accident jessica savitch death

Lifes struggles are definitely more important than a character line along the side of a car and what someone else might think about it. 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. 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. The Savitch family also established The Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Seriesat Ithaca College. The last thing I personally want this site to be is Stepford Carstories. Sadly the dealer trying to sell it to us had a ridiculous price on it at the time and dad passed. He said the couple apparently had eaten at a restaurant and were leaving the parking lot when the accident occurred. Thoughts? Death Cause of Jessica Savitch: Unfortunately, she is not physically present with us today. I can think of so many others: Bonnie and Clydes Ford, the last car Elizabeth Short was seen in.a Studebaker I think. Twenty days later, Jessica Savitch drowned in a car accident in New Hope, Pennsylvania, on October 23, 1983. It is the story of NBC newswoman Jessica Savitch, who died the night of Oct. 23, 1983, in the rain-swelled canal. The dashboard is that of a Cutlass, not the full size wagon shown above. He signed out a 1982 Oldsmobile station wagon from the Posts fleet, and they headed toward Bucks County, PA with Chewy in tow. Interesting, chilling account. Its a bit rough around the edges. It would be your call when the article would be edited / updated as complete and the collaboration statement removed. Thereafter, although she was a general assignment reporter and helped to cover the 1980 Republican and Democratic conventions, she was primarily known as an anchor. Miss Savitch had been with NBC since 1977. Ellerbee said that a network vice president responded, "We're afraid to do anything. Affiliates agreed to run the NBC News Update segments largely because she would be presenting them. Tragic story. 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. 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. In 1972, she became a reporter and anchor for KYW-TV in Philadelphia. (Crim delivered the eulogy at her memorial service after her death.) To send TVNewser senior editor A.J. Miss Savitch, who had earned a degree in communications from Ithaca College, had been awarded an honorary doctorate by that institution. This email address is already subscribed to the selected list(s). [Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.]. It sounds like the whole car flipped upside down as it went into the canal. Miss Savitch and Fischbein drowned Oct. 26, 1983. Despite her local acclaim, Savitch aspired to leave local news and become a network correspondent. Reuven Frank, president of NBC News, described Ms. Savitch as 'a vigorous and conscientious reporter and a commanding presence on television.'. 'Both victims died of asphyxia due to freshwater drowning,' Rosko said. 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. 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. Nobody ever talked about her big heart, her loyalty, her sense of humor, and her fabulousness as a person. By Niruta Rai April 25, 2023. The car fell 10 feet from the canal wall into the water and landed upside down. Linda Ellerbee grew concerned and gathered a group to stage an intervention. one in the photo above. Tragic as her death was and still is, its nearly fitting she died in such an ordinary, if humble car. No beef jerky, no cocktail peanuts, no onions or olives for martinis. Biography Jessica Beth Savitch was born February 1, 1947, in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The station wagon veered too far to the left and went over the edge into the shallow water of the canal. She also worked as a correspondent in Washington, reported on the 1980 Presidential campaign and was the anchor of a PBS documentary series, ''Frontline. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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. She was my friend at KYW in Philadelphia and my office mate atNBC in Washington. 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. As for Jessica, I couldnt even begin to describe how messed up she was toward the end. It really doesnt have the polish Ive come to expect at CC. 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. All the cars I ever had from Olds were decent and reliable, except the last one. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Wiki and People did a better job reporting this.but they didnt have to find a way to make the car a killer. 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. Savitch, 36, and her companion, New York Post executive Martin M. Fischbein, 34 . Jessica was the daughter of a clothing store owner who died young. 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. 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. 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.". Miss Savitch worked on several award- winning documentaries and special reports there, including a five-part series, ''Rape . Learn how your comment data is processed. The couple moved into a fashionable town house near American University in Washington. Before that, he had spent seven years as an assistant to labor mediator Theodore Kheel, and had been an aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) when the senator was an aide in the Nixon White House. He said that Miss Savitch had suffered a slight head injury, but it did not contribute to her death. We took them on many family vacations and hauled a lot of things in their cargo areas. She also had reported for "Prime Time Saturday," NBC News' weekly television magazine, and was a podium correspondent at the 1980 political conventions. . As a kid I remember JS as being prominent in national TV journalism but knew nothing of her personal life or death. 