Ed Gordon (journalist)

Last updated
Ed Gordon
Ed Gordon.jpg
Ed Gordon in 2008
Born
Edward Lansing Gordon III

(1960-08-17) August 17, 1960 (age 62)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Education Western Michigan University (BA)
Occupation(s)Television journalist, talk show host
Years active1986 – present
Spouse(s)Karen Haney (divorced)
Leslie Howard (current)
Children1
Parent(s) Ed Gordon Jr.
Jimmie Hunt
Website EdGordon.net

Edward Lansing Gordon III (born August 17, 1960) is an American television journalist known for his association with BET over four different decades. A native of Detroit, Ed Gordon is the son of an Olympic athlete also named Ed Gordon. The younger Gordon was BET's main news anchor from 1988 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2001 before hosting the interview show BET Tonight from 2001 to 2002 and another interview show, Weekly with Ed Gordon, from 2010 to 2011.

Contents

In addition to his work with BET, Gordon also worked for NBC News from 1996 to 2000, CBS News from 2004 to 2005, and NPR from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2010, he hosted the syndicated talk show Our World with Black Enterprise .

Personal background

Gordon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father Ed Gordon Jr. (1908–1971) was a schoolteacher who won gold in the 1932 Summer Olympics for competing in the long jump, and his mother Jimmie (née Hunt) (1920–2015) was also a teacher. [1] [2] After graduating from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, [3] the younger Gordon graduated from Western Michigan University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and political science. [4]

Career

Early career in Detroit (1983–1988)

Although Gordon considered law school, Gordon aspired to be a television journalist and took an unpaid internship at WTVS, the PBS affiliate in Detroit. At WTVS, he worked as a production assistant from 1983 to 1985. [4] In 1986, Gordon became host of a local weekly talk show, Detroit Black Journal, which had a yearly salary of $11,000. On the side, Gordon worked as a freelance journalist at the then-fledgling cable network Black Entertainment Television (BET). [4]

First stint with BET (1988–1996)

In 1988, Gordon joined BET full-time as anchor of the weekly program BET News, which covered African-American social issues and popular culture. While Gordon worked at BET, its news staff had only around 20 people, and Gordon produced most of his interviews with only one or two assistants. [4]

Beginning in 1990, Gordon also hosted hour-long interviews on several occasions in the series Conversation with Ed Gordon. His subjects have included President Bill Clinton, actor/director, rapper Tupac Shakur, Sidney Poitier, and singer Whitney Houston. [5] [4] Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Gordon hosted a BET special, L.A. Aftermath: Black Men Speak Out and conducted the first interview with U.S. President George H. W. Bush after the riots. [5]

On January 25, 1996, Gordon became the first journalist to interview former NFL star O. J. Simpson since Simpson was acquitted of murder the previous year. [6] [7]

Career with NBC (1996–2000)

In July 1996, Gordon left BET to join NBC News, where he began as a daytime anchor and host of weekly talk and interview program Internight on NBC's cable network MSNBC as well as a contributor to NBC's morning show Today . [8] [9] At MSNBC, Gordon covered major news events of the late 1990s such as the Republican and Democratic National Conventions of 1996, the impeachment of Bill Clinton, the crash of Swissair Flight 111, and Pope John Paul II's 1998 visit to Cuba. [5] Beginning in March 1999, Gordon became a regular correspondent on Dateline NBC . [10]

Second stint with BET (2000–2004)

Gordon returned to BET in 2000 to host BET News, this time on a nightly basis. [11]

In 2001, Gordon replaced Tavis Smiley as host of interview program BET Tonight. [12] Two interviews Gordon conducted for BET Tonight in 2002 attracted outside attention. The May 8 edition broadcast an interview by Gordon with popular R&B singer R. Kelly, who was facing charges for child pornography. In the interview, Kelly denied the accusations of child abuse. [13] [14] Kelly told Gordon: "I've done a lot of wrong things in my life, but I'm not a criminal." [15] [16]

Then on December 16, the program showed his interview with outgoing Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Republican of Mississippi) following Lott's controversial remarks at the 100th birthday party for fellow Senator Strom Thurmond that the nation would have been better off had Thurmond, a segregationist, been elected for president in 1948. [17] Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times described Gordon as "polite but firm" in the interview: "Without being a bully, he held Lott's tongue to the fire...not allowing the senator to dodge, finesse or answer questions that weren't asked." [17]

As part of a reorganization focusing on entertainment productions, BET cut its news staff and canceled BET Tonight in December 2002 along with other public affairs shows hosted by Gordon, Lead Story and Teen Summit. [18] [19] Gordon continued to be a contributor to BET through 2004, when he interviewed Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. senator John Kerry for a Speak Now special broadcast October 8. [20] [21]

CBS and NPR (2004–2006)

