Roma Torre

Last updated
Roma Torre
Roma Torre.jpg
Roma Torre in April 2020
BornRoma Torre Friedman
(1958-04-20) April 20, 1958 (age 66)
New York, New York
OccupationJournalist, Theater Critic
NationalityAmerican
EducationTufts University (B.A.)
Notable awards2019 NATAS Silver Circle, 2019 and 1991 Emmy Awards, Newswomen’s Club of New York's 2003 Peggy Award
Children2
ParentsHarold W. Friedman
Marie Torre [1]

Roma Torre (born April 20, 1958) is an American TV journalist and theater critic. She is best known for her time at cable news channel NY1, where she was a lead news presenter for over 28 years. [2]

Contents

Torre previously served as an anchor for NY1’s morning news, the station’s political news program “Inside City Hall”, and more recently "Your News Live at Noon". She has also co-anchored the inaugural ceremonies at City Hall Plaza and co-hosted the Tony Awards. [3]

Torre and four others departed NY1 in December 2020 following a settlement in an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against Charter Communications. [2]

Career

Torre began her career at WCBS-TV as a news writer and producer. She also spent 5 years at News 12 Long Island. In 1992, NY1 was founded and she became the news anchor for "News All Day", appearing in the daytime newscasts. [4] Torre had taken up different roles during her career with NY1, including hosting "Inside City Hall" and the theater show "On Stage". [4]

Torre has received over 30 broadcasting awards including a 2019 Emmy and a 1991 Emmy for her coverage of the Avianca plane crash disaster. [5] [6] She was also a recipient of the Newswomen’s Club of New York's 2003 Peggy Award for Broadcasting for her review of the Broadway show, Big River. In November 2019, she was inducted into the New York NATAS' Silver Circle for 25 years of significant contributions to New York television. [7] [8]

Lawsuit against Charter Communications

In June 2019, Torre and four other news presenters (Amanda Farinacci, Vivian Lee, Jeanine Ramirez and Kristen Shaughnessy) filed an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against the station's parent company, Charter Communications. [9] [10] The five, represented by Douglas H. Wigdor, claimed that Charter marginalized them since the company's acquisition of NY1, reducing their airtime and paying them less money than male counterparts. They also accused the company of hiring younger "literal replacements" based on their race and skin color. [11] Torre specifically alleged that the network had given preferential treatment to male anchor Pat Kiernan, including a new studio for the morning broadcasts that she claimed she was barred from using. [2]

Charter Communications refuted the claims, stating “We take these allegations seriously, and as we complete our thorough review, we have not found any merit to them.” [9]

One month after filing the lawsuit, Torre criticized NY1 for alleged retaliation by refusing to allow her to cover the USWNT 2019 ticker-tape parade. [12] “In contrast to 2015, this year NY1 has excluded me from live coverage of the celebration. This year, only weeks after we filed our lawsuit, NY1 has informed me that I will not be involved in the live parade coverage despite my request to continue in this role,” she wrote. [13]

Torre and the other plaintiffs continued to appear on NY1 while the lawsuit was pending, but mutually agreed to depart the network following a settlement announced on December 31, 2020. [2]

Personal life

Torre is the daughter of Marie Torre, a well-known journalist who was the first to gain national attention for serving 10 days in jail after refusing to identify a news source in a dispute involving CBS and Judy Garland in Garland v. Torre. [14]

Born in New York City, Torre grew up in Pittsburgh and aspired to be an actress. [15] She graduated from Tufts University magna cum laude with a degree in English and history. After graduation, she founded a theater company with Eduardo Lopez whom she later married. [1]

Roma and Ed Lopez have 2 children, Alejandro and Alegra. [1]

Torre is a colon cancer survivor and has been an outspoken patient advocate urging early screening as the best prevention for the disease. [16]

Filmography

According to IMDb, Torre has appeared in films and TV shows as a news anchor. [17]

Appearance
YearTitleForm of entertainment
1996City HallFilm
2000 The Yards Film
2000 Dinner Rush Film
2001 Spin City TV series
2001 Kate & Leopold Film
2002 100 Centre Street TV series
2003 Law & Order: Criminal Intent TV series
2004 The Manchurian Candidate Film
2004 In Good Company Film
2008 Cloverfield Film
2016 Custody Film
2017 The Punisher TV series
2022 The Batman Film

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States women's national soccer team</span> Womens national soccer team representing the United States

The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States of America in international women's soccer. The team is governed by United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Bartiromo</span> American television personality, author

Maria Sara Bartiromo is an American conservative journalist and author who has also worked as a financial reporter and news anchor. She is the host of Mornings with Maria and Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street on the Fox Business channel, and Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News channel.

