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{{Short description|American television journalist (1924–2017)}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Gabe Pressman |
| name = Gabe Pressman |
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| nationality = American |
| nationality = American |
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| other_names = |
| other_names = |
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| occupation = Journalist, TV presenter and |
| occupation = Journalist, TV presenter and reporter |
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| alma_mater = [[New York University]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], 1946)}}<ref name="NBCTVBIO"/><br>[[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]] {{small|([[Master of Science|MS]], 1947)<ref name="nyt62317"/>}}<ref>Daly, Emma (March 25, 2005) [ |
| alma_mater = [[New York University]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], 1946)}}<ref name="NBCTVBIO"/><br>[[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]] {{small|([[Master of Science|MS]], 1947)<ref name="nyt62317"/>}}<ref>Daly, Emma (March 25, 2005) [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/education/columbia-plans-2nd-masters-in-journalism.html "Columbia Plans 2nd Master's in Journalism"], ''The New York Times''</ref> |
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'''Gabriel Stanley''' "'''Gabe'''" '''Pressman''' (February 14, 1924 – June 23, 2017) 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 ''[[SS Andrea Doria|Andrea Doria]]'' in 1956, the assassinations of [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|JFK]] and [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[the Beatles]]' first trip to the United States, and the attacks on the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] on [[September 11 attacks|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.<ref name="nbcsandiego">{{cite news|last1=Abreu|first1=Danielle|title=In Pictures: Gabe Pressman's Life and Iconic Career|url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/multimedia/In-Memoriam-The-Life-and-Times-of-Gabe-Pressman-430332453.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=NBC 7 San Diego|date=June 23, 2017|language=en}}</ref> |
'''Gabriel Stanley''' "'''Gabe'''" '''Pressman''' (February 14, 1924 – June 23, 2017) 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 ''[[SS Andrea Doria|Andrea Doria]]'' in 1956, the assassinations of [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|JFK]] and [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[the Beatles]]' first trip to the United States, and the attacks on the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] on [[September 11 attacks|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.<ref name="nbcsandiego">{{cite news |last1=Abreu |first1=Danielle |title=In Pictures: Gabe Pressman's Life and Iconic Career|url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/multimedia/In-Memoriam-The-Life-and-Times-of-Gabe-Pressman-430332453.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=NBC 7 San Diego|date=June 23, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Pressman was dubbed the "Dean of New York Journalism"; his numerous awards include a [[Peabody Award|Peabody]] and 11 [[Emmy Award|Emmys]], and he was considered a New York icon.<ref name="nyt62317">{{cite news|last1=McFadden|first1=Robert D.|title=Gabe Pressman, a Dean of New York Journalism, Dies at 93|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/nyregion/gabe-pressman-wnbc-dead.html |access-date=June 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=June 23, 2017}}</ref><ref name="41nbc">{{cite news|title=Gabe Pressman, Legendary NBC New York Reporter, Dead at 93|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gabe-Pressman-WNBC-Dead-430323423.html |accessdate=June 26, 2017|publisher=NBC 4 New York|date=June 23, 2017}}</ref><ref name="wsj">{{cite news|last1=Gardner Jr|first1=Ralph|title=TV News Pioneer, at 91, Has Stories to Tell|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tv-news-pioneer-at-91-has-stories-to-tell-1441146113 |access-date=June 23, 2017|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=September 1, 2015}}</ref> |
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==Early life and education== |
==Early life and education== |
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Pressman was born and raised in [[the Bronx]], the son of Jewish immigrants, Benjamin Pressman (1893–1970), who was born in [[Austria-Hungary|Austria]], and Lena Rifkin Pressman, born in [[Russian Empire|Russia]].<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|last1=Kilgannon|first1=Corey|title=Watching the News, Not Reporting It|url= |
