To date, there have been 163 scholarship recipients of almost $700,000. . 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. While some of Savitch's colleagues said they had seen evidence of drug use, other friends and associates expressed skepticism that she had a drug problem. He was lighting a cigar! While Miss Savitch attended Ithaca College in upstate New York, she worked as a disk jockey at radio station WBBF-AM in Rochester. [34], Savitch's life was also examined in several television documentaries. Thats very typical of the G-body cars interior trim was not durable in the slightest, and would quickly age/fall off/disintegrate but the car itself was generally sturdy and rugged, and the drivetrain options would last. its amazing how much time and energy people will spend complaining about what they dont want to read, isnt it? Up Close and Personal was originally intended as a biographical film about Savitch. 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 Philadelphia area native left a highly acclaimed acting career to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco. Resentment from coworkers hurt, and led to her eventually being pulled off the Senate beat. ", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Jessica Savitch of NBC-TV Killed in Car Accident", "Read the Angry Letter the Real-Life Ron Burgundy Sent PEOPLE in 1983", "The Savitch Story: Confirmation & Denial: '60 Minutes' Correspondent Ed Bradley Confirms Affair With NBC Anchorwoman", "Melvin R. Korn, 75, Advertising Executive", "Liver Disease Linked to Death Of a TV Journalist's Husband", "Two Views of Doomed Newscaster Jessica Savitch", "Jessica Savaged: How Hollywood Heterosexualized, "Inside Television: Jessica Savitch Biography Stirs Emotions And Charges: 'Almost Golden - Jessica Savitch And The Selling Of Television News,' By Gwenda Blair", "Remembering Jessica Savitch, 30 Years After Her Death", "Almost Golden: Jessica Savitch and the Selling of Television News by Gwenda Blair", "TV Review: 'Savitch': An Anchorwoman's Tragic Fast-Track Life, Career", "Ward Is 'Almost Golden', But Movie Is Not", "IGN Visits the Set of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy", JessicaSavitch.com | A Professional Retrospective, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jessica_Savitch&oldid=1152361155, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 19:38. 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. I think it adds diversity to Curbside Classics. She performed a later segment the same evening without issues. [Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.]. [4][12][21], Savitch's friend, WNBC anchor Sue Simmons, said in a 2013 retrospective article marking the 30th anniversary of Savitch's death, "When the books and the movie came out [after her death], they made her out to be this troubled character. Finally, I really hate to say this: this kind of story is NOT what I come to Curbside Classics for. Investigators say he may have swerved to avoid a parked car. That pile was handed down to me until I couldnt take it anymore and soon after I found myself signing the papers for a 1981 blue Cutlass wagon with the 231 V6, limited slip differential, A/C, split bench seat with passenger recliner and most other options these had at the time. [20][32][33] Many reviews of the movie discuss how the film departed, probably for commercial reasons, from Savitch's actual biography. Savitch was an extremely competent anchor, but had relatively little reporting experience and struggled as correspondent. Her air of competence and cool command on the camera helped her achieve a salary of $500,000 a year at the age of 33. Thirty-one years ago today, broadcast journalist Jessica Savitch died in a freak drowning accident in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 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. 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. Stay calm, lower a window (if lower-able) float thru. Its limo dreams in a station wagon reality. RIP Jessica ~ stylish to the end. I am Canadian and I remember watching her on American news programs, so her fame certainly wasnt local, but may have been confined to North American shores. Katz a tip, email him here. 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. Savitch and Fischbein were trapped inside as water poured in. Savitch's flawed delivery fueled speculation that she was using drugs, specifically cocaine. I think of what might have been. But through all this time, her relationship with the viewing public never faltered until October 3, 1983: She said she was healing after recent plastic surgery, was tired, faint, had a glass of wine on an empty stomach there were lots of excuses. NBCsAndrea Mitchell: Jessica Savitch was a warm-hearted, caring person and a pioneer in broadcasting who lost her life tragically just as she was soaring to new heights. I was walking down the street and saw this wino who was eating grapes. Unfortunately the A-body replacements were just the opposite. [1][14] Korn reportedly divorced Savitch after learning that she had a significant drug problem. In Tennessee, liquor stores are NOT allowed to sell any kind of food. I appreciate your work and want to encourage you to continue. She worked in Houston for KHOU-TV, then spent five years at the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia, KYW-TV, where she was a general assignment reporter and coanchor, before joining the network in 1977. 