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." December 31, 2014 77 comments. Chrysler did the same with LeBaron and New Yorker. The available data shows that safety problems are getting worse, not better, for America's 160 million-strong civilian workforce. You could get a diesel, a 3.8 V6 and four different V8s. Finally, I really hate to say this: this kind of story is NOT what I come to Curbside Classics for. Jessica Beth Savitch Biography. According to Wikipedia, the car flipped over and landed in 4 feet of mud/water. It ended in an auto accident 12 years ago, but she is still one of the most talked-about personalities ever. [2][35] Lifetime also aired a documentary entitled Intimate Portrait: Jessica Savitch that was based on the perspectives of Savitch biographer Alanna Nash.[29]. 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. The TV universe was narrow three or four national networks and their local affiliates. [23], After autopsies, the Bucks County coroner ruled that both Savitch and Fischbein had died from asphyxiation by drowning. the Ultimate Violation,'' in which she spent two weeks working as a decoy with a police undercover unit. Unfortunately rust would render them un-watertight and un-liftable in fairly short order. Jessica, its nice to see others besides me remember her. When I got to know her, she was very warm, and very dedicated to her job. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. [4][19][20] These assertions were disputed by Savitch's family and some of her friends after her death. Investigators say he may have swerved to avoid a parked car. 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. She was 36 at the time of her death. Some of the money was used to establish scholarships for women studying for careers in broadcasting or journalism at Ithaca College and other institutions. At the time KYW hired Savitch, it was under pressure from the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) to place more women in then-non-traditional roles on the local news or else face a possible legal challenge to its broadcast license. [2], Jessica Savitch was born February 1, 1947, in Wilmington, Delaware. Savitch's experiences as a pioneer anchorwoman also helped inspire Will Ferrell to make the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Crim later admitted that he was initially "not nice to her" due to his own male chauvinism, but the two later became good friends. Unfortunately the A-body replacements were just the opposite. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Savitch got along well with some members of the KYW staff, including her regular location shooting crew[9] and her co-anchor Mort Crim. Kind of sad, but still nice to know someone else out there remembers Jessica. 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. But on Sunday, Jessica had a date with the New York Posts Martin Fischbein. Dontea White, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, shared the news of Jessica Hollifield's death on Facebook. I wonder if she attempted to to get out of the car through the rear windows, only to discover that they dont roll down. 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. In 1976, she came to the attention of NBC executives while reporting from a presidential campaign debate between President Gerald Ford and Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter held at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre. 'She had overcome many difficulties in her life and now leaves behind many friends and fans all over the country,' said Tom Pettit, executive vice president of NBC. The car was found about an hour, hour and a half after the accident. Each one of them are sources of pride and comfort to my sister and me. Im a bit conflicted after reading this article. In fact I thought the story reminds me of checking my priorities. YepDads was an 83 Bonneville which he drove into the groundwell into the 90s. That was the front-wheel-drive A-platform, which was introduced for the 1982 model year. However, other staff members found Savitch difficult, especially towards the end of her KYW contract when she was planning to leave for NBC. She was made Senate correspondent but she was in over her head. 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. We're afraid she'll kill herself on our time." Her contemporary Diane Sawyer went on to have a much more durable career and homelife. His death was ruled a suicide. She also had a sister named Lori Savitch. Lets address the worst first. She resided in New York City. 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. [12][18], According to her biographers Blair and Nash, Savitch was a driven perfectionist who constantly battled insecurities about her appearance and ability, suffered from social anxiety, and tended to isolate herself from network colleagues. I think of what might have been. That October night in 1983 was foggy and Fischbein, known as a careful driver, was confused about which way to go after leaving the restaurant. Although Savitch biographer Gwenda Blair wrote that Savitch's poor performance on the October 3 segment effectively ended her network career,[13] a People magazine article published after her death said that her NBC contract had actually been renewed (although the renewal was for just one year rather than her previous three-year contracts), that she would have reclaimed a spot as a substitute Sunday anchor for NBC Nightly News in January 1984, and that she was set to appear on another season of Frontline. The station wagon plunged 15 feet into the mud and shallow water of the canal, landing on its roof. I never understood why getting drunk on wine=totally fine. They are her living legacy.. O ne Volkswagen employee died and two others were injured after being struck by a vehicle at the German automaker's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Saturday, according to local police. Unlike the Houston station, this station was unionized, so Savitch was not permitted to do work other than on-camera newsreading and reporting. 