News personalities of the past

I thought Arthur Kent went hitchhiking through the galaxy with Ford Perfect.

Mary Tillotson. Remember her? She asked President H.W. Bush if he'd ever had an extramarital affair (in a news conference with the PM of Canada.) She hasn't been seen since.

Interesting r2. Elsa Klensch did it for me. Lol.@ bobbi batista's crazy eyes. Didn't she have a spiky mullet too?

Lynne Russell!

Ashley Banfield. She and her little glasses were once the talk of the all-news networks.

Here's WHET Arthur Kent:

And here's what the Scud Stud looks like today

(more like the Scud Scuzz now!)

Ashley Banfield is on CNN now.

I wish Wolf Blitzer was on this list.

Remember Aaron Brown on CNN? As Stephen Colbert said, "No one mulls the news quite like Aaron Brown." Ugh, he was awful.

Who was the Cuban guy who said that John Stewart owes his popularity to being Jewish? He fell off the face of the earth. He was awful.

Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts used to be everywhere. They were such freaks. Could Sam get a job on TV in 2013?

I just saw this on Sam Donaldson's Wikipedia page:

On August 2, 2006, during the last White House Press conference in the briefing room before undergoing major renovations, Donaldson shouted, "Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven?", referencing reports of the actor/producer's alleged anti-Semitic remarks. President Bush laughed and looked up to see who had asked the question. Bush joked, "Is that Sam Donaldson? Forget it...you're a 'has-been'! We don't have to answer has-beens' questions."[3] Donaldson replied, "Better to have been a has-been than a never-was."[4]

What a couple of assholes. They deserve each other.

That was Rick Sanchez, r10.

Damn, I hated that guy with a white hot passion. Know it all prick who severely hurt a man while driving drunk.

Can now add Soledad O'Brien to the list. Never liked her either.

And, of course, there's the ultimate, mentally ill pricks.... Keith Olbermann and Glenn Beck.

Poor Bobbie - I'm sure she drove all of the cameramen to drink trying to figure out where the hell she was looking.

Penny Crone

The Ken doll on CNN--perfect hair, piercing blue eyes, owes child support.

He had an unusual name.

I miss Aaron Brown. I remember on 9/11 he was a very calming presence when the planes hit the towers. He was practically catatonic, in fact. Like he was definitely on his meds!

He had a voice and a style made for PBS. Miles O'Brien was a good guy, too and he knew a lot about aviation and rockets and outer space and science stuff. Those guys had cred. They also conveyed a level of intelligence that is absent these past ten years or so.

[quote]Ashley Banfield. She and her little glasses were once the talk of the all-news networks.

I just saw her on something within the last week.

rudi bakhtiar

Hey, r18, she was nice to look at. Beautiful, in fact.

I'd rather watch paint dry then listen to Aaron Brown.

Have no clue about r15's.

Ann Curry

Rudi was behind on paying her rent

thalia assuras

Cokie Roberts shows up from time to time to do color commentary. Or something. I think I saw her on one of the networks either the day of, or pre- Inauguration coverage. She is an ass.

Believe it or not, Wolf Blitzer was the scud stud.

Yep, Ann Curry and Soledad will disappear.

I do miss Miles and thought he was great.

But what happened to Keiran Chetry? Rita Cosby?

R4 I always thought she was a dead ringer for pornstar Annette Haven.

[quote] She hasn't been seen since.

I believe the correct expression is " She's been disappeared."

Penny Crone we hardly knew ye.

I loved Bobbi Batista and her fucking crazy eyes - they were almost hypnotic.

Before Larry King began his thousand-year run on CNN, that time slot had "The Freeman Report" with Sandi Freeman.

She was a fantastic interviewer and all-round journalist (poles apart from Larry King and Baba Wawa). Apparently, she and CNN were unable to resolve some issues concerning her contract renewal, hence, Larry King.

Since then (1984), she seems to have vanished. It's as if she never existed.

r5 MSNBC banished her because she talked about how the networks seem to be pushing for the war in Iraq (she said this at some speaking engagement).

