Sue Simmons

Last updated

Sue Simmons
Born (1942-05-27) May 27, 1942 (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s) Television news anchor, actress
Years active1970s–present
Known for WNBC-TV New York news anchor

Sue Simmons (born May 27, 1942) [1] is an American retired news anchor who was best known for being the lead female anchor at WNBC in New York City from 1980 to 2012. Her contract with WNBC expired in June 2012 and WNBC announced that it would not renew it. Her final broadcast was on June 15, 2012, shortly after her 70th birthday. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Simmons grew up in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village; her father was John Simmons, a jazz bassist whose contemporaries included Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne and Nat King Cole. [3]

She graduated from Julia Richman High School in 1961 and decided to work instead of going on to college.[ citation needed ]

Career

WNBC

She began her career as a consumer action reporter at WTNH-TV in New Haven, Connecticut. She was with WBAL-TV in Baltimore from 1974 to 1976 where she was an anchor for the station's Action News and Baltimore At One broadcasts. From 1976 to 1980 she was a reporter and anchor at WRC-TV in Washington, DC, an NBC owned-and-operated station. [4]

From 1980 to 2007, she was a co-anchor for WNBC's Live at Five news broadcast. She worked with several co-anchors, including Jack Cafferty, Tony Guida, Matt Lauer, Dean Shepherd, Jim Rosenfield, Perri Peltz, and David Ushery. In 2007, Live at Five broadcast for the final time. [5] Weeknights at 11 p.m., [6] she co-anchored with Chuck Scarborough. On March 7, 2012, WNBC announced that it would not renew its contract with Simmons; the contract expired in June. [7] [8] Simmons' final broadcast was on June 15, 2012; she received farewells from long time co-workers, as well as numerous sports figures and celebrities. [2] Simmons was replaced on the 11 p.m. newscast by Shiba Russell. [9]

Chuck and Sue (as they were known in New York) were together since Simmons' arrival at WNBC—the longest run for an anchor team in New York City television history. [10] She was one of the highest paid local anchors in New York, making $5 million a year. [11]

Simmons was referenced in the song Traffic and Weather by the power pop band Fountains of Wayne.[ citation needed ]

On June 23, 2017, Simmons returned to WNBC for a tribute to Gabe Pressman, longtime reporter for the station who died earlier in the day at age 93. [12]

On-air profanity

On May 12, 2008, as a live news teaser was played, Simmons was heard loudly exclaiming, "The fuck are you doing?" It was later revealed that her remark was directed at distracted co-anchor Chuck Scarborough. [13] She later apologized on-air for her inappropriate language. [14] [15] The incident has been mocked in several sketches on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman . [16] The clip was later featured in a 2021 episode of HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . [17] Simmons has stated that she was normally notified proactively when the show was broadcasting live, because she had a reputation for being caught on the air during candid moments. On that particular occasion, she had not been notified, and she uttered the profanity while attempting to get the attention of Scarborough, who was preoccupied with his computer. [18] [19]

Back surgery

In November and December 2010, Simmons was away from her job while she underwent back surgery. [20] On January 3, 2011, she returned to work. However, when she returned from surgery she was no longer a part of the 6 p.m. newscast and only co-anchored the 11 p.m. newscast. [21]

Acting

Sue Simmons made her acting debut as herself in the fourteenth season premiere episode of the NBC legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .[ citation needed ] Simmons went on to guest star as herself on NBC comedy series 30 Rock . She has also appeared in other television series and films in the role of a newscaster, including: The First Wives Club (1996), Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998) and Elementary (2012).

