Jessica Savitch
Jessica Savitch | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jessica Beth Savitch February 1, 1947 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | October 23, 1983 (aged 36) New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Ithaca College |
| Occupation | Television journalist |
| Years active | 1968–1983 |
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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. Savitch was one of the first women to anchor an evening network newscast alone, following in the footsteps of Marlene Sanders of ABC News and Catherine Mackin of NBC News. She also hosted PBS's public affairs program Frontline from its January 1983 debut until her death in a car crash the following October.
Savitch was known for her audience appeal and her skill as an on-camera news reader, although she drew criticism for her relative lack of journalism experience. 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.