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 following year she became a general assignment reporter at KHOU- TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston. In 1972, she became a reporter and anchor for KYW-TV in Philadelphia. She . In addition, KYW Philly received many requests for rebroadcast which it met. Despite her local acclaim, Savitch aspired to leave local news and become a network correspondent. Jessica Savitch seemed to have the world at her fingers. He said there had been a similar death there some years ago. If she were alive today, Id tell her what I should have said to her back then: that she was a good human being, a talented woman, whose fame was no accident. College tuition was practically unaffordable because our widowed mother still had two more children at home to raise and educate. This woman [Savitch] is in trouble." document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Savitch suffered from health problems throughout her life and was hospitalized several times for drug use and suicide attempts. Jessica had one divorce, then met a doctor with even worse drug troubles than hers, and married him. Savitch died three weeks later by drowning when a car in which she was a passenger was accidentally driven into a canal during a heavy rainstorm. Savitch got along well with some members of the KYW staff, including her regular location shooting crew[9] and her co-anchor Mort Crim. A lawyer said the defendants who will pay the Savitch estate under the settlement are the restaurant, the newspaper, the environmental department and Fischbeins estate. 'Both victims died of asphyxia due to freshwater drowning,' Rosko said. Interesting, chilling account. She continued as host until her death later that year, at which time Judy Woodruff took over as host. Ms. Savitch's colleagues expressed shocked over her death. Investigators said Fischbein, 34, mistakenly drove the car onto the towpath thinking it was an exit. 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. ''The mud was knee-deep on the bottom,'' said Mario Lasarro, a member of the Lambertville, N. J., rescue squad that went to the scene on rural River Road. The chief said the incident is still under investigation. [24] According to the New Hope police chief, a similar death had occurred at the same spot some years before. He said that Miss Savitch had suffered a slight head injury, but it did not contribute to her death. Instead he bought the unfortunate 1979 blue Fairmont with butt numbing bench seat, no A/C and few options other than the 200 six and automatic. Miss Savitch, who had earned a degree in communications from Ithaca College, had been awarded an honorary doctorate by that institution. Miss Savitch had suffered a number of personal misfortunes in recent years. Linda Ellerbee grew concerned and gathered a group to stage an intervention. Radio Work as a Student, Miss Savitch was born in 1947 in Kennett Square, Pa., daughter of Florence and David Savitch. Jessica would never miss it when someone said something unexpected.[8]. They called her the Golden Girl of TV news, and for good reason. Savitch and Fischbein had been dating for a few weeks. the Ultimate Violation", won a Clarion Award for excellence from Women in Communications, Inc. She substituted as anchor on the Today and Tomorrow shows. At KHOU she was hailed as the first anchorwoman in the South (although that would be contested). Jessicas trauma and drug abuse kept her from doing the same. She was a bit before my time, and although Ive never heard of her before now, the story of a celebritys downward spiral and death in a car accident sounds all too familiar . A sad story. Twenty days later, Jessica Savitch drowned in a car accident in New Hope, Pennsylvania, on October 23, 1983. National Lampoon (magazine), the original humor magazine from 1970 to 1998-wikipedia. Walter Everett, the New Hope police chief, said that the couple had driven the wrong way out of the parking lot of a restaurant, Chez Odette, where they had gone for dinner. In episode 2 of season 2 of Only Murders in the Building, the fictional character Oliver Putnam states that he had an affair with Savitch in the eighties and she left him for Ed Bradley. The passenger side dash vent looks like an A-body Olds, definitely not the rather unusual B/C body Olds dash vent. She also had served on its board of trustees. Both books about her talk about open sores, scratches from coke roaches and her paranoia that sometimes manifested in manic rages. Soare you saying 2 adults and a dog died in 4 feet of mud? [2][35] Lifetime also aired a documentary entitled Intimate Portrait: Jessica Savitch that was based on the perspectives of Savitch biographer Alanna Nash.