50 Insanely Gruesome Photos Of The Human Body From Actual Autopsies. Male viewers schemed to meet her, and female viewers copied her hairstyle. Last week marked the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death in a car accident at the age of 35 (Jessica Savitch Remembered). As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. By Alissa Krinskyon Oct. 18, 2013 - 7:00 AM. 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]. [4] Although both biographies contain similar material, Savitch's family and friends have challenged as untrue portions of the books regarding her reporting skills and controversial aspects of her personal life (see Personal life). Teddy couldnt hold a candle to his brothers John and Robert. The inaccuracies involving the Cutlass give this story the tone of gruesome celebrity death spirals about on a par with The National Enquirer. We became friends. 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. 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. Mary Jo Kopechne was another young woman born in Pennsylvania, who met an infamous end in an Oldsmobile under water. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. They were divorced 10 months later. I think that is what you aimed to do here. 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]. She was on television at a time when TV news correspondents were lauded as celebrities. The armrest on the driver door looks like a GM RWD A-body from the 78 mid 80s era. There are stories on these pages that have a sadness to them. On the long-form TODAY show piece, which aired almost exactly thirty . She had a pet husky named Chewy the doctor hated. The A&E series Biography featured an episode about Savitch, which inspired Will Ferrell to make Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (basing the Ron Burgundy character on Savitch's friend Mort Crim). To date, there have been 163 scholarship recipients of almost $700,000. On October 23, 1983, at the age of 36, she was killed in an automobile accident in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. Her mother was a nurse and had to go to work to support the family. Jessica Savitch didnt, or perhaps couldnt; in that era, such a move would have been a career killer. It seemed acceptable at the time for news people to personify the stereotype of the hard hitting, hard drinking news reporter that sometimes showed their afflictions on camera. Walter Everett, the chief of the New Hope police said that it had been raining and that visibility was very poor at the time of the accident. I'll be wearing one of her amethyst birthstone rings - a gift from her sister, Lori, whose website celebrates Savitch's . 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. Ms. Savitch (NOT Savage as some have called her) was in the back seat with her dog. This one fits quite nicely within the broad array presented on CC. 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. Savitch constantly worked on improving her news reading delivery, using a voice coach and other techniques. At KYW in Philadelphia, she carved a stylish, hard-hitting niche with flawless looks, tough talk and in depth stories. He wouldnt have been nearly as good as a President. No matter how many times in life she threatened suicide in the end instinct took over. [25], In 1979, Savitch received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Ithaca College, her alma mater. 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)! There were some indications Jessica tried to get out. 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. townhouse. One . She also had anchored public television's "Frontline," a weekly documentary series begun in January. She married her first husband, Mel Korn, a Philadelphia advertising executive, on Jan. 6, 1980, but they divorced 10 months later. This is the infamous digest of legend. Her end came in an Oldsmobile station wagon. Her life was the subject of a Lifetime Television made-for-TV movie, starring Sela Ward, called "Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story." The movie "Up Close & Personal" (1996, with Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer) was originally intended as a biographical film about her but the plot of the movie was substantially changed to become a . I enjoyed the article. He was driving a Corvair station wagon. It is a car story! Her report on a train derailment and fire received national exposure on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. NBC executives and colleagues praised her skillful narration of film showing the murders of Congressman Leo Ryan and several others in a mass shooting by members of the Peoples Temple at Jonestown. She used the WCBS-TV facilities to make a television audition tape and sent copies to many television stations around the country, seeking an on-air position. 