NY1 is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The channel provides 24-hour news coverage, with a focus on the five boroughs of New York City; its programming primarily features news, traffic and weather, however NY1 also features specialty programs such as Inside City Hall.

Spectrum News 1 Central New York is an American cable news television channel owned by Charter Communications, as an affiliate of its Spectrum News slate of regional news channels. The channel provides 24-hour rolling news coverage focused primarily on central portions of upstate New York. The channel is based in downtown Syracuse, New York out of the former New York Central Railroad Passenger and Freight Station building along Interstate 690.

Alma Dale Campbell Brown is a past head of global media partnerships at Meta and a former American television news reporter and anchorwoman. She was co-anchor of the NBC news program Weekend Today from 2003 to 2007, and hosted the prime time news program Campbell Brown on CNN from 2008 to 2010. Brown won an Emmy Award as part of the NBC team reporting on Hurricane Katrina. She is a senior advisor to Tollbit, a website services provider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gretchen Carlson</span> American broadcast journalist (born 1966)

Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson is an American broadcast journalist, writer, and television personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Jansing</span> American TV news correspondent (born 1957)

Christine Ann Kapostasy-Jansing is an American television journalist. She anchors Chris Jansing Reports airing from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET weekdays on MSNBC, having replaced MTP Daily in May 2022.

Alicia Vitarelli is a news anchor for 6 ABC Action News in Philadelphia. She joined the Action News team in October 2010. Alicia co anchored Action News at 4 until October 2019 with Brian Taff and Sharrie Williams. She currently is a co anchor of Action News at 5 along with Rick Williams and Sharrie Williams. On occasion, Alicia teams up with NJ 101.5 radio host Dennis Malloy to cook up Italian specialties for a weekend cooking show called A Roma Aroma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris Faulkner</span> American television anchor

Harris Kimberley Faulkner is an American newscaster and television host who joined the Fox News Channel in 2005. She anchors The Faulkner Focus, a daily daytime show, and hosts Outnumbered. Additionally, she hosts her own primetime political franchise called Town Hall America with Harris Faulkner. She has received six Emmy Awards, including the 2005 Upper Midwest Emmy Awards for Best Newscaster (nominee) and Best News Special (recipient).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubén Díaz Sr.</span> American politician (born 1943)

Rubén Díaz is a Puerto Rican politician from New York City and an ordained Pentecostal minister. He represented the 18th district of the New York City Council from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Díaz represented the 32nd district in the New York State Senate from 2003 to 2017; his Senate district included parts of the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Parkchester, Morrisania, Hunts Point, Melrose, Longwood, and Soundview.

Marie Torre was a television personality who appeared on KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1962 to 1977. She was the station's first woman anchor and one of the first female anchors in the United States. She showed great versatility, easily moving from covering hard news stories, including the kidnapping of Peggy Ann Bradnick at Shade Gap, Pennsylvania, in May 1966, to interviewing such notables and newsmakers as President Lyndon B. Johnson and Coretta Scott King.

Christine Ann Craft is an American attorney, radio talk show host and former television news anchor. She became known in the broadcast industry in the 1980s for her age and sexual discrimination lawsuit against a television station that had demoted her from news anchor to reporter.