On 9-11, my friends and I were watching Ashley Banfield on MSNBC. She did have a meteoric rise until the network decided they didn't want to hear the truth from their star anchor.

MSNBC in 2003 is not the same one it is now.

I loved Aaron Brown. Perhaps r16 is right. He's more suited for PBS. Brown teaches journalism now.

Someone's gotta remember who I'm talking about. His name was Loudon or Landon or something. Very tan--not a hair out of place.

What years or decade are we talking about r32?

Hmm...early 2000s maybe--I really don't remember.

R15/32, do you mean Linden Soles?

Fatih Daniels.

Bob Losure.

Jane Pauley

The hunk Stone Philips

WHET Bernard Shaw from CNN( is he dead?)

The horse face racially ambiguous woman who used to be on CNN ( last I saw her was during the Whitney HOoston funeral telecast). Was she fired?

Rolanda Watts

Tucker Carlson ( he disappeard after DWTS)

Roger Grimsby!

Tex Antoine!

Roseanne Scarmadella!

Yes R35!

Thank you!

Big busty redhead Lynne Russell from CNN. She retired around 2000 and I remember the Atlanta paper running a profile on her and her gun collection. Apparently she was secretly Canadian and ended up back in Toronto.

Speaking of Canadian what about that foppish Kevin something or other who was an up an coming anchor at ABC but ended up moving back to Canada to host the news on CBC or CTV.

Tucker Carlson runs the Daily Caller website, doesn't he?

I remember Sandi Freeman - she was very competent but a little chilly - not the type to crack a smile.

I'm trying to remember the woman who was Bernard Shaw's coanchor on CNN for a couple of years - Mary Ann something.

It's funny how back then, CNN had this total Not Ready for Prime Time look. Of course now I'd give anything to have that CNN back.

Love her first name...MSNBC's anchor Contessa Brewer, who appears on the network's weekend reruns of 'Caught on Camera.'

MSNBC's anchor John Seigenthaller, although I still see him as host of the network's endless weekend reruns of the prison show, 'Lock Up.'

Lynne Russell was an interesting case -- she held black belts in Tai Kwon Do and worked as a P.I. and, I think, a bodyguard. Sort of a Mrs. Peel of the news.

Her website says she now designs custom lamps.

Hallloween is a big deal in my San Diego 'gayborhood' of Hillcrest. Many years ago, a clever gay in the neighborhood dressed up as Bobbi Batista for the annual block party, "Nightmare on Normal Street," which is in the heart of the gay area.

This guy had a cardboard TV that fir over his head with his Bobbi Batissta face as the network anchor looking out at you. He wore a Bobbi Batista wig with this 1980s color blocking dress and Bobbi's crazy cross-eyes. The TV featured the CNN logo running along the bottom portion of the TV with his name "Bobbi Batista" identifying him. It was one of the funniest and most memorable costimes I've ever seen.

What a hoot. Leave it to the gays.

Stone Phillips located!

Here's Bobbie Battista in all her wonky-eyed glory.

Stories like r47's are why I love Datalounge.

The first time I saw Barbara Starr, I wondered what the hell Barney Frank was doing in drag, reporting the news on CNN.

Does anyone know if Linda Ellerbee still does reports for Nick at Night?

That is a parody Bobbie. Bobbie left around the time Ted turner lost any control over CNN.

I loved Mary Alice Williams on CNN in the 80s - so good.

I love reading about these (mostly) long-forgotten names.

Faith Daniels, as someone mentioned. Didn't she appear suddenly on the national scene? Then seemed to disappear almost as quickly. Fairly bland I recall.

Kathleen Sullivan. The last time I saw here she had a cameo on a re-run of Roseanne.

My all-time favorite...Jessica Savitch. Damn she was good.

Omg, I loved Faith Daniels. She was one of the first news anchors (didn't she host the 'Today' show for a while?) to get her own talk show...kind of like the shows that Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper have now.

Bobbi Batista reminded me ofa young Babs

Does Steve Kmetko count as a 'news personality'? He was so cute back in the day. Always wondered what he's up to these days.

Aaron Brown is a college dropout. Where is he qualified to teach journalism? Online at Full Sail University?