Pressman was born and raised in [[the Bronx]], the son of Jewish immigrants, Benjamin Pressman (1893–1970), who was born in [[Austria-Hungary|Austria]], and Lena Rifkin Pressman, born in [[Russian Empire|Russia]].<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|last1=Kilgannon|first1=Corey|title=Watching the News, Not Reporting It|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/nyregion/18routine.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 16, 2010}}</ref><ref name="NBCTVBIO">[https://archive.today/20130130140226/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/station/about-us/Gabe_Pressman.html "Bio: Gabe Pressman"], nbcnewyork.com; accessed June 23, 2017.</ref> His father, a dentist, became a professional magician later in life; he got his start in magic by performing tricks to entertain children when he would go to schools to teach them about proper dental care.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Benjamin J. Pressman, Dentist and Magician, 77|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/19/archives/dr-benjamin-j-pressman-dentist-and-magician-77.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 19, 1970}}</ref> Gabe had a younger brother, Paul (1929–2003), who was a psychiatrist.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pressman, Dr. Paul Samuel|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/10/classified/paid-notice-deaths-pressman-dr-paul-samuel.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 10, 2003}}</ref> |
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Pressman graduated from [[Morris High School (Bronx, New York)|Morris High School]].<ref name="nbcny">{{cite news|title=New York Legend Gabe Pressman Dead at 93|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gabe-Pressman-WNBC-Dead-430323423.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|publisher=NBC New York|date=June 23, 2017}}</ref><REF NAME="NYBROADCASTERS">[http://hof.nysbroadcasters.org/2006-inductees/gabe-pressman "2006 Hall of Fame Inductee: Gabe Pressman"], nysbroadcasters.org; accessed June 23, 2017.</ref> He got his start in journalism early; as a young boy of 8 or 9, he made a newspaper for his family, with cheeky headlines such as "Grandma's Spongecake Made With Real Sponges".<ref name="nbcsandiego"/> Later he worked as a cub reporter for the ''Peekskill Evening Star'' in [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]] during the summers.<ref name="nbcuni">{{cite news|title=Gabe Pressman|url=http://edit.nbcumv.com/talent/gabe-pressman/bios_read_more?show=151130|accessdate=June 23, 2017|publisher=NBCUniversal Media Village}}</ref> |
Pressman graduated from [[Morris High School (Bronx, New York)|Morris High School]].<ref name="nbcny">{{cite news|title=New York Legend Gabe Pressman Dead at 93|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gabe-Pressman-WNBC-Dead-430323423.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|publisher=NBC New York|date=June 23, 2017}}</ref><REF NAME="NYBROADCASTERS">[http://hof.nysbroadcasters.org/2006-inductees/gabe-pressman "2006 Hall of Fame Inductee: Gabe Pressman"], nysbroadcasters.org; accessed June 23, 2017.</ref> He got his start in journalism early; as a young boy of 8 or 9, he made a newspaper for his family, with cheeky headlines such as "Grandma's Spongecake Made With Real Sponges".<ref name="nbcsandiego"/> Later he worked as a cub reporter for the ''Peekskill Evening Star'' in [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]] during the summers.<ref name="nbcuni">{{cite news|title=Gabe Pressman|url=http://edit.nbcumv.com/talent/gabe-pressman/bios_read_more?show=151130|accessdate=June 23, 2017|publisher=NBCUniversal Media Village}}</ref> |
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He attended [[New York University]], majoring in History and Government, but his education was interrupted during [[World War II]]. At 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from |
He attended [[New York University]], majoring in History and Government, but his education was interrupted during [[World War II]]. At 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1943 to 1946. He took part in the [[Philippines Campaign (1944–1945)|Philippines Campaign]] while serving as a communications officer aboard the submarine chaser [[USS PC-470|USS ''PC-470'']] in the South Pacific.<ref name="nbcuni"/> |
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After the war, Pressman resumed his education, graduating from NYU with a bachelor's degree in 1946, and from the [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]] the following year.<ref name="nbcuni"/> |
After the war, Pressman resumed his education, graduating from NYU with a bachelor's degree in 1946, and from the [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]] the following year.<ref name="nbcuni"/> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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[[File:Malcolm X NYWTS.jpg|right|thumb|Pressman, center right, side to the camera, in front of [[Malcolm X]] at a 1964 press conference]] |
[[File:Malcolm X NYWTS.jpg|right|thumb|Pressman, center right, side to the camera, in front of [[Malcolm X]] at a 1964 press conference]] |
