"Eyewitness News" -1977

[SIGNALSTAT]

Jessica Savitch paved the way for other women in the network news market.when the red light came on there was magic with jessica the way she came through your tv she captured your attention.rest in peace Jessica Beth Savitch.

[whatanightmare1]

@SIGNALSTAT Indeed she did pave the way for other women...and the poor woman took a lot of garbage off folks along the way. I hate it when people say she was "nasty or mean" because of a couple of videos of her being rightfully pissed off at the crew, etc. She took her job seriously, and it showed, she was flawless.

[MisterBouncyBounce]

there was nothing "special" about her. she was just a talking head like all newscasters. in fact she was a train wreck of a person and that's what led to her tragic death.

[2002baldwinn]

Like her!

[ghb61]

Was it true that she and Sue Simmons were lovers? I heard it more than once. Just wondering.

[7beers]

She really aged fast. She's still in her 20s here, but looks much older.

[StukInBuf]

Did I hear the name "Roy Weissinger"? I believe we went to WEWS in Cleveland in the late 80s...

[UTAOUB]

Poor Jessica Savitch! Like Judy Tyler -- who appeared in a film with Elvis, & was Princess Summerfall Winterspring on "Howdy Doody" -- Jessica Savitch met her end in a car, (I think with her boyfriend.) They took a wrong turn...& sank into the mud! D : Some suspect a conspiracy. Idon't know about that...but it sure is good to see her face & reporting skills, here on YouTube, n t 21st centtury!

Ms. Savitch would have been proud! :_(

[SIGNALSTAT]

rest in peace jessica 10-23-83

[mikemoair]

jenny stencel could kick her ass

[mikemoair]

did she do the news "commando"

[mikemoair]

and then she discovered cocaine

[mediamadman747]

I've heard that between the hours of midnight and 6 am channel 3 would lease out this news set to low-budget movie production companies needing a recreate the "bridge" of a space ship or a futuristic "breakfast nook."

[WhatsAYak]

LOL...yeah, that's one of the weirdest-looking news sets I've ever seen!

[luvthoseclips]

I've got a 1983 NBC Newsbreak videoclip of Jessica Savitch prior to the 1983 MLB All-Star Game in Chicago. The only clip that I think I have of her, before her death.

[whattheheck1000]

@luvthoseclips Upload it to YouTube!

[pspguy28]

She was a cokehead lol

[Muffy2314]

she looks great and healthy here.

[odewepe]

WOW. RARE FOOTAGE.INCREDIBLE...

[sepley]

Thank you so much, whoever posted the video, for bringing the voice of Jessica Savitch to our 'memory'. She's so special; we will remember you forever, Jessica. Do we have Jessica Fan Club somewhere!

[Buckpenn]

Earlier, there was another KYW-TV anchorperson who jumped up to the NBC network. It was Bud Dancy, who then changed his name to John. Bud remained in Cleveland to anchor for NBC's WKYC, then went on to the big anchordesk. Jessica Savitch followed Bud's footsteps, but out of Philadelphia, not Cleveland.

[geo31]

What was up with  her marrying a bisexual

[chrisman737]

Of all the women to either anchor or guest anchor national network news in the US, Jessica Savitch was the best. We still miss you!

[LiberalDemocrat83]

Someone needs to make a movie out of Jessica's life. A better one than that made for tv "Almost Golden," which was okay, but it left out a lot of important stuff. Sela Ward, was good but, she looks nothing like Savitch. Well, maybe a little, they have that same weird smile.

[Jaqua79]

What's so unfortunate was they were going to make a much better movie about her life. I believe the script was optioned by Disney. At that point the executives asked, "Does she have to die at the end?"

The screenplay writers said,"No but then it wouldn't be Jessica Savitch." The final result was "Up Close & Personal." Jessica's story was deemed to dark. There's an interview with Charlie Rose on here that discusses it. I don't quite understand how in 1996 this would be considered too dark.

[pooka5472]

Well, if it was produced by another major studio, then it wouldn't have been considered too dark. But this is Disney and everyone knows that Disney is mainly a children's and family film studio. Now, if it was being released under the Touchstone brand, there wouldn't have been much of a fuss.

[fossefan]

Truth be told...I've read Almost Golden, Golden Girl, and Anchorwoman (her book), and I'm kinda suspecting she might have been a pathalogical liar. I don't mean that as disrespectful, I mean that as "Ah, that's the last piece of the puzzle."

[LiberalDemocrat83]

I read Golden Girl, but not the other two, and I have to agree with you. However, I think there was something "deeper" going on in that mind of hers. From what I read, she was a happy little girl, but then something along the way screwed her up.

[fossefan]

Makes her death all the more sadder...that she isn't around to give us some sort of answer.

Not that it matters, but Golden Girl is the best of the three. Almost Golden is very good, but has a tendency to get bogged down into various histories: that of NBC News, that of the rise of local news, etc. But you should still read it.