Gordon became a correspondent for the CBS News program 60 Minutes II in November 2004; the show ran until 2005. [22] After Tavis Smiley left National Public Radio (NPR), Gordon began hosting a show on NPR titled News & Notes , a show with a similar focus on African-American issues that he hosted from 2005 to 2006. [23]

Recent work (2006–present)

From 2006 to 2010, Gordon hosted the syndicated talk show Our World with Black Enterprise . [24]

BET announced in March 2010 that Gordon would return to the network to host "a variety of news programs and specials." [25] [26] Gordon's latest series Weekly with Ed Gordon premiered on October 3, 2010 with a one-on-one interview with Representative Charles B. Rangel, who was undergoing an ethics issues at the time. In the program, Gordon also discusses news and culture with a four-member panel. [27] The show ran until March 2011. [28]

In the fall of 2016, Gordon hosted a weekly primetime newsmagazine on Bounce TV, Ed Gordon. [29] [30]

In 2020, Gordon released a book, Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership. [3]

Awards

Personal life

Gordon has a daughter, Taylor (born 1993), from his previous marriage to Karen Haney. [32] [33] During his career with Washington, D.C.-based BET, he lived in nearby Alexandria, Virginia. [33] Now married to Leslie Howard, Gordon is the stepfather of two children. [34] [35]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Jimmie H. Gordon". The Detroit News. July 5, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  2. ↑ "What they're doing" . Quad City Times. March 29, 1967. Retrieved March 8, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Walker, Rhonda (February 14, 2020). "Detroit-born journalist, author Ed Gordon recalls his beginnings". ClickOnDetroit.com. WDIV. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Johnson, Anne Janette (2006). "Gordon, Ed 1960—". Contemporary Black Biography. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "About Ed Gordon". BET. Archived from the original on April 12, 2003. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ Rosenberg, Howard (January 26, 1996). "The Risky Bet Pays Off for BET's Interview". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  7. ↑ Braxton, Greg (July 16, 1996). "Not a Sure BET After O.J. Coup". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  8. ↑ Mifflin, Lawrie (June 19, 1996). "TV Notes: New Faces in Cable News". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Ed Gordon, NPR Biography". NPR. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  10. ↑ Watson, Pernell; Joines, Elizabeth (July 10, 1999). "MSNBC anchor promoted to 'Dateline NBC'". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ Moss, Linda (August 13, 2000). "BET Pumps Up Fall With New Shows". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ Craig, Richard T. (2015). African Americans and Mass Media: A Case for Diversity in Media Ownership. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. pp. 21–23. ISBN   978-0-7391-9126-2 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (2019). Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly. New York: Abrams. pp. 126–127. ISBN   978-1-4197-4007-7.
  14. ↑ Gordon, Ed (January 7, 2019). "Veteran journalist Ed Gordon revisits his 2002 interview with R. Kelly and explains why he believes we must stop supporting the music". The Grio. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ "R Kelly denies sex allegations". BBC News. May 9, 2002. Archived from the original on April 27, 2003.
  16. ↑ "R. Kelly Denies Sex Allegations". Billboard.com. Associated Press. May 9, 2002. Archived from the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Rosenberg, Howard (December 17, 2002). "Minority Report on the Incoming Majority Leader". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "BET sticks with news cuts". Broadcasting & Cable. December 23, 2002. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ Romano, Allison (December 6, 2002). "BET cuts programs, staff". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Kerry Said He is Concerned About African American Issues". BET News. October 8, 2004. Archived from the original on October 15, 2004. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Kerry Addressing Black America". BET News. October 8, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ Jensen, Elizabeth (November 8, 2004). "Ed Gordon joins roster of CBS news show". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  23. ↑ Carpenter, Susan (March 8, 2005). "Filling a rush order for topical radio". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  24. ↑ "Black Enterprise debuts TV show hosted by Ed Gordon" (Press release). Black Enterprise. 2006.
  25. ↑ "Ed Gordon Back to BET". EURWeb. March 9, 2010. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  26. ↑ Bland, Bridget (March 8, 2010). "Ed Gordon: Returning to BET News". Black Voices. AOL. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Ed Gordon Sits Down with New York Congressman Charles Rangel for an Exclusive One-on-One Interview Sunday, October 3 on the Premiere of the BET News Original Series WEEKLY WITH ED GORDON" (Press release). BET. October 1, 2010.
  28. ↑ https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/weekly-with-ed-gordon/episodes/307095/ [ dead link ]
  29. ↑ "Bounce - ed Gordon".
  30. ↑ "Ed Gordon Goes Prime Time with Bounce TV". 30 June 2016.
  31. ↑ "Ed Gordon, B.S.'82, Communication | WMU Alumni". wmualumni.org. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  32. ↑ "Ed Gordon", People, vol. 45, no. 18, May 6, 1996, archived from the original on February 5, 2009, retrieved March 8, 2020
  33. 1 2 "Floating Anchor". People. November 29, 1993. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Ed Gordon, III's Biography".
  35. ↑ "Radio personality ed Gordon and wife Leslie Howard walk the blue".