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After earning his master's degree from Columbia in 1947, Pressman worked for a short period as a journalist for the ''[[Newark Evening News]]''. Columbia then awarded him a [[Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship]], and he spent the next 15 months in Europe as a freelance journalist, contributing feature stories for various outlets, including the Overseas News Agency (a subsidiary of the [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]). In 1948, he was briefly arrested in [[Berlin]] while in the [[Soviet occupation zone|Soviet sector]] of the city, in what was reported to be a sign of increasing hostilities from the Soviet government toward the west. He was headed to the Polish Consulate Berlin when he was detained, but was released two hours later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Soviets Remove Transmitter in French Sector|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]|date=December 20, 1948}}</ref> |
After earning his master's degree from Columbia in 1947, Pressman worked for a short period as a journalist for the ''[[Newark Evening News]]''. Columbia then awarded him a [[Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship]], and he spent the next 15 months in Europe as a freelance journalist, contributing feature stories for various outlets, including the Overseas News Agency (a subsidiary of the [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]). In 1948, he was briefly arrested in [[Berlin]] while in the [[Soviet occupation zone|Soviet sector]] of the city, in what was reported to be a sign of increasing hostilities from the Soviet government toward the west. He was headed to the Polish Consulate Berlin when he was detained, but was released two hours later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Soviets Remove Transmitter in French Sector|work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]|date=December 20, 1948}}</ref> |
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Among the events he covered in Europe was the 1949 [[show trial]] of Cardinal [[József Mindszenty]], who opposed the communist regime of the new [[Hungarian People's Republic]], which Pressman covered for ''[[The New York Times]]'' and for [[Edward R. Murrow]]'s radio program.<ref name="41nbc"/> |
Among the events he covered in Europe was the 1949 [[show trial]] of Cardinal [[József Mindszenty]], who opposed the communist regime of the new [[Hungarian People's Republic]], which Pressman covered for ''[[The New York Times]]'' and for [[Edward R. Murrow]]'s radio program.<ref name="41nbc"/> |
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Pressman worked for various New York City newspapers after his return from Europe before becoming a reporter in 1954 for what then was [[NBC]]'s [[radio]] station [[WFAN|WNBC]], and moved over to [[television]] in 1956. Pressman spent the bulk of his broadcast career with NBC |
Pressman worked for various New York City newspapers after his return from Europe before becoming a reporter in 1954 for what then was [[NBC]]'s [[radio]] station [[WFAN (AM)|WNBC]], and moved over to [[television]] in 1956. Pressman spent the bulk of his broadcast career with NBC. The exception wasa seven-year period from 1972 through 1979 when he reported for what was then the [[Metromedia]] station, WNEW-TV, Channel 5 (now [[WNYW]]).<ref name="nyt62317"/> Since 1945, Pressman covered the lives of 10 [[List of mayors of New York City|New York City mayors]], 10 [[List of Governors of New York|New York State governors]], 15 [[List of United States Senators from New York|Senators from New York]], and 13 [[List of Presidents of the United States|United States Presidents]].<ref name="nyt62317"/> |
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Pressman, who described himself as "just a little Jewish guy from the Bronx",<ref name="nyt" /> became a fixture of New York City. Journalist [[Robert D. McFadden]] wrote of Pressman, "A profound, matinee-idol anchorman he was not. But to generations of mayors, governors and ordinary New Yorkers, he was Gabe: the short, rumpled, pushy guy from Channel 4 who seemed always on the scene, elbowing his way to the front and jabbing his microphone in the face of a witness or a big shot."<ref name="nyt62317"/> |
Pressman, who described himself as "just a little Jewish guy from the Bronx",<ref name="nyt" /> became a fixture of New York City. Journalist [[Robert D. McFadden]] wrote of Pressman, "A profound, matinee-idol anchorman he was not. But to generations of mayors, governors and ordinary New Yorkers, he was Gabe: the short, rumpled, pushy guy from Channel 4 who seemed always on the scene, elbowing his way to the front and jabbing his microphone in the face of a witness or a big shot."<ref name="nyt62317"/> |
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Pressman pioneered street reporting as the first television journalist to do live and on-scene coverage of events.<ref name="41nbc"/><ref name="nyt62317"/> After President Kennedy was shot on November 22, 1963, Pressman went out on the street to interview New Yorkers for their reactions; he was live among a crowd of people listening to |