[29]. This could be a sub-category for Curb Side. Her mother, who was a nurse, moved with her three daughters to Margate, N.J. Miss Savitch began her broadcast career with a radio station in Atlantic City at the age of 14, and later became a disc jockey for a rock show in Rochester, N.Y., where she was known as "Honeybee." This wagon was officially known as a Cutlass Cruiser, until it morphed into a Ciera a few years later. Jessica, Fischbein and Chewy drowned. I remember growing up listening to Walter Cronkite. which no one seems to mind. Recent speakers have included ABCs Sam Championand NBCs Lester Holt. The car was found upside down in about four feet of water early yesterday, a member of the Lambertville, N.J., rescue squad said. I am not personally affected by their accidents. 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. Chrysler did the same with LeBaron and New Yorker. Cant believe its been 31 years. I dont know that Ive ever heard such a thing. ''It looked like they tried to kick the doors open but they couldn't.'' He was a prominent figure in town. This Curbside Collaboration idea sounds pretty good for the given context. 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 remember her well, and as an aside her younger sister Lori worked at WPXI TV in Pittsburgh as a local anchor in the early 1990s. There was no evidence to suggest alcohol or drug abuse, Dr. Rosko said, but he said that toxicological tests would not be completed for a week. As to the appropriateness of the article, there are others on stuff like bicycles, trains, buses, etc. On Jan. 6, 1980, she married Mel Korn, a Philadelphia advertising executive. Ellerbee said that a network vice president responded, "We're afraid to do anything. Rosko said he could not determine the time of death, but a watch found in Fischbein's coat pocket stopped at 9:55 p.m. 'I would say both victims died within one or at most a very few minutes after the car entered the canal,' he said. She also worked as a correspondent in Washington, reported on the 1980 Presidential campaign and was the anchor of a PBS documentary series, ''Frontline. The last thing I personally want this site to be is Stepford Carstories. [11][12] NBC correspondent Linda Ellerbee later said that she had asked network management to intervene, telling them, "You have to do something. According to Savitch, the school's discriminatory attitudes against women prevented her from getting the experience she wanted on the college-owned radio and television stations, so she sought opportunities in nearby Rochester. Wiki and People did a better job reporting this.but they didnt have to find a way to make the car a killer. By Lorenzo Jensen III , May 19th 2016. If she had to ad lib more the better no safety net for Jessica She was a great colleague, always quick with a kudo and always asking a keen question to learn a bit more than what her 30-second lead-in copy offered the viewers., Former NBC Newser Linda Ellerbee: Her death was a tragic accident. 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 . Jessica Beth Savitch Biography. The bodies were found in the car at about 1 a.m. EDT. Please, dont get me wrong. Now 85, Crim has a 352-page autobiography, "Anchored: A Journalist's Search for Truth," which talks about everything from growing up in Illinois to his TV . NBC didnt know what to do. ''At last I felt that I belonged.''. Istill miss her., NBCs Tom Brokaw: It was such a sad, even tragic ending, to a life that was the classic American success story. She later worked at KHOU-TV in Houston and KYW-TV in Philadelphia before joining NBC in 1977. They drove about 600 feet over a dirt-and-gravel area, and past two warning signs. Both biographers also write that Savitch had a problem with cocaine that eventually affected her career. For example, Philadelphia KYW news director Jim Topping, inspired by his and his wifes experience attending Lamaze classes, assigned Savitch to cover a five-part series on natural childbirth. As a network anchor, Savitch had a charismatic presence and became very popular with network affiliates and viewers. October 25, 1983. According to Nash and John Gregory Dunne (who worked on the screenplay and wrote the book Monster: Living Off the Big Screen about the making of the film), this was because the filmmakers, including The Walt Disney Company that was financing the film, considered Savitch's life story too downbeat to be popular at the box office. They resumed production of the Oldsmobile, but have not