On Jan. 6, 1980, she married Mel Korn, a Philadelphia advertising executive. Jessica had one divorce, then met a doctor with even worse drug troubles than hers, and married him. [5], This series on childbirth began as scheduled on Monday and on Thursday, Nov. 22, 1973 Thanksgiving Day showed much of the actual birth. According to officials in Bucks County, Miss Savitch, who was 35 years old, and Martin Fischbein, 34, the vice president and assistant general manager of The New York Post, were found inside a station wagon that was upside down in five feet of water in the Delaware Canal near New Hope, 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Tom Brokaw, the anchor of ''The NBC Nightly News,'' said: ''She was a dedicated, hard-working broadcaster who felt very strongly that women should have a more active role in the profession.'' Add mine to the thanks for this article. The last thing I personally want this site to be is Stepford Carstories. Jessica Savitch & Death of Princess Grace From Car Accident - 1 Yr Before She Would Suffer Same Fate - YouTube AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy &. The last few moments of these folks lives must have been a living hell. In January 1983, in addition to her work for NBC, Savitch began hosting a new public affairs documentary program on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Frontline. Tragic story. 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. I found the story interesting. The G body wagons were nice, but always looked very plain without the woodgrain. Jessica Beth Savitch (February 1, 1947 - October 23, 1983) was an American television journalist who was the weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News and daily newsreader for NBC News during the late 1970s and early 1980s. 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 drove into a canal in a rural section of Bucks County, Pa., and overturned. I think of what might have been. In 1969, after receiving her bachelor's degree, she was hired as a researcher for CBS radio. When it appeared this baby might not be born in time for the heavily-advertised series, the crew even compiled a list of other expectant mothers in the area as back-up, although luckily the baby was born four days before the start date. While in high school in Atlantic City she got her first job in broadcasting, as a disk jockey and a news reader at radio station WOND in Pleasantville, N. J. She was married in 1981 to Dr. Donald R. Payne, an obstetrician- gynecologist, but five months later she discovered her husband dead in their home, an apparent suicide. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. In March 1981, she married Texas-born Dr. Donald Rollie Payne, 45, a Washington gynecologist and obstetrician and the recently divorced father of four sons. We took them on many family vacations and hauled a lot of things in their cargo areas. [23], After autopsies, the Bucks County coroner ruled that both Savitch and Fischbein had died from asphyxiation by drowning. Oct. 25, 1983 Jessica Savitch killed in car wreck By MARIANNE LAVELLE NEW HOPE, Pa. -- NBC newscaster Jessica Savitch, whose professional triumphs and personal tragedies were documented in. (Crim delivered the eulogy at her memorial service after her death.) That line is awkwardly worded. Jessica Savitch was a rising star at NBC News and then tragically died in October 1983 at the age of 36. And, of course, she knew it and let the superstar thing take over her life. She grew up, at times slightly impoverished, and had to fight to go to college and study broadcasting. Investigators said Fischbein, 34, mistakenly drove the car onto the towpath thinking it was an exit. It was just applied to some other cars within Olds. The station wagon veered too far to the left and went over the edge into the shallow water of the canal. Her father, a clothing store merchant, died when she was 12 years old. No matter how many times in life she threatened suicide in the end instinct took over. However, she also completed the Philadelphia Police Academy training, and engaged in activities such as shooting a handgun, jumping over oil barrels, squeezing under a barrier, and climbing a 6-foot war. In 1969, Savitch was hired as an administrative assistant at WCBS, the CBS Radio flagship news station in New York City, where she also did freelance production work. He was lighting a cigar! Her contemporary Diane Sawyer went on to have a much more durable career and homelife. He wouldnt have been nearly as good as a President. The car went off the bridge, Kennedy escaped the car and left the scene, and didnt report the crash until the car, with Kopechnes body inside, was discovered next morning. [10] Another 1982 poll named her the "sexiest" female anchor in the country. I think it adds diversity to Curbside Classics. (Okay, enough with the car detailing metaphors.). Watching her final broadcast before a car accident caused her death from drowning in 1983, it's hard not to suspect that she was on something. Her mother was a nurse and had to go to work to support the family. Raynes said the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Miss Savitchs mother, two sisters, seven friends and co-workers. its akin to the James Deans Porsche, the Kennedy SS100X Lincoln and Jayne Mansfields Electra 225. After all picking up woman was a little tough in a station wagon at least during the 90s. JESSICA SAVITCH OF NBC-TV KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT, https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/25/obituaries/jessica-savitch-of-nbc-tv-killed-in-car-accident.html. . [28] It was later made into a Lifetime Network made-for-TV movie starring Sela Ward, called Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story. 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. She was also assigned to anchor short NBC News updates (initially called NBC News Update, later called NBC News Capsule and NBC News Digest) that ran approximately one minute and aired between regular prime time programs each evening, drawing a high number of viewers. Fischbein was a vice president and assistant general manager for the Post and also served as personnel and circulation director. Katz a tip, email him, The Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Series, Technical Audio Producer (Part-Time Contract). To send TVNewser senior editor A.J. National Lampoon (magazine), the original humor magazine from 1970 to 1998-wikipedia. She could think fast and ask the right questions, and she had the ability so many lack, to actually listen to the answer. Her father was of Slavic Jewish heritage and her maternal grandfather was of German and Russian Jewish heritage. She was elected to the college's board of trustees in 1980. 