Pressman pioneered street reporting as the first television journalist to do live and on-scene coverage of events.<ref name="41nbc"/><ref name="nyt62317"/> After President Kennedy was shot on November 22, 1963, Pressman went out on the street to interview New Yorkers for their reactions; he was live among a crowd of people listening to NBC Radio when the news came that Kennedy had died.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pressman|first1=Gabe|title=Reporter Recounts NBC4 Coverage of JFK Assassination|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Reporter-Recounts-NBC4-Coverage-of-JFK-Assassination_New-York-233084791.html|accessdate=June 23, 2017|publisher=NBC New York|date=November 22, 2013|language=en}}</ref> Later that evening he reported from darkened Times Square and interviewed a New York City patrolman about the somber mood in the area. |
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Pressman was co-anchor (with [[Bill Ryan (journalist)|Bill Ryan]]) of New York's first early-evening half-hour newscast, the ''Pressman-Ryan Report,'' born out of a devastating 1963 New York City-area newspaper strike. He covered the New York region for [[NBC News]], [[WNBC|WNBC-TV]] and [[WFAN|WNBC-AM]] radio. He was sent by the network to report on many historic events, including the 1956 sinking of the [[SS Andrea Doria|''Andrea Doria'']], [[Elvis Presley]]'s Army stint which went through [[Brooklyn]], one-on-one interviews with [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Harry S. Truman]] and [[Fidel Castro]], the 1964 arrival of the [[Beatles]] at [[Kennedy Airport]], the assassination of [[Malcolm X]], chasing after newly inaugurated New York mayor [[John Lindsay]] in the streets during the [[1966 New York City transit strike|1966 transit strike]], the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] in Chicago, where he reported on the [[1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity|clashes between demonstrators and police]], and the aftermath of the assassinations of [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]], [[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|Robert F. Kennedy]] and [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref name="nyt62317"/><ref name="nbcny"/> Pressman was a reporter for NBC News at the [[Woodstock]] festival in upstate New York in 1969.<ref name="nyt62317"/><ref name="nbcny"/> |
Pressman was co-anchor (with [[Bill Ryan (journalist)|Bill Ryan]]) of New York's first early-evening half-hour newscast, the ''Pressman-Ryan Report,'' born out of a devastating 1963 New York City-area newspaper strike. He covered the New York region for [[NBC News]], [[WNBC|WNBC-TV]] and [[WFAN (AM)|WNBC-AM]] radio. He was sent by the network to report on many historic events, including the 1956 sinking of the [[SS Andrea Doria|''Andrea Doria'']], [[Elvis Presley]]'s Army stint which went through [[Brooklyn]], one-on-one interviews with [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Harry S. Truman]] and [[Fidel Castro]], the 1964 arrival of the [[Beatles]] at [[Kennedy Airport]], the assassination of [[Malcolm X]], chasing after newly inaugurated New York mayor [[John Lindsay]] in the streets during the [[1966 New York City transit strike|1966 transit strike]], the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] in Chicago, where he reported on the [[1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity|clashes between demonstrators and police]], and the aftermath of the assassinations of [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]], [[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|Robert F. Kennedy]] and [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref name="nyt62317"/><ref name="nbcny"/> Pressman was a reporter for NBC News at the [[Woodstock]] festival in upstate New York in 1969.<ref name="nyt62317"/><ref name="nbcny"/> |
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Pressman has been credited with helping create the New York City institution known as the "[[perp walk]]," which was born in the 1970s when he clashed with famed District Attorney [[Robert Morgenthau]] over access to filming notable suspects after they had been arrested. Morgenthau recalled, "Gabe said, 'We need pictures to report your cases,' and I said, 'You're breaking my heart.'"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sayare|first1=Scott|last2=de la Baume|first2=Maïa|last3=Mackey|first3=Robert|title=French Shocked by I.M.F. Chief's 'Perp Walk'|url=https://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/french-shocked-by-i-m-f-chiefs-perp-walk|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2011}}</ref> |
Pressman has been credited with helping create the New York City institution known as the "[[perp walk]]," which was born in the 1970s when he clashed with famed District Attorney [[Robert Morgenthau]] over access to filming notable suspects after they had been arrested. Morgenthau recalled, "Gabe said, 'We need pictures to report your cases,' and I said, 'You're breaking my heart.'"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sayare|first1=Scott|last2=de la Baume|first2=Maïa|last3=Mackey|first3=Robert|title=French Shocked by I.M.F. Chief's 'Perp Walk'|url=https://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/french-shocked-by-i-m-f-chiefs-perp-walk|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2011}}</ref> |
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His reputation as an intrepid reporter is the subject of a gentle lampoon on a recording of [[Bob and Ray]] ("The Two and Only," [[Columbia Records]], |