Pia Lindstrom

Soledad O'Brien

Rolanda Watts does the voiceovers for "Judge Joe Brown".

Anyone remember Charlie Rose's old CBS late night show? I think it came on at 1 or 2AM.

He was actually one of four hosts. There was a black woman Felicia Jeter and the other guy was Harold Dow, they were both good, Felicia was funny and warm to guests.

I don't remember the other woman.

Connie Chung

Kathleen Sullivan

Linda Ellerbee was my favorite.

R59, no.

Contessa Brewer is a local NBC reporter here in NY - if I recall correctly, wasn't she the reporter who while reporting about Hurricane Sandy found out her South Street Seapory apartment was flooded?

What evet happened to hottie Antonio Moreno? Why did he leave a network morning show for a local market?

Well, I NEVER, R66!!

How do these vanished anchors make money after exile from network TV? Are Bobbie and Miles millionaires from their stints at CNN?

Douglas Edwards, John Cameron Swayze, and our brother, John Wingate.

Katy Tong

Jim Watkins

Jim Ronsenfield

OP here. It was "News Personaliies of the Past" which I later posted to.

Jeremy Hubbard

Kaity Tong (at 65) is still at WPIX-11. She was "re-positioned" (aka demoted) to features and week-end anchor.

Marcellus (mar seee luss) Parsons

Sara Lee Kessler

Even though he was 100% straight, Jim Rosenfield had class and a great voice. Had the hots for him.

Dana Tyler, Tony Aiello, Pablo Guzman, Dr Max Gomez, Manuel Gallegas, Marcia Kramer and John Slattery are all on LI News Chanel 55 now.

June Aston Taylor...

That other John, the big hairy jewish guy with the reportedly huge dick, from NBC.

Kaity Tong looks great for her age. She testified last year in behalf of a WPIX news director who was canned for being too old.

Frederica Whitefield of CNN/Headline news

I'm really dating myself, but I loved Jessica Savitch too. I was horrified by the way she died.

Wait Frederica is gone?

I liked Charles Jaco who was giving CNN reports from the 1990 Gulf War. His broadcasts from the front lines were great. There was one moment when a scud was incoming and suddenly the screen went black. All America gasped at the same moment. It took several minutes to get him back on the air.

Jaco is still doing the news, but on a smaller scale than CNN, and we owe him a debt. He was the Missouri journalist whose question prompted Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" comment.

Rob Morrison.

R79, WLNY is now owned by CBS and staffed with the same news people as WCBS TV NY - Channel 2.

All the names you mentioned are also still on Channel 2.

[R85] Fred isn't gone, she was a maternity leave, she had twins back in December. Her first day back on CNN was today.

Poor Fred - the thunder of her return stolen by Robin Roberts.

Sandi Freeman is/was married to Alfred Geller, the agent who has repped Connie Chung, Al Roker, and Ann Curry, to name a few.

Sandi quit TV after CNN and went to law school.

Aaron Brown may rival Dan Rather for outsized ego.

Kmetko teaches Communications at his alma mater in the midwest.

Rita Cosby pretty much obliterated any credibility she may have had by alleging in a book she wrote that Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer and the photog who is the father of her daughter were lovers--and may have conspired in her death. The lawyer sued Cosby for big bucks.

Bobbie Battista used to be the most recognizable TV personality across eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union back in the day.

Bella Shaw, CNN Style Reporter, looked like an afghan hound on meth.

A cap of the real Bobbie Battista in all her wonky-eyed glory:

Can someone tell me what happened to Susan Rook? She was the daily news anchor in the 90s on CNN.

Fuck all you bitches!

r77, Sara Lee Kessler successfully sued WWOR-9 for religious discrimination. Knowing she was an Observant Jew, they made her work on Friday evenings. She was later at New Jersey Public Television as a medical reporter. Most recently at FM News 101.9 which changed formats after a year. She's now at home with her husband, Robert Miller (former TV reporter), and their kids.

r91, Rita Cosby has her own show WOR-710 in New York from 4:00-6:00PM weekdays.

Miles O'Brien made the new PBS docu on Guns in America, very well done too.