manufactured the Pontiac for several years. After their meal, they began to drive home about 7:15p.m., with Fischbein behind the wheel and Savitch in the back seat with her dog, Chewy. Her contemporary Diane Sawyer went on to have a much more durable career and homelife. R.I.P. There had not been time to view the film prior to its broadcast, and Savitch had to improvise her narration while viewing the graphic film for the first time. In order to counter criticism that she had been hired for her looks and promoted ahead of skilled journalists, NBC also assigned her to do reporting work, including a brief stint as U.S. Senate correspondent. For all the first class tickets and privilege she projected, the Golden Girl of TV news came from an ordinary, if humble background. Lets address the worst first. 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. Then it is a car story.unless they had head injuries why couldnt they breath long enough lay on the horn if the mud sealed the doors shut ..was this a mud slidewhat else is in that mud ..and lets be clear..the only reason she is picked apart is because she wasnt a guy..probably also the reason she wasnt drivingi guess they leave the dog in the car at restaurants seems like the window would have been cracked open ..cracked open! 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 . When management failed to act, Ellerbee and other correspondents had tried to reach out to Savitch, who died before anything could be done. Its always sad to see one whos light shines so brightly , flame out . Thats good enough for me. 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. Mary Jo Kopechne was another young woman born in Pennsylvania, who met an infamous end in an Oldsmobile under water. Death Cause of Jessica Savitch: Unfortunately, she is not physically present with us today. Good thing GM doesnt make Oldsmobiles anymore . And that kept him from ever getting to the White House. Am I the only one who noticed the Burberry trench coat, muddied and soaked on the passenger seat? She was a native of Kennett Square, near Philadelphia, and grew up in Margate N.J. She graduated from Ithaca College and went to work at WCBS Radio in New York in 1969. 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. Did anyone else notice how radically different her appearance was in her final news broadcast versus the other photos? [citation needed] Shortly before she left KYW, Savitch exploded in an angry tantrum during a commercial break because the pages of her news script had been provided out of order. It would be your call when the article would be edited / updated as complete and the collaboration statement removed. [7], As a result of her KYW work, Savitch became a local celebrity in Philadelphia and was sometimes mobbed walking down the street. A local resident found the wreck at about 11:30 that night. With that in mind, I assumed that Death By Station Wagon meant this would be a story about how a woman (albeit a celebrity newscaster) was perhaps bored to death by her life as a station wagon driving drudge. While getting drunk on beer=you have an alcohol problem.. She could think fast and ask the right questions, and she had the ability so many lack, to actually listen to the answer. They are her living legacy.. I'll be wearing one of her amethyst birthstone rings - a gift from her sister, Lori, whose website celebrates Savitch's . She was 36. The couple moved into a fashionable town house near American University in Washington. She also had a sister named Lori Savitch. It was a parody by National Lampoon. Wonderfully tasteless ad. At the height of her fame she was known for Gucci belts, Halston dresses, piles of cocaine, penthouses and pills. [11][15] Savitch, who was in New York at the time, found his body when she returned to the house. 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.'' Last week marked the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death in a car accident at the age of 35 (Jessica Savitch Remembered). His death was ruled a suicide. For about two years she was the most riveting performer on U.S. television. Her end came in an Oldsmobile station wagon. A few months after joining KHOU, she auditioned for and won a weekend anchor shift, becoming the first female news anchor in the South and beginning to develop the severe, mannered style of news delivery for which she later became known. The station wagon plunged 15 feet into the mud and shallow water of the canal, landing on its roof. Because KHOU was non-union, she participated in many aspects of production as well as reporting on camera. The only man she every really loved beat her terribly. But on Sunday, Jessica had a date with the New York Posts Martin Fischbein. Longtime WNBC anchor Sue Simmons: I met Jessica when I was very new in the business, working in Baltimore [at WBAL], and she was [anchoring at Phillys KYW and] the