[LiberalDemocrat83]

You know what? I think that she had an Electra Complex, she lost her father at an important age, 12. I mean just look at her taste in men. Mel Korn(husband 1), was 20 years older than her.

[fossefan]

That's a really interesting idea. I wonder if her sisters or any of her therapists thought so.

I'm glad we had this discussion, LiberalDemocrat83 (and I love your name!).

Cheers.

[LiberalDemocrat83]

Yes, me too and thanks! :)

Poor Jessica Savitch she was a mystery wrapped up in an enigma.

[fossefan]

...and a sweater!

[LiberalDemocrat83]

"I'm Ron Burgundy, you stay classy San Diego"

[frrrrrunkis]

"Thanks for stopping by..."

[LiberalDemocrat83]

jessica's dad died when she was 12 and she wasn't allowed to go to his funeral. Wouldn't that kind of mess a kid up?

[southdude89]

it not only looks like the bridge of the starship enterprise, but the set of $100,000 pyramid. Ugly!

[hotkaramellove5000]

This is in Philadelphia KYW Channel 3 when it was a NBC affiliate. NBC picked her up from there.

[jmb302]

Im reading "Almost Golden", The history of not only Jessica Savitch, but of telvision new's itself. It's great to have video to go along with what i'm reading.

[bbaldwinmltrial]

Wow: "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" comes alive!

[billso]

This was what a major market newscast looked like in 1977. Really. You should see some of the clips from smaller markets.

[ckaye99]

What was so bad about it? It looks more human to me - I hate the minimalist sets and the lighting of today. Seems back then they might have made more of an effort to appear serious too - not so much chummy kibitzing.

[BrockMasters9]

A star a goddamn star from the very start.

[snopbox]

Wow...I'm having unexpected flashbacks here....and not from 1977, from the early 80s. I think they still used this same type of news intro music style in '82 and '83...around there. Man I wish Jessica Were still alive. She inspires me to be a news anchor, despite her tragic life.

[calalilygirl]

@snopbox I remember that music too. It was classic and everywhere.

[ckaye99]

Yeah, they kind of play her like she was a bubblehead - I don't know, I haven't seen much proof of what she had upstairs. Even the sympathetic biographers don't have much to say about it.

My god, she was a tortured human being. Poor dear, hope she's feeling better now.

[hellotimetogo]

Tragic story. Her choice to use drugs ended her career.

[ckaye99]

There was something further back then drugs that unbalanced her. As you get older and lose your energy and your youthful sheen the imbalance starts to show. The coke was a dressing on top of the real problem.

[TKUNDER]

Jessica Savitch was an incredibly gorgeous woman with tremendous talent. Tragic that her life was taken from her at just 36. She was a pioneer for women in national broadcasting.

[ckaye99]

That alone will beat the hell up out of you and take your energy away - always having boys thinking your tits is all you were about. At the time she was fighting that shit so was I, and it broke my heart.

[BootPatrol]

Imagine that - a young Jessica Savitch!  This blows my mind!

[wmichael1]

i loved this theme when i was a kid. now i know why: check out the 70's "philly sound" bass line (after the reveal as vince opens). it's another almost visonary theme from kyw. sure do wish today's themes pushed the edge and reflected the "sound" of the city like this one did. [wish we had great anchors like jessica savitch now too] oh, be sure to listen to the close for the full effect. yeah- i'm a news theme geek!

[WhatsAYak]

Yeah, it's def a great theme...I'd rank it @ a VERY close 2nd behind WPVI's signature, Move Closer to Your World...you can imagine my delight when a clean copy of this underrated theme finally surfaced online. :-)

[ateball1]

i'll back you on that one.

[tonyt55]

i think we all had a crush on jesse girl i use to call her that damn i miss her....

[mooncrystle]

I remember seeing Jessica Savitch on this station even though I was under age 5 (I spent alot of time in front of the tv). I always remembered her hair- it was such a yellowy blonde color, which I hadn't seen too often at that point in my young life. She looked so young and pretty then, that when I saw her on NBC news, later, I didn't recognise her anymore, even though it was just a couple years difference. She really lost the "fresh-faced" look.

[americancitizen76]

70s anchor folks rule

[44Magpie]

I lived near Philadelphia when I was a kid. Jessica was an extremely beautiful and talented lady and I had a HUGE crush on her. It saddens me to know what happened to her.

[nakamichiguy]

Great clip! I love seeing these old newscasts before slick computer graphics. I remember Ms. Savitch on NBC when I was a kid. She had a tragic life. 

[pekoe]

So 70's so weird!!

[calalilygirl]

@pekoe That's what the 70's sounded like.

[StoneCold75]

@calalilygirl ..yeah that music track sounds kinda haunted with the old film being kinda messed up...I went to get my blanket. I remember newscasts in the late 70s, I was just a toddler but those sounds haunt me still