could get a diesel, a 3.8 V6 and four different V8s. No drugs and very little alcohol were present in her system at the time of her death. Both states have laws that make you ask: what in the heck were they thinking. In Tennessee, ANYONE, NO MATTER THEIR AGE, must provide proof of legal age when purchasing beer. Heres a new idea for the New Year at CC: Paul, what if articles that are say 90 per cent complete but could use some constructive input and suggestions from the experts here are noted in the opening paragraph a Curbside Collaboration ? She holds an American nationality and practices Christianity. Savitch was one of the first women to anchor an evening network newscast solo, following in the footsteps of Marlene Sanders of ABC News and Catherine Mackin of NBC News. She also worked as a correspondent in Washington, reported on the 1980 Presidential campaign and was the anchor of a PBS documentary series, ''Frontline. By LOUIS TOSCANO. [citation needed], Savitch had a long-term intermittent relationship over many years with TV news executive Ron Kershaw, who himself had substance abuse problems and physically abused Savitch during their relationship. Raynes declined to disclose terms of the settlement Wednesday, but KYW-TV in Philadelphia reported that the agreement totaled more than $8 million, equal to what Miss Savitchs lifetime earnings would have been. Miss Savitch, who had earned a degree in communications from Ithaca College, had been awarded an honorary doctorate by that institution. Savitch was the network's second woman to anchor a weekend national newscast; Catherine Mackin had previously anchored NBC's Sunday evening newscast beginning in December 1976, before she left for ABC News the following year.
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