girlfriend of my news director, Ron Kershaw. And R.I.P Oldsmobile. I wonder if she attempted to to get out of the car through the rear windows, only to discover that they dont roll down. To the criticism this has nothing to do with cars, in a way it does. This series won her two awards, but also left her with sore muscles and a wrenched back for some weeks afterwards. (Lynne, I hope we see more to come.) The bodies of Ms. Savitch and Fischbein and Ms. Savitch's Siberian Husky, Chewy, were found in a car mired in the bottom of a canal near Philadelphia. She reportedly had anorexia and had several pregnancies that ended. What would the point be for me to write about Jimmy Dean or Clay Regazzoni? The reputation followed her to NBC. It was just applied to some other cars within Olds. According to astrology, she had Aquarius as her zodiac sign. He signed out a 1982 Oldsmobile station wagon from the Posts fleet, and they headed toward Bucks County, PA with Chewy in tow. 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. Cutlass was not made into its own marque aka Oldsmobile or Pontiac. 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. I do remember this accident being in the news. Add mine to the thanks for this article. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. We took them on many family vacations and hauled a lot of things in their cargo areas. Probably wouldnt have made any difference. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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). Fischbein may have missed posted warning signs in a heavy rainfall. According to The Washington Post, each of her biographers interviewed over 300 people in order to write their respective books. were in doubt AND this is a website about cars and their owners. 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. . Some of the richest people I know will go out of their way to rent the least expensive cars on trips (especially for day trips outside of NYC)! 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. Ive worked with many talented people, but none who could surpass Jess for a combination of ability, sensitivity and driveAn agent for Will Farrell contacted me a few weeks ago as Anchorman II was nearing completion to remind me that Jess and I had been the inspiration for the first Anchorman movieJesswas 25 years old when we first shared an anchor desk. 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. 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. That was the front-wheel-drive A-platform, which was introduced for the 1982 model year. The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial in Philadelphia next week before Common Pleas Judge Bernard J. Goodheart. 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. The station wagon veered too far to the left and went over the edge into the shallow water of the canal. An audio line failed, delaying the debate and leaving three KYW reporters, including Savitch, to fill the 27 minutes of air time before the audio could be restored. townhouse. They were divorced 10 months later. 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. Growing up, it seemed that both beer and wine were less taboo than hard liquor, and obviously, any of the above will cause intoxication. went to the inimitable Sen. Edward M. Ted Kennedy, who was aiming his 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 sedan across a bridge that wasnt in the direction of the ferry that Kopechne wanted to catch. KYW producer Cliff Abromats stated, She [Savitch] was very good on her feet. By Alissa Krinskyon Oct. 18, 2013 - 7:00 AM. The settlement established the principle of equality of salary and longevity for women in television news, Arthur G. Raynes, a Philadelphia attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Miss Savitchs estate. 50 Insanely Gruesome Photos Of The Human Body From Actual Autopsies. Following high school, Savitch attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, as a communications major. She holds an American nationality and practices Christianity. [23], After autopsies, the Bucks County coroner ruled that both Savitch and Fischbein had died from asphyxiation by drowning. As a side note to a previous posters comments: I moved from Florida to Tennessee and then back to Florida a few years ago. And back then, it was rare to have a female report who handled the serious news. The series won her a Clarion Award from Women in Communications Inc. Miss Savitch was hired by NBC in September 1977 as a Congressional correspondent. Both she and Mr. Fishbein died ''within one minute to a very few minutes'' after plunging into the canal, he said. Ironically, if the car had stayed upright, they might have easily escaped. 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. 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.
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