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996 The First Wives Club Newscaster
1997Destination AnywhereNewscaster
1998 Exiled: A Law & Order Movie Newscaster Television film
1999 Light It Up Newscaster
2012–13 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Newscaster (herself)Recurring role; Episodes: "Lost Reputation", "Above Suspicion" and "Funny Valentine"
2012 30 Rock Newscaster (herself)Episode: "My Whole Life Is Thunder"
2012 Elementary NewscasterEpisode: "The Leviathan"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WABC-TV</span> TV station in New York City

WABC-TV is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters; its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

<i>CBS Evening News</i> American television news program

The CBS Evening News is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The CBS Evening News is a daily evening broadcast featuring news reports, feature stories and interviews by CBS News correspondents and reporters covering events around the world. The program has been broadcast since July 1, 1941, under the original title CBS Television News, eventually adopting its current title in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Lauer</span> Former American journalist

Matthew Todd Lauer is a former American television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the news anchor for NBC's Today from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, Lauer was moved from the news desk to the host's chair and was co-anchor of Today from 1997 to 2017. He was also a frequent contributor to the evening news magazine Dateline NBC. With NBC, Lauer hosted the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and co-hosted the opening ceremonies of several Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYW</span> TV station in New York City

WNYW is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship WWOR-TV. The two stations share studios at the Fox Television Center on East 67th Street in Manhattan's Lenox Hill neighborhood; WNYW's transmitter is located at One World Trade Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNBC</span> TV station in New York City

WNBC is a television station in New York City that serves as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WNJU. WNBC's studios and offices are co-located with NBC's corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan; WNJU's facilities in Fort Lee, New Jersey, also serve as WNBC's New Jersey news bureau. Through a channel sharing agreement with WNJU, the two stations transmit using WNJU's spectrum from an antenna atop One World Trade Center.

WCBS-TV, branded CBS New York, is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–licensed independent station WLNY-TV. The two stations share studios within the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan; WCBS-TV's transmitter is located at One World Trade Center.

Live at Five was a local afternoon television news program that aired on WNBC, the NBC flagship television station in New York City. The hour-long program was broadcast from Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan. Featuring a mix of news, features and interviews, the Live at Five concept was first introduced in 1979 by WNBC news director Ron Kershaw and Bob Davis; its final broadcast aired on September 7, 2007.

Charles Bishop Scarborough III is an American television journalist and author. From 1974 to 2024, he was the lead news anchor at WNBC, the New York City flagship station of the NBC Television Network and has also appeared on NBC News.

Janice Huff is the chief meteorologist for WNBC in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Cho</span> American news anchor

Liz Cho is a news anchor at WABC-TV in New York City. She has co-anchored the weekday 4 and 6 p.m. editions of Eyewitness News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabe Pressman</span> American television journalist (1924–2017)

Gabriel Stanley "Gabe" Pressman was an American journalist who was a reporter for WNBC-TV in New York City for more than 60 years. His career spanned more than seven decades; the events he covered included the sinking of the Andrea Doria in 1956, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr., the Beatles' first trip to the United States, and the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. He was one of the pioneers of United States television news and has been credited as the first reporter to have left the studio for on-the-scene "street reporting" at major events. Pressman was dubbed the "Dean of New York Journalism"; his numerous awards include a Peabody and 11 Emmys, and he was considered a New York icon.

Jim Rosenfield is an American local television news anchor who worked for WCAU-TV, the NBC-owned television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

David Ushery is an African-American television news anchor at WNBC News 4 New York, NBC's flagship owned and operated station.

<i>Good Day L.A.</i> Morning television news and entertainment program in Los Angeles

Good Day L.A. is an American morning television news and entertainment program airing on KTTV, a Fox owned-and-operated television station in Los Angeles, California, owned by the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox Corporation. The program broadcasts each weekday morning from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pacific Time. The program features news, traffic, weather, and entertainment segments. The program also features weekly segments on finance, tech, wellness, and food.

<i>Fox Report</i> 1999 American TV series or program

The Fox Report is an American evening television news program on Fox News, which debuted on September 13, 1999 as a seven-night-a-week broadcast with Shepard Smith as main anchor of the program until it was relegated to weekends only after the October 4, 2013 broadcast. Since June 16, 2018, the Fox Report has been anchored by Jon Scott.

