Programming announcement: WNBC-4 on Sue Simmons' 'transition from' having a job; plans for a celebration
Sue Simmons.
1:22 pm Mar. 7, 20122
WNBC New York has issued a statement about Sue Simmons following a report in The New York Post that the channel will not renew the contract of its longtime lead female anchor when it comes due in June.
"We have tremendous respect and admiration for Sue Simmons," reads the statement, which a spokesperson provided to Capital. "For decades, Sue has been a critical part of New York’s longest tenured anchor team in the city and has more than earned her iconic status. We have been engaged in ongoing conversations with Sue about her transition from WNBC and will continue to work with her on plans to celebrate her many contributions to WNBC and the New York market."
Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams reported this morning that, "It was entirely NBC’s decision to break up the city’s best-known local anchor pair, Simmons and Chuck Scarborough. Both contracts were up in June. ... The station’s given Chuck three more years. Sue’s been given the boot."
What the fuck are you doing?
NEW YORK CITY'S 3 DECADE LOVE AFFAIR WITH WNBC ANCHOR SUE SIMMONS
TO END IN JUNE OF 2012!
BELOVED NEWS ANCHOR'S CONTRACT WILL NOT BE RENEWED!
NEW YORK VIEWERS ARE DEEPLY OUTRAGED AT SHABBY TREATMENT OF 68 YEAR OLD ICON AND LOCAL NEWS LEGEND AFTER 32 YEARS OF LOYAL AND EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO WNBC!
WNBC IN NEW YORK WILL BE REMOVING SUE SIMMONS FROM HER ANCHOR SEAT IN JUNE, 2012 AFTER 32 YEARS OF LOYAL AND EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE STATION AND AFTER ALMOST 4 DECADES AS A NEWS ANCHOR IN CONNECTICUT, BALTIMORE, WASHINGTON, D.C. AND NEW YORK CITY
This is nothing short of a travesty! After 32 years at WNBC, where Sue Simmons has remained as the beautiful and proud face of the station, and after almost 4 decades as a news anchor, mostly with NBC Universal stations, in Connecticut, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and New York, Ms. Simmons certainly should have been given the opportunity to retire from her profession at a time best suitable for her and with the respect and dignity that she has earned as a legendary icon in New York City!
Sue Simmons was one of the first female Afro-American news anchors in the United States. In 1976, at NBC affiliate WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., Sue Simmons was teamed with Jim Vance as the first Afro-American anchor team in a major U.S. television market. This electrifying pairing of anchors took WRC-TV straight to the top of the ratings - where it has remained for 36 years, with the legendary Jim Vance still at the helm. Sue Simmons opened the door of opportunity for every female news anchor who followed. She was the role model by which every female local news anchor would be judged. At 68 years of age, Sue is still visually stunning and at the top of her league at WNBC. In addition, Sue Simmons is the most well known and beloved female personality in New York City. Would it have really hurt NBC- UNIVERSAL to have allowed Ms. Simmons to retire from her stellar career on her own terms?
SHAME ON WNBC, NBC-UNIVERSAL AND COMCAST! This beloved woman has served WNBC with style, class and dignity for over 3 decades. Unlike most local news anchors in the New York market, Sue Simmons never jumped ship to the competition for more money or better on-air exposure -- even during the worst of the years at NBC when the nightly prime time lineup was so horrific, that viewers simply were not watching NBC when the local nightly news started at 11:00 p.m. Obviously, NBC-Universal has forgotten about "Live at Five" that Ms. Simmons created at WNBC in 1980. "Live at Five" became the flagship news broadcast in New York City and was a major money machine for WNBC. The format of "Live at Five" was copied by almost every major television station in America. WNBC made the ridiculous mistake of removing "Live at Five" from its schedule several years ago -- replacing it by game shows and finally the awful entertainment show "LX New York". The removal of "Live at Five" with Sue Simmons cost a tremendous loss of prestige for WNBC and the station received much ridicule for its decision in eliminating its 5:00 p.m. newscast. Although WNBC recently returned to a 5:00 p.m. newscast, it was without Sue Simmons. I am quite confident that the shabby treatment that WNBC has shown to Ms. Simmons will most certainly cost the station dearly in the loss of viewers and possibly advertisers -- not to mention the fury they will be hearing for months to come from the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who look forward to seeing Sue Simmons in their homes at 11:00 p.m. -- Sue Simmons is far more then just a beloved news anchor -- she has become a part of our lives and our culture in New York City!
Sue Simmons absence from television news at WNBC will leave a gaping void in the coverage of local and national news in the largest television market in America. It will also leave a gaping void in the hearts of her loyal and loving fans and friends. For many of us, we will never see another female news talent of Sue Simmons caliber in our lifetime. This is truly a very sad day for television news and for New York City.
Neal G. Sheeskin, New York City