Related Research Articles

<i>Nightline</i> American late-night news program

Nightline is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main anchor from March 1980 until his retirement in November 2005. Its current, rotating anchors are Byron Pitts and Juju Chang. Nightline airs weeknights from 12:37 to 1:07 a.m., Eastern Time, after Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which had served as the program's lead-out from 2003 to 2012.

<i>Today</i> (American TV program) American news and talk television show

Today is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and after 70 years of broadcasting it is fifth on the list of longest-running United States television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BET</span> American basic cable channel owned by Paramount

Black Entertainment Television is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and was formerly headquartered in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Couric</span> American television and online journalist

Katherine Anne Couric is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, Wake Up Call. From 2013 to 2017, she was Yahoo's Global News Anchor. Couric has been a television host at all of the Big Three television networks in the United States, and in her early career she was an assignment editor for CNN. She worked for NBC News from 1989 to 2006, CBS News from 2006 to 2011, and ABC News from 2011 to 2014. In 2021, she appeared as a guest host for the game show Jeopardy!, the first woman to host the flagship American version of the show in its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Walters</span> American broadcast journalist (1929–2022)

Barbara Jill Walters was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including Today, the ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The View. Walters was a working journalist from 1951 until her retirement in 2015. Walters was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1989, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NATAS in 2000 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.

CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings, news magazine programs CBS News Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, and 48 Hours, and Sunday morning political affairs program Face the Nation. CBS News Radio produces hourly newscasts for hundreds of radio stations, and also oversees CBS News podcasts like The Takeout Podcast. CBS News also operates a 24-hour digital news network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryant Gumbel</span> American journalist and sportscaster

Bryant Charles Gumbel is an American television journalist and sportscaster, best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's Today. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel. Since 1995, he has hosted HBO's acclaimed investigative series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which has been rated as "flat out TV's best sports program" by the Los Angeles Times. It won a Peabody Award in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavis Smiley</span> Talk show host and author

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Curry</span> American journalist

Ann Curry is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan, Darfur, Congo and the Central African Republic. Curry has covered numerous disasters, including the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, where her appeal via Twitter topped Twitter's 'most powerful' list, credited for helping speed the arrival of humanitarian planes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soledad O'Brien</span> American broadcast commentator and producer

María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien is an American broadcast journalist and executive producer. Since 2016, O'Brien has been the host for Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, a nationally syndicated weekly talk show produced by Hearst Television. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013. She is also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXYZ-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Detroit

WXYZ-TV is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside independent station WMYD. Both stations share studios at Broadcast House on 10 Mile Road in Southfield, where WXYZ-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester Holt</span> American journalist and news anchor (born 1959)

Lester Don Holt Jr. is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News following the demotion of Brian Williams. Holt followed in the career footsteps of Max Robinson, an ABC News evening co-anchor, and Holt became the first African-American to solo anchor a weekday network nightly newscast.

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of African-American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists, the NABJ's stated purpose is to provide quality programs and services to and advocate on behalf of black journalists. The organization has worked for diversity and to increase the number of minorities in newsrooms across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hansen</span> American television journalist

Christopher Edward Hansen is an American television journalist and YouTube personality. He is known for his work on Dateline NBC, in particular the former segment To Catch a Predator, which revolved around catching potential Internet sex predators using a sting operation.

<i>E! News</i> American entertainment news operation

E! News, previously known as E! News Daily and E! News Live, is the entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and primarily reports on celebrity news and gossip, along with previews of upcoming films and television shows, regular segments about all of those three subjects, along with overall film and television industry news.

Edward Lansing Gordon Jr. was an American athlete, who competed mainly in the long jump.

Loutelious "T. J." Holmes, Jr. is an American journalist and national television personality. Holmes first gained national prominence as an anchor and correspondent for CNN. He spent five years at the network anchoring CNN Saturday & Sunday Morning.

Pat Harvey is an American broadcast journalist. She joined KCAL 9 in Los Angeles in 1989, and in 2010 began co-anchoring for KCAL sister station KCBS news at 5, 6 & 11PM. She is the longest-running anchor in prime time at one station in Los Angeles. For her 20th anniversary, the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared Oct. 30, 2009, Pat Harvey Day. In June, 2015 Harvey received the LA Area Emmy's Governor's Award. In 2012, Pat was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megyn Kelly</span> American television and radio journalist and podcaster

Megyn Marie Kelly is an American conservative journalist and media personality. She currently hosts a talk show and podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, that airs live daily on SiriusXM. She was a talk show host at Fox News from 2004 to 2017 and a host and correspondent with NBC News from 2017 to 2018. She is also active in posting to her Instagram page and YouTube channel.

Tony Cox is an American radio and television journalist who is host of the syndicated radio talk show UpFront with Tony Cox and used to be host of News & Notes on National Public Radio (NPR).

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.