Jessica Savitch Original NBC News Anchor Women

Groundbreaking Newscaster Jessica Savitch, known for her incitefull newscasts, the first woman to Anchor NBC News , pioneered the PBS Frontline Program, and at only 34. Very soon after this rare interview she was found drowned after the car she was in went off a bridge near her home. Very Sad and a loss to all journalism. She was found dead in the back seat with her dog Chewey. The driver was also killed.

[@leilanirocks]

Jessica was an enthralling, intelligent and very in-the-moment person. I missed her voice and it was great to see and hear her again in this interview.

[@Vejur9000]

She had to fight a lot of sexism and break new ground during those times. Well done.

[@saraannbutler4186]

Excellent speaking voice

[@sherrysmith687]

She was brilliant. I miss her. How nice to find this clip. Gone much too young.

[@voicepopify]

This is wonderful. Thank you for uploading. I love Jessica!

[@song4you80]

What a lady she was so sad she was given so many bad things in her short life. To bad we never got to see more of her potential and strive in life.

[@chadsoard500]

There is no telling what Jessica Savitch could have gone on to do!! God Bless Jessica...

[@jjthor407]

She had a beautiful, soothing voice.

[@paulwalker1443]

She was a great anchor but her demons caught up with her. I am a big fan of the late anchorwoman. Really a sad story...

[@leonwaltemate6152]

Sometime in the 70's, I turned on the news and it was Jessica Savich. She was slurring her speech so badly that I couldn't believe that she was on the air. She did finish the half hour, though.

[@harrykargenian5013]

It wasn't a half hour, it was a 1-minute NBC News Digest. She did struggle with the first minute. She did another one an hour later and was back to her old self.

[@sheenanyc]

wonderful.upload. Thank you so very much.

[@Vejur9000]

I love how people faulted her for her addictions.... in a time where women had to push the envelope in broadcasting, and keep pushing, to help make change.

[@lablaine1981]

So many thug" type men stepped in front of her aspirations...he Dad died when she was 12 yrs old,he protected,supported her 💯 we miss her in 2024 MN 😔❤️🌹

[@michichin]

Thank you for listening in real time♡

[@S955US84]

@6:18 Mike Douglas takes a swipe at KYW Philadelphia - the station his big show (NOT this one) - originated from. His show was very successful there and they were very good to him - even built a new studio for him and he thanked them by moving the show to California where he promptly failed and was replaced by John Davidson. This is from 1982 after Group W had dumped him and he was off broadcast TV and reduced to doing this cable show when very few people had cable. That's almost 40 years ago.

[@tiggerinthewoods7996]

Thanks for the info! Being from Philly myself, I remember both Mike and Jessica. We all know Jessica's tragic end in New Hope, (ironic, huh?), and I remember Mike went to CA and failed, but never knew he had this show. And I had cable in 1982!!!

[@S955US84]

@@tiggerinthewoods7996 - No surprise that you were unaware of this show. Very few knew. Mike had a long run of over 20 years (comparable to Ed Sullivan) but didn't realize that his time was up. Jessica had a very inflated opinion of herself but was also insecure knowing that she lacked substance. Illicit drugs are nobody's friend.

[@edwards8545]

When they cut to a break at 6:30 what intersection/freeway is that with all the palm trees?

[@shamaneikajohnson7117]

🙏🏾🕊️

[@January.]

I loved Mike Douglas. Jessica Savitch was a genius.

[@MegaTriumph1]

She was great everything a true American could want she was an honest reporter.

[@billyrichards8834]

The footage of this interview is TERRIBLE. Kept cutting out, and pausing.

[@S955US84]

There were several other TV network anchorwomen long BEFORE Jessica Savitch including Pauline Fredericks, Martha Rountree, Betty Furness, Liz Trotta, Nancy Dickerson, Marlene Sanders, Jane Pauley and Barbara Walters - among others.

[@JCNDCIII]

Yes. But Jessica surpassed all of them during her tenure. She was ranked the 4th most trusted newsperson in the US above all of those other women and ahead of NBC colleague Tom Brokaw in 1982. Her look was copied by hundreds of aspiring young women. There will never be another.

[@S955US84]

@@JCNDCIII - I was a fan and once met her in Philadelphia. She had a very appealing look and a compelling delivery but she was not a solid journalist like the other women I named. She also had the rep of being difficult to work with and a had host of other issues that often affected her work.

[@JCNDCIII]

@@S955US84 ​ I'm a former reporter/anchor and still do TV interviews as a commentator about issues revolving around my current profession. Jessica was a decent reporter. She was in over head covering politics, Betty or Jane would have been lost covering Washington as well. Jane only beat Jessica to network by a year and had less reporting experience than Jessica. Pauley only anchored in Indy and Chicago for less than 2 years before TODAY. Furness was a former actress and just covered "consumer issues" which is not that difficult a beat, so I would not put in the same category as Liz Trotta or Nancy Dickerson. Compared to a lot of talking heads on air now, Jessica would be considered a very good journalist. A lot of "reporters" today can barely write. Their producers do all of the work. Regardless of Jessica's journo ability (I just reread Golden Girl and some of her colleagues said she was good when she wanted to be) she still was a pioneer that helped break the glass ceiling. A lot of my friends currently in the news biz talk about how difficult some of the current news actresses can be but I don't think they hold a candle to Jessica's tirades.

[@JCNDCIII]

@@S955US84 By comparison, I can assure you Hoda, Craig Melvin, Robin Roberts, David Muir, Nate Burleson, Michael Strahan, or any of the current stars would fail miserably covering Washington politics. Nobody cares how good these people are at actual journalism. There are some heavy weights that do that work and are respectable journos in the classic sense.

[@atheistmommy3710]

why she looks so old? She is about 34 on this footage, she looks like 54.

[@WellConditioned]

She was rail thin and had a cocaine problem. Thin people usually don't age well.

[@murph8837]

She had a turbulent life that she tried to manage with drugs. Her long term boyfriend beat her and she had 2 husbands. The 1st divorced her the 2nd was secretly gay with schizophrenia and committed suicide after a year of marriage.

[@DanielSwartfiguer]

@@murph8837 sounds like you're blaming it on other factors rather than her own choices...typical victim status.

[@murph8837]

@@DanielSwartfiguer who the fuck said she was a victim? I simply said she treated her issues with drugs. Do not twist my words you brainless saltine.

[@americancitizen748]

I am 56 and I think she looks 36.

[@joemartines3545]

I liked Mike Douglas... he had some substance...

[@p.d.3094]

this show was on for yrs but went off the air in 1981, i did not know that.......i assume it was a good show since it lasted.............................. ..

[@jako3214]

I have 0 doubt she would've absolutely been an A+ lister and very, very likely the 1st female anchor of the nightly news BUT u could *clearly see just in her eyes and 'something' about her demeanor is off and troubled. Even in what seems to be medicated, strung out or whatever she's still that GOOD lol

[@tombryant52jumpscoach]

"I want to be on you", Ron Burgundy.

[@Bittersweet.Symphony.]

Looks like a dude

[@January.]

Nah