Thanks, R97--I thought she was still on "hiatus."

I own this thread.

Forrest Sawyer, the go-to guy at ABC News for many years.

Always assumed he was gay but never knew anything about him.

Forrest Sawyer is/was gay. He was Wendy Wasserstein's straight-acting beard for many years.

What happened to Lisa Daniels who was on CBS for awhile?

Where did Linden Soles go off to?

Irving R. Levine was often called Pope Irving because he covered the Vatican for so many years.

Dan Abrams.

WEHT Michael Ware? So INTENSE on CNN.

STEVE BARTLESTEIN!!!!! Sex on a stick, and he's out, too!

Laura Huckabee, she used to do Saturday Early Show weather for a while. I think she was based out of Atlanta. She was a real stick figure thing, and the much less crazy cousin of Mike Huckabee.

Forrest Sawyer was interviewing Madonna on Nightline about the "Justify My Love" controversy when the news broke that Iraq had invaded Kuwait. He was very knowledgeable about. her work, lol.

WHET to Bobbie Battista and her googly eyes?

Rita Cosby had a voice that was made for newspapers.

Thanks for the update on Sandi Freeman, R91. Interesting news!

Forrest Sawyer and Miles O'Brian could be twins.

Linden Soles had a face like a piece of waxed fruit but I'd totally have done him.

It's nice to see Martin Savidge back on CNN. He was hunky back in the day. He's definitely lost his looks, though.

Bella Shaw was on some infomercial recently, she still has amazing hair.

Pablo Guzman was a member of The Young Lords gang, based in the South Bronx during the 1970s. Both Pablo and another Young Lords member, Felipe Luciano, became successful NY newsmen.

R105 - Dan Abrams (and his hideous toupee) are on ABC News now - he's their "legal analyst" or some such...

Nancy Dickerson

Corky Sherwood!

Steve Bartlestein's on air meltdowns were legendary! The guy was out of control. I'm sure his former colleagues have more than a few stories to tell.

I remember one of his meltdowns when he was on ABC local news at noon.

He screwed up whatever he was supposed to read, yet he screamed at the teleprompter person blaming him/her for his own ineptitude and substance abuse.

What a freak! His drugged ass needed to be banned after that, yet he went on to work for CBS!

I also don't see the so-called sex appeal of this weirdo.

Beth Ruyak has a local show on public radio in Sacramento.

After Steve Bartelstein got the ax at WABC, he landed at WCB-2. He quit claiming they didn't "appreciate me." Musta been the Tina talking. Hasn't been heard from since.

R117 - She's Corky Sherwood Forest now.

Kathleen Sullivan was one of Martina Navratilova's more prominent conquests. She was practically glued to Navratilova's side at the 1992 U.S Open.

Linden Soles

You barely ever hear about or from Christiane Amanpour anymore. I thought she was excellent.

I think Olbermann is doing sports reporting again, since Current TV bombed & then got bought out by AL Jazeera.

Hate to break it to you bitches but

Arthur Kent is a conservative.

Andrea Thompson. She left NYPD Blue to become a journalist. Not too long later CNN or maybe it was HLN decided to make her their primetime anchor. Boy were long time veteran journalists pissed.

I absolutely loved John Chancellor. I was way too young to remember him when he did the NBC nightly news, but I loved him as a correspondent and when he would cover the elections. He managed to mix warmth with a real dry wit at the same time. The real old school. That was one of those deaths that wasn't a "big deal" death but hit me hard at the time.

My grandmother had a really cute story about meeting him - they ended up talking for over a half hour, as they were both buying birthday presents for their grandchildren (or maybe it was his daughter, but I think it was grandchild. Too bad my grandma is dead now and I can't ask her). They were both buying the Elsa Peretti necklace with the silver initial (for your first name).

He was also a real old line liberal, so my grandmother loved that too.

Speaking of my grandmother, she was also a big fan of Gabe Pressman. I remember him a bit.

Well, if it comes to that, what is Dan Rather up to these days? A few years ago I used to see him occasionally on Chris Matthews' Sunday morning shoutfest with Katty Kay (sp?) and a couple other regulars but he always looked very uncomfortable and didn't say much.