His reputation as an intrepid reporter is the subject of a gentle lampoon on a recording of [[Bob and Ray]] ("The Two and Only," [[Columbia Records]], c. 1970).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2010/06/bob-and-ray-tonight-act-ii-of-two-and_22.html|title=DownWithTyranny!: Bob and Ray Tonight: Act II of "The Two and Only, " Part 4 -- More "News in Depth," including the return of Gabe Preston|publisher=}}</ref> A reporter billed as "Gabe Pressman" was played by actor J.D. Cullum in [[Billy Crystal]]'s [[HBO]] film ''[[61*]]'', reporting unfavorably on the baseball exploits of [[Roger Maris]] (played by [[Barry Pepper]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jd-cullum/credits/209677/|title=J.D. Cullum|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> |
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He was a past president of the [[New York Press Club]], from 1997 to 2000,<ref name="nydailynews.com">Cullen, Terrance and McShane, Larry (June 23, 2017) {{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gabe-pressman-longtimetv-reporter-dies-93-article-1.3271830|title=Gabe Pressman, longtime TV reporter, dies at 93|publisher=NYDailyNews.com}}</ref> and as head of that organization fought for the rights of New York's journalists, both print and electronic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nypressclub.org/about.php|title=About The New York Press Club|first=Handmade by Peter O.E. Bekker for The New York Press|last=Club|website=www.nypressclub.org}}</ref> |
He was a past president of the [[New York Press Club]], from 1997 to 2000,<ref name="nydailynews.com">Cullen, Terrance and McShane, Larry (June 23, 2017) {{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gabe-pressman-longtimetv-reporter-dies-93-article-1.3271830|title=Gabe Pressman, longtime TV reporter, dies at 93|date=23 June 2017 |publisher=NYDailyNews.com}}</ref> and as head of that organization fought for the rights of New York's journalists, both print and electronic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nypressclub.org/about.php|title=About The New York Press Club|first=Handmade by Peter O.E. Bekker for The New York Press|last=Club|website=www.nypressclub.org}}</ref> |
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Up until the time of his death in June 2017, Pressman still worked part-time at WNBC, mostly as a blog writer about New York City news on the station's website, and he was active on [[Twitter]]. In 2014, he stated that it was an arthritic knee that kept him from chasing stories like he used to.<ref name="nyt" /> A few months before his death, he covered the annual [[Saint Patrick's Day]] Parade in New York.<ref name="nyt62317"/> |
Up until the time of his death in June 2017, Pressman still worked part-time at WNBC, mostly as a blog writer about New York City news on the station's website, and he was active on [[Twitter]]. In 2014, he stated that it was an arthritic knee that kept him from chasing stories like he used to.<ref name="nyt" /> A few months before his death, he covered the 255th annual [[Saint Patrick's Day]] Parade in New York, which reportedly was the last time Pressman was on-air.<ref name="nyt62317"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/2017/tv/news/gabs-pressman-dead-93-new-york-wnbc-60-years-1202477005/|title=Gabe Pressman, TV Reporter Who Covered New York for 60 Years, Dies at 93|date=23 June 2017 |publisher=Variety.com}}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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*1983: Deadline Club Award<ref name="nydailynews.com"/> |
*1983: Deadline Club Award<ref name="nydailynews.com"/> |
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*1985: Olive Award for Excellence in Broadcasting<ref name="41nbc"/> |
*1985: Olive Award for Excellence in Broadcasting<ref name="41nbc"/> |
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*1986: New York |
*1986: New York chapter of [[National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences|NATAS]] Governors' Award<ref name="41nbc"/> |
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*1989: [[RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award|Edward R. Murrow Award]]<ref name="41nbc"/><ref name="nydailynews.com"/> |
*1989: [[RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award|Edward R. Murrow Award]]<ref name="41nbc"/><ref name="nydailynews.com"/> |
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*2015: [[Fair Media Council]]'s Folio Lifetime Achievement Award<ref name="folio">{{cite news|title=Gabe Pressman Honored for Lifetime of On-Air Work {{!}} Tuned In|url=http://tunedinnyc.com/2015/04/26/gabe-pressman-honored-for-lifetime-of-on-air-work/|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=Tuned In NYC|date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> |
*2015: [[Fair Media Council]]'s Folio Lifetime Achievement Award<ref name="folio">{{cite news|title=Gabe Pressman Honored for Lifetime of On-Air Work {{!}} Tuned In|url=http://tunedinnyc.com/2015/04/26/gabe-pressman-honored-for-lifetime-of-on-air-work/|accessdate=June 23, 2017|work=Tuned In NYC|date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> |