NY1 Noticias is a 24-hour Spanish-language cable news television channel owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016, and serves New York City's five boroughs. It is available to customers on channels 95 and 801 on Spectrum's DTV: Digital Television and DTV en Español and first went on the air at 8:01 p.m. on June 30, 2003. It can also be received on Cablevision channel 194 at select areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum News</span> Group of cable news channels owned by Charter Communications

Spectrum News is the brand for a slate of cable news television channels that are owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016. Each of the 17 regional channels primarily focus on local news, weather and sports coverage in their given areas, in addition to national and international news stories. With the exception of NY1 and the Spectrum News channel for Dallas-Fort Worth, all of the channels are available only via Charter-owned pay television in their respective markets, not appearing on Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, DirecTV or Dish Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Manteris</span>

Sunanda Tripathi-Manteris is an Indian-born American account executive and former journalist at the NBC affiliate in Las Vegas, Nevada, KSNV-DT.

Michelle Yu is an American journalist who is a news anchor for NY1 News in New York City and the author of two novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Maas</span> American broadcast journalist

Sandra Maas is an American television news anchor. She has worked in the San Diego, California area since 1990 and is the founding host of the Trailblazing Women video series for the Women’s Museum of California. She has won a regional Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States women's national soccer team pay discrimination claim</span> Gender pay gap litigation, from 2016

Starting in 2016, players for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) have engaged in a series of legal actions against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). These legal actions detail the unequal treatment and compensation of the USWNT, as compared to the U.S. men's national soccer team (USMNT). The process of achieving equal pay and treatment started with a federal complaint submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2016, with notable moments throughout 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. The fight for equal treatment and compensation has received widespread media attention, inspired legislative action in the U.S. Senate, and received fan support. The 2021 documentary film, LFG also details the story of the U.S. women's national soccer team and their fight for equal pay. A landmark equal pay agreement was reached in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Wigdor</span> American lawyer

Douglas Holden Wigdor is a founding partner of the law firm Wigdor LLP, and works as a litigator in New York City, specializing in anti-discrimination law. Wigdor is best known for representing seven victims of alleged sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein, the hotel maid in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case, over twenty employees at Fox News in sexual harassment and discrimination cases, and NFL coaches Brian Flores, Steve Wilks, and Ray Horton in a 2022 class action lawsuit against the National Football League alleging racist and discriminatory practices against Black coaches.

Ruschell Boone was a Jamaican-born American reporter and journalist based in New York City. She worked for NY1 cable television news from 2002 until her death in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Eduardo Lopez Is Wed To Roma T. Friedman". timesmachine.nytimes.com. May 19, 1991. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Grynbaum, Michael (31 December 2020). "5 Anchorwomen to Leave NY1 After Settling Discrimination Suit". New York Times . Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  3. Gans, Andrew (May 27, 2003). "NY1 to Offer Tony Awards Pre-Show June 8". Playbill. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "About". Roma Torre. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  5. 53N - TALENT: COMMENTATOR/EDITORIALIST , retrieved 2019-08-19
  6. "NEW YORK CHAPTER ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF THE 62nd ANNUAL NEW YORK EMMY AWARDS" (PDF). www.google.com. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  7. "Susan Haskins-Doloff and Roma Torre to be Honored by National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences New York Chapter". Broadway World. November 14, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  8. "News 12's Carol Silva inducted into NATAS Silver Circle". News 12 Long Island. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Grynbaum, Michael M. (2019-06-19). "Five NY1 Anchorwomen Sue Cable Channel for Age and Gender Discrimination". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  10. Michelle, Ruiz (June 19, 2019). "Five New York Anchorwomen Allege Age and Gender Discrimination: "We as Women Have an Expiration Date"". Vogue. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  11. "Case 1:19-cv-05708: CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. d/b/a SPECTRUM" (PDF). The New York Times.
  12. Feis, Aaron (July 9, 2019). "Anchor says NY1 refusing to let her cover USWNT parade over lawsuit". The New York Post.
  13. TV, Unseen Women On (2019-07-09). "Open Letter: U.S. Women's Soccer and Equality for Women". Medium. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  14. "Garland v. Torre, 259 F.2d 545 | Casetext". casetext.com. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  15. MARIA, SCIULLO (September 9, 2019). "Suing for age and gender discrimination, New York news anchor Roma Torre reflects on late KDKA anchor Marie Torre's legacy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  16. LEVY, NICOLE. "Roma Torre returns". POLITICO. POLITICO.
  17. "Roma Torre". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-08-04.