<i>Good Day New York</i> Weekday morning TV show

Good Day New York is a morning show airing on WNYW Fox 5, hosted by Rosanna Scotto and Curt Menefee. It is a Fox owned-and-operated television station in New York City, owned by the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox Corporation. It was the first morning newscast to air on a Fox-owned station, having launched on August 1, 1988. The program broadcasts each weekday morning from 4:30 to 10 a.m. Eastern Time. The 4:30–7 a.m. portion is a general news/traffic/weather format. The 7–9 a.m. portion still features news, traffic and weather, but also incorporates entertainment news. The 9–10 a.m. hour addition is entertainment segments including celebrity interviews, politicians etc., as well as feature segments, food, fashion and more.

Katherine Creag Gafner was a Filipino-American television journalist. She worked for WNBC for a decade prior to her death. Before that, she worked for NY1, WTVH, and WNYW. She won several awards for her journalism.

Michele Marie Marsh was an American broadcast journalist, best known for her work at two network-owned television stations in New York City from 1979 to 2003.

Michael Louis Gargiulo is an American television news anchor at WNBC, NBC’s flagship station. He has anchored Today in New York with Darlene Rodriguez since 2008, and has been embedded with United States military units in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and the Persian Gulf.

Stefan Holt is an American journalist and television news anchor for WMAQ-TV—the Chicago owned-and-operated station of NBC. He anchors alongside Allison Rosati for the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. news programs on this station, after he replacing Rob Stafford who was retired on December 23, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Sue Simmons tells 'Joy Behar: Say Anything!' she cried in the final days: 'I didn't think it was going to end, but it did.'". Daily News. New York.
  2. 1 2 "Sue Simmons Signs off at New York's WNBC After 32 Years". The Hollywood Reporter . June 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Sue Simmons". NBC New York. Archived from the original on November 17, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  4. ↑ Krystal Knows!!! - Sue Simmons news anchor for nearly thirty years
  5. ↑ Lee, Felicia R. (July 28, 2007). "WNBC-TV in New York to End 5 P.M. Newscast, New York Times, July 28, 2007". The New York Times . Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Sue Simmons - Anchor". December 14, 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  7. ↑ "WNBC: 'We Have Tremendous Respect and Admiration for Sue Simmons'". Mediabistro.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ Barron, James; Stelter, Brian (March 7, 2012). "Veteran TV Anchor Sue Simmons Is Losing Her Job". The New York Times .
  9. ↑ Barmash, Jerry (June 18, 2012). "WNBC Names Shiba Russell as Sue Simmons' Replacement at 11 p.m." Mediabistro.com . Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  10. ↑ Jen Chung (January 7, 2005). "2005 article on the 25th Anniversary of their pairing". Gothamist.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  11. ↑ "New York's Salary Guide 2005". Nymag.com. September 26, 2005. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  12. ↑ "New York Legend Gabe Pressman Dead at 93". WNBC. June 23, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ Thielman, Sam (May 22, 2008). "WNBC shuffles news anchors". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Sue Simmons tells 'Joy Behar: Say Anything!' she cried in the final days: 'I didn't think it was going to end, but it did'". Daily News. New York.
  15. ↑ "Sue Simmons Wants to Know What the F**k You Are Doing". New York Magazine. May 13, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  16. ↑ Shea, Danny (May 22, 2008). "David Letterman's Views on Sue's Slip!". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  17. ↑ Eck, Kevin. "HBO Host John Oliver Targets Local Stations' Sponsored Content Practices". Ad Week. No. May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  18. ↑ Sue Simmons explains why she dropped the f-bomb. YouTube. October 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Sue Simmons reveals the story behind her on-air obscenity". Daily News. New York.
  20. ↑ Barmash, Jerry (November 8, 2010). "Veteran WNBC anchor recovering from back surgery". Mediabistro.com. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  21. ↑ "4 NY News at 11 - Sue Simmons recovering from back surgery (12-22-10)". Youtube.com. December 23, 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2011.


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.