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* [http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Reporter-Recounts-NBC4-Coverage-of-JFK-Assassination_New-York-233084791.html Pressman Recounts NBC4 Coverage of JFK Assassination] |
* [http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Reporter-Recounts-NBC4-Coverage-of-JFK-Assassination_New-York-233084791.html Pressman Recounts NBC4 Coverage of JFK Assassination] |
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* {{twitter|Gabe4ny}} |
* {{twitter|Gabe4ny}} |
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* [http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/about-us/Gabe_Pressman.html Official Bio at WNBC TV 4 News] |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161109033834/http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/about-us/Gabe_Pressman.html Official Bio at WNBC TV 4 News] |
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* {{C-SPAN|9737}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:2017 deaths]] |
[[Category:2017 deaths]] |
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[[Category:American television journalists]] |
[[Category:American television journalists]] |
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[[Category:New York (state) television reporters]] |
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[[Category:New York television reporters]] |
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[[Category:Television anchors from New York City]] |
[[Category:Television anchors from New York City]] |
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[[Category:NBC News people]] |
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[[Category:United States Navy officers]] |
[[Category:United States Navy officers]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from New York City]] |
[[Category:Military personnel from New York City]] |
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[[Category:New York Democrats]] |
[[Category:New York (state) Democrats]] |
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[[Category:American male journalists]] |
[[Category:American male journalists]] |
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[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]] |
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]] |
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[[Category:New York University alumni]] |
[[Category:New York University alumni]] |
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[[Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni]] |
[[Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American Jews]] |
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[[Category:George Polk Award recipients]] |
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Gabe Pressman
| |
|---|---|
Pressman reporting for WNBC-TV in 1957
| |
| Born | Gabriel Stanley Pressman (1924-02-14)February 14, 1924 |
| Died | June 23, 2017(2017-06-23) (aged 93)
Manhattan, New York
|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | New York University (BA, 1946)[1] Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (MS, 1947)[2][3] |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, TV presenter and reporter |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Gabriel Stanley "Gabe" Pressman (February 14, 1924 – June 23, 2017) was an American journalist who was a reporter for WNBC-TVinNew 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 Centeron9/11. 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.[4] 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.[2][5][6]
Pressman was born and raised in the Bronx, the son of Jewish immigrants, Benjamin Pressman (1893–1970), who was born in Austria, and Lena Rifkin Pressman, born in Russia.[7][1] His father, a dentist, became a professional magician later in life; he got his start in magic by performing tricks to entertain children when he would go to schools to teach them about proper dental care.[8] Gabe had a younger brother, Paul (1929–2003), who was a psychiatrist.[9]
Pressman graduated from Morris High School.[10][11] He got his start in journalism early; as a young boy of 8 or 9, he made a newspaper for his family, with cheeky headlines such as "Grandma's Spongecake Made With Real Sponges".[4] Later he worked as a cub reporter for the Peekskill Evening StarinPeekskill during the summers.[12]
He attended New York University, majoring in History and Government, but his education was interrupted during World War II. At 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1943 to 1946. He took part in the Philippines Campaign while serving as a communications officer aboard the submarine chaser USS PC-470 in the South Pacific.[12]
After the war, Pressman resumed his education, graduating from NYU with a bachelor's degree in 1946, and from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism the following year.[12]