I used to have the hots for Tony Guida back in his WNBC-TV period in New York circa late-70's. Next to Chuck Scarborough.

Rita Cosby may have had a voice made for newspapers (or porn) but she was a sweetheart per a friend of mine who interned for her MSNBC show (unlike Olbermann who, unsurprisingly, was a monster).

I was always kind of sad how she just disappeared after the Anna Nicole Smith insanity sent her to Jamaica so I'm glad to hear she is working.

Bob Losure was the biggest dummy.

He said "Vienna, Australia."

Did anyone ever see Linden's Soles?

I was once waiting in a line for a movie in Manhattan in the early 90s when Tony Guida walked to the head of the line and pulled a, "Don't you know who I am?"

No, I don't know who he is. Who is Tony Guida?

Any news on Susan Rooke?

R128 of the big three anchors who would have thought Dan Rather would be the last one standing?

I thought he lost an arm?

Regarding Jessica Savitch, she was before my time, but I came across a used book,[bold] Almost Golden: Jessica Savitch and the Selling of Television News[/bold] (from 1988).

It was engrossing, telling not only about her ambitious rise to the top and "scandalous" personal life and subsequent professional fall; but it places it within the larger story of how television news and culture was transforming in the '70s and early '80s, from the stodgy Walter Cronkite-type newscasts, to the advent of cable news networks and the competition for viewers that took a turn towards dumbing down the news, with flashy personalities and news magazine programs.

Really interesting.

Susan Rook was on meth, cocaine and alcohol; constant nosebleeds

Clark Kent. I think everybody from The Daily Planet mysteriously disappeared.

Frank James Reynolds (November 29, 1923 – July 20, 1983). You'll recognize him, I think.

He had hepatitis in 1983, at the same time as Ted Kennedy, and myself. Teddy & I didn't die, though.

I've outlasted them all.

I miss Sue Simmons.

Back in the 1980s on local NY TV she ruled at Live at Five News. Best celebrity interviews ever.

Greta Van Susteren is married to a guy. I was surprised at that.

[quote] left the network to do a website that only presented "positive" news

OOOH OOOH OOOH, Can I be on that? Please!!!!

R127, and that means they met in Tiffany's, 5th Avenue!

I loved Roger Grimsby, Dan Rather, and. Arthur Kent (who now looks like a cross between Diana's brother Charles and her bf James Hewitt)!

R238, the TV movie is excellent.

No one, but no one, could outclass Peter Jennings.

I loved him, too, r147! Met him once in London. He was very kind.

The guys from the Naked News Network.

Peter Jemnings (RIP) had FANTASTIC legs and loved to show them off on the UWS.

Is Jeanne Moos still at CNN?

Dan Rather's on the lecture circuit. I was on a flight from JFK to Austin with him recently.

For LA people, Baxter Ward.

Campbell Brown

Horsey-faced Garrick Utley. I loved his name.

Sander Vanocur. A fellow Santa Barbara resident, he used to go to the Rainbow Grill, a local greasy spoon, on weekends for lunch in the patio. ("Rainbow" wasn't indicative of anything--the owner just liked rainbows). Hell of a nice guy to talk to. Very unpretentious.

Whatever happened to Chris Hansen from "To Catch a Predator?" Hell, I'd do him!

Roseanne Scamardella

Storm Fields

Tawny Little

Where is Cokie Roberts?

WHET Catherine Crier?

[quote] Where is Cokie Roberts?

She still appears frequently as part of the "roundtable" on "This Week" with George S.

Does anybody here remember Paul Moniz? Very hot roving reporter and on the younger side. He was on ABC NY (or was it NBC?).

He didn't last long.

Who does R81 mean?

I've noticed many local reporters leave news to do PR work, mostly for school districts.

Alan Keyes, the black conservative on MSNBC.

[quote]I've noticed many local reporters leave news to do PR work, mostly for school districts.

Not by choice -- they become flacks because that is the only job many can get after they get laid off.

When they started slashing the staff at the LA Times, one guy joined the LAPD and another gal became an RN.

Ralph Story and all the staff on LA's The Big News

....