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. Jessicas shooting crew in Philadelphia included sound editor Paul Dowie, camera operator Joe Vandergast, and film editor Al Kohler, from, Blair, p. 322. She resided in New York City. He was a prominent figure in town. The station wagon plunged 15 feet into the mud and shallow water of the canal, landing on its roof. A 1982 TV Guide poll named her the fourth most trusted news anchor in the country, above many of the most established male anchors of the period. I agree with Wolfgang that this is a very somber, sad story. [3] In 1959, after her father died at the age of 33, her family moved from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to Margate City, New Jersey. October 25, 1983. Or, I should say, the car model was incidental until your follow-up comment about limo dreams in a station wagon reality. This finally tied the car model to the life that ended inside it. Original humor magazine thats a LOL. If she and Fischbein had been arguing, say, about that very intervention, he could have been distracted and Savitch may have directly contributed to her own demise, Such a happy first post in the new year . As we approach the thirtieth anniversary of that day October 23 TVNewser reached out to friends, family, and colleaguesfor their memories of Jessica Savitch, who was just 36 when she died. Your email address will not be published. Savitch, 36, and her companion, New York Post executive Martin M. Fischbein, 34 . Miss Savitch and Fischbein drowned Oct. 26, 1983. This CC catches me a bit off guard. Drug use led to promiscuity and sometimes threatened her standing at the station. Savitch's experiences as a pioneer anchorwoman also helped inspire Will Ferrell to make the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Jessica Savitch seemed to have the world at her fingers. On the long-form TODAY show piece, which aired almost exactly thirty . Jessica Savitch was a famous, yet tragic figure who met her demise in an Oldsmobile. And R.I.P Oldsmobile. If you want a site tailored only to your specific interests, start your own. She would die tragically two days later. A sad story. 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.". The available data shows that safety problems are getting worse, not better, for America's 160 million-strong civilian workforce. The judge approved the settlement. The Philadelphia Daily News reported one lawyer said the New York Post, whose insurance covered the leased station wagon in which Miss Savitch died, paid $7 million of the settlement. [27], Jessica Savitch published her own autobiography, Anchorwoman, in 1982. Although she was upset by his death, Savitch returned to her work at NBC three weeks later. I didnt see this personal element in this story. KYW producer Cliff Abromats stated, She [Savitch] was very good on her feet. [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. September 4, 1995 Jessica Savitch lived a much too short and much too unhappy life. There are stories on these pages that have a sadness to them. They drove about 600 feet over a dirt-and-gravel area, and past two warning signs. 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. She was principal writer-reporter for Saturday editions of 'NBC Nightly News,' podium correspondent during the 1980 political conventions and reporter on 'Prime Time Saturday,' NBC News' weekly television magazine. This Curbside Collaboration idea sounds pretty good for the given context. [29] When first aired, Almost Golden earned the second-highest rating ever for a cable television film up to that point. NEW HOPE, Pa. -- NBC newscaster Jessica Savitch, whose professional triumphs and personal tragedies were documented in her recent autobiography 'Anchorwoman,' drowned in a canal 'within a very few minutes' of a car crash in a rainstorm, officials say. This is the infamous digest of legend. She also hosted PBS's public affairs program Frontline from its January 1983 debut until her death as a passenger in an automobile accident later that year.Shortly before her death in October 1983, Savitch also became known for her performance during a broadcast of NBC News Digest in which her delivery was erratic and she appeared to be under . It really doesnt have the polish Ive come to expect at CC. One . She was offered the anchor position for an early-morning news program Early Today but turned it down. Sadly the dealer trying to sell it to us had a ridiculous price on it at the time and dad passed. Almost Golden states, when KYW brought the scene into the audiences living rooms on a warm holiday evening, it made for powerful television. In addition, Topping told Savitch, Youve made your career.[5], Savitch often personalized her stories by becoming part of the story herself, such as serving as an undercover decoy [with police posted unobstrusively along the route] for two weeks as part of her series on rape. I want to be constructive with my comments. The powers that be were convinced Jessica was going insane and would kill herself. I am not posting this to insult the memory of the late Ms. Savitch (whom I personally admire), however I do believe it. In 1972, Savitch joined KYW-TV, then the NBC affiliate (now CBS O&O) in Philadelphia, as a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor under a five-year contract. [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. She also contributed to ''Prime Time Saturday'' and ''Prime Time Sunday,'' NBC news magazines. Sadly as per GM edict of the day they didnt possess adequate reliability and performance until the last years of the series and by then they were standardized, dulled down and stripped of their personalities. The car fell 10 feet from the canal wall into the water and landed upside down. She continued as host until her death later that year, at which time Judy Woodruff took over as host. Not an ad. Thankfully, our attitudes toward substance abuse are becoming more and more enlightened over time. Those of us who grew up with the Kennedys were quietly relieved that Teddy had knocked himself out of the presidential stakes he was nowhere near the politician John and Bobby were. 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. Isadora Duncan! No beef jerky, no cocktail peanuts, no onions or olives for martinis. Investigators say he may have swerved to avoid a parked car. Comment. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. were in doubt AND this is a website about cars and their owners. She just kind of faded from my periphery. Cant believe its been 31 years. There are no guardrails and it was raining heavily at the time. 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. 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 was always impressed by how un-rattled she was on the air. Other than a little carburetor trouble and the infamous thin rear backing plates it was a very reliable cruiser that got decent mileage and actually had more than expected power. While Miss Savitch attended Ithaca College in upstate New York, she worked as a disk jockey at radio station WBBF-AM in Rochester. 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.". [4], Savitch's second marriage in March 1981 to Dr. Donald Payne, her gynecologist, lasted only a few months. Dontea White, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, shared the news of Jessica Hollifield's death on Facebook. which no one seems to mind. Miss Savitch, who had earned a degree in communications from Ithaca College, had been awarded an honorary doctorate by that institution. Cutlass was not made into its own marque aka Oldsmobile or Pontiac. He too battled addiction. Today, the choices are so great and the distribution of content so diverse the messenger is not in the spotlight to be idolized or scrutinized like they were back then.
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