After earning his master's degree from Columbia in 1947, Pressman worked for a short period as a journalist for the Newark Evening News. Columbia then awarded him a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, and he spent the next 15 months in Europe as a freelance journalist, contributing feature stories for various outlets, including the Overseas News Agency (a subsidiary of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency). In 1948, he was briefly arrested in Berlin while in the Soviet sector of the city, in what was reported to be a sign of increasing hostilities from the Soviet government toward the west. He was headed to the Polish Consulate Berlin when he was detained, but was released two hours later.[13]
Among the events he covered in Europe was the 1949 show trial of Cardinal József Mindszenty, who opposed the communist regime of the new Hungarian People's Republic, which Pressman covered for The New York Times and for Edward R. Murrow's radio program.[5]
Pressman worked for various New York City newspapers after his return from Europe before becoming a reporter in 1954 for what then was NBC's radio station WNBC, and moved over to television in 1956. Pressman spent the bulk of his broadcast career with NBC. The exception was a seven-year period from 1972 through 1979 when he reported for what was then the Metromedia station, WNEW-TV, Channel 5 (now WNYW).[2] Since 1945, Pressman covered the lives of 10 New York City mayors, 10 New York State governors, 15 Senators from New York, and 13 United States Presidents.[2]
Pressman, who described himself as "just a little Jewish guy from the Bronx",[7] became a fixture of New York City. Journalist Robert D. McFadden wrote of Pressman, "A profound, matinee-idol anchorman he was not. But to generations of mayors, governors and ordinary New Yorkers, he was Gabe: the short, rumpled, pushy guy from Channel 4 who seemed always on the scene, elbowing his way to the front and jabbing his microphone in the face of a witness or a big shot."[2]
Pressman pioneered street reporting as the first television journalist to do live and on-scene coverage of events.[5][2] After President Kennedy was shot on November 22, 1963, Pressman went out on the street to interview New Yorkers for their reactions; he was live among a crowd of people listening to NBC Radio when the news came that Kennedy had died.[14] Later that evening he reported from darkened Times Square and interviewed a New York City patrolman about the somber mood in the area.
Pressman was co-anchor (with Bill Ryan) of New York's first early-evening half-hour newscast, the Pressman-Ryan Report, born out of a devastating 1963 New York City-area newspaper strike. He covered the New York region for NBC News, WNBC-TV and WNBC-AM radio. He was sent by the network to report on many historic events, including the 1956 sinking of the Andrea Doria, Elvis Presley's Army stint which went through Brooklyn, one-on-one interviews with Marilyn Monroe, Harry S. Truman and Fidel Castro, the 1964 arrival of the BeatlesatKennedy Airport, the assassination of Malcolm X, chasing after newly inaugurated New York mayor John Lindsay in the streets during the 1966 transit strike, the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where he reported on the clashes between demonstrators and police, and the aftermath of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.[2][10] Pressman was a reporter for NBC News at the Woodstock festival in upstate New York in 1969.[2][10]
Pressman has been credited with helping create the New York City institution known as the "perp walk," which was born in the 1970s when he clashed with famed District Attorney Robert Morgenthau over access to filming notable suspects after they had been arrested. Morgenthau recalled, "Gabe said, 'We need pictures to report your cases,' and I said, 'You're breaking my heart.'"[15]
His reputation as an intrepid reporter is the subject of a gentle lampoon on a recording of Bob and Ray ("The Two and Only," Columbia Records, c. 1970).[16] A reporter billed as "Gabe Pressman" was played by actor J.D. Cullum in Billy Crystal's HBO film 61*, reporting unfavorably on the baseball exploits of Roger Maris (played by Barry Pepper).[17]
He was a past president of the New York Press Club, from 1997 to 2000,[18] and as head of that organization fought for the rights of New York's journalists, both print and electronic.[19]
Up until the time of his death in June 2017, Pressman still worked part-time at WNBC, mostly as a blog writer about New York City news on the station's website, and he was active on Twitter. In 2014, he stated that it was an arthritic knee that kept him from chasing stories like he used to.[7] A few months before his death, he covered the 255th annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York, which reportedly was the last time Pressman was on-air.[2][20]
Pressman was married to Emma Mae Kracht from 1953 until their divorce in 1967. They had a son and two daughters. In 1972, he married Vera Elisabeth Olsen, a psychotherapist, with whom he had another son.[5]
Pressman died at Mount Sinai Hospital Manhattan on June 23, 2017, aged 93.[2]
Pressman amassed many awards for his work, including multiple Emmys and a Peabody Award. He won many of those awards for his coverage of the plight of New York City's homeless population.[6][7][5]
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