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. After all picking up woman was a little tough in a station wagon at least during the 90s. Did anyone else notice how radically different her appearance was in her final news broadcast versus the other photos? I knew the cars are only Nebensache (sideshow) in our lives. Miss Savitch was born on Feb. 1, 1948, at Kennett Square, Pa. Investigators said Fischbein, 34, mistakenly drove the car onto the towpath thinking it was an exit. Is that picture in the front seat part of one either Jessicas or Martins dead body? Jessica would never miss it when someone said something unexpected.[8]. By Lorenzo Jensen III , May 19th 2016. National Lampoon (magazine), the original humor magazine from 1970 to 1998-wikipedia. [19] Biographers have also asserted that Savitch was bisexual and had romantic relationships with women as well as men. In June 1983, NBC removed Savitch from her regular Saturday evening anchor slot and replaced her with Chung, who also accepted the Early Today position that Savitch had rejected. A common thread has emerged in the comments on this article that leads back to my opening statement. CRACKED .. open..R,I,P, Your email address will not be published. Jessicas trauma and drug abuse kept her from doing the same. The only man she every really loved beat her terribly. 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. I dont know that Ive ever heard such a thing. It *IS* a Car Story ~ a sad one to be sure but also a truthful cautionary tale . [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. Fischbein, a vice president and general manager at the New York Post, joined the Post in 1978 when he left a job as assistant to labor mediator Theodore Kheel. 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 ? This wagon was officially known as a Cutlass Cruiser, until it morphed into a Ciera a few years later. According to The Washington Post, each of her biographers interviewed over 300 people in order to write their respective books. She grew up, at times slightly impoverished, and had to fight to go to college and study broadcasting. I guess were not supposed to call them stew bums any more either ? These had some interesting engine options. They drove about 600 feet over a dirt-and-gravel area, and past two warning signs. He died a short time later. He had the two Cutlasses and the Pontiac Bonneville version. Savitch joined NBC News in 1977 as a weekend anchor for NBC Nightly News. . This is about Jessica Savitch, not so much about a car. Jessica, Fischbein and Chewy drowned. After her death, two posthumous biographies were written about her. 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. If the Olds part is correct, and the interior picture is the car in question, I think it is a Cutlass wagon. Despite her lack of broadcast news experience, Savitch was hired by KHOU-TV in Houston as the station's first female reporter. Savitch and Fischbein were trapped inside as water poured in. Drove Wrong Way. [29] When first aired, Almost Golden earned the second-highest rating ever for a cable television film up to that point. Dad brought home a 1979 green woody wagon back in 1983 equipped with the 305 4bbl Chevy V8 and loads of equipment and we loved that car. She also had been a substitute anchor on NBC's "Today" and "Tomorrow" shows, and was a member of the panel of reporters on "Meet the Press.". That happened right after the first of the Ted Kennedy comments! The article prompted my to look her up and read her quite compelling story. Savitch won recognition multi-part feature stories on unusual (for that time) topics. 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." Whether the car landed upside down or right side up, the thick mud made opening ANY door/tailgate pretty much impossible. Her first marriage in 1980 to Philadelphia advertising executive Melvin "Mel" Korn ended in divorce after eleven months. its amazing how much time and energy people will spend complaining about what they dont want to read, isnt it? The reputation followed her to NBC. He was lighting a cigar! What would the point be for me to write about Jimmy Dean or Clay Regazzoni? If thats an actual picture of the car involved, then the story is wrong. Katz a tip, email him here. The car, apparently driven by Fischbein, ran off the road, overturned and plunged into the Delaware canal, where it became lodged in '3 feet of mud and ooze beneath 5 feet of water,' Rosko said. Generally speaking I dont think that an intervention is revealed to the person getting one ahead of time, so the speculation that it might have contributed to the accident is unlikely. 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. Radio Work as a Student, Miss Savitch was born in 1947 in Kennett Square, Pa., daughter of Florence and David Savitch. She also contributed to ''Prime Time Saturday'' and ''Prime Time Sunday,'' NBC news magazines. It was just applied to some other cars within Olds. The overturned vehicle was spotted by a local couple who saw automobile wheels in the canal and called police, the chief said. She came back to DC after anchoring the weekend news in New York and found her husband hanging from her dogs leash in the basement. Soare you saying 2 adults and a dog died in 4 feet of mud? I am old enough to have seen Ms. Savitchs newscasts but had forgotten the details surrounding her death. 1982 was the first year Oldsmobile spun Cutlass off into its own marque. Recently, legendary Detroit anchor Bill Bonds passed away. [34], Savitch's life was also examined in several television documentaries. 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. Jessica Beth Savitch (February 1, 1947 - October 23, 1983) was an American television news presenter and correspondent, best known for being the weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News and daily presenter of NBC News updates during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

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