Post by gartv on Feb 19, 2007 14:05:15 GMT -3
Ralph Penza of WNBC-4 in New York. Once worked at WSAV-3 in Savannah.
NEW YORK -- Award-winning broadcaster Ralph Penza has passed away after a long illness. He was 74.
His family says he passed early Friday morning.
Penza was a senior correspondent and back-up anchor for NewsChannel 4.
WNBC released a statement, saying, "Ralph was a consummate professional with that rare ability to touch the viewer. A longtime friend, he was a true gentleman who embodied integrity and whose company will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family at this time."
Penza rejoined "NewsChannel 4" in October 1997, following a 22-month hiatus. He first joined the station in October of 1980 as a news reporter and weekend anchor. In addition, he also contributed reports to "NewsChannel 4's" "Live at Five," 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
After his return to "NewsChannel 4," Penza covered a number of high-profile reports for the station. In February 1998, while covering the Pope's historic trip to Cuba, Penza located Joanne Chesimard, the woman convicted of killing NJ state trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike 24 years ago. She was sentenced to life in prison but escaped in 1979 and fled to Cuba where she lives under political asylum. Penza spoke with Chesimard in a rare and exclusive two-part interview, in which she maintained her innocence and recounted the night of the shooting.
In direct response to Penza's interview with Chesimard, NJ Governor Christie Todd Whitman wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno requesting federal help in securing Chesimard's return to the country. She followed-up that letter with a direct appeal to President Clinton asking that any improvement in relations with Cuba be conditioned upon the return of Chesimard to New Jersey. She also offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Chesimard's return to the U.S.
Penza also broke the story of a convicted pedophile, living in Manhattan, in whose room police discovered a list of more than 80 names headed "My Victims." He has also filed multiple reports on a dangerous mold, found in the New York area, that has been linked to the deaths of several children in the Midwest.
Penza received numerous top journalism awards, including: six Emmy Awards; two coveted NY Press Club "Gold Typewriter" awards for special series in 1992 and 1982; and a 1993 TRISCORT Award for excellence in radio-television from the tri-state Catholic Committee on radio and television. In addition, he held AP and UPI State Broadcasters, New York, Long Island and Philadelphia Press Club honors.
Penza's investigative reports for "NewsChannel 4" also generated a great deal of public interest. His 1994 series, "Dangerous Doctors," generated more than 60,000 follow-up letters from tri-state viewers. Also that same year, another series titled "Survival Guide" received a response from 45,000 viewers wanting a follow-up brochure produced in conjunction with the on-air report.
Prior to WNBC, Penza was a correspondent and weekend anchor, concentrating on the White House and State Department, for WDVM-TV, Washington. Before that, he was co-anchor for the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news broadcasts at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.
Throughout his 30-plus years in electronic journalism, Penza has also worked as a network newswriter, local news producer, assignment editor and news director.
Penza actually began his career while still in high school, working as a copy boy for Walter Winchell and other commentators at the ABC network. After graduating from New York University with a bachelor's degree in radio and television, he went on to become news director and anchor for KWWL-TV in Waterloo, IA, WCOJ in Coatesville, PA, and WSAV in Savannah, GA.
In 1960, Penza joined the ABC network news team as a newswriter. He moved to WABC-TV in 1961 as producer of its hour-long 6 p.m. newscast. He subsequently moved to WCBS-TV to produce the 6 p.m. news, and later was promoted to reporter and anchor.
Penza was a former president of the "Inner Circle," an organization of political reporters. He was the first television journalist to be named head of that organization.
Penza was born November 22, 1932.
Penza is survived by his wife and two children.
NEW YORK -- Award-winning broadcaster Ralph Penza has passed away after a long illness. He was 74.
His family says he passed early Friday morning.
Penza was a senior correspondent and back-up anchor for NewsChannel 4.
WNBC released a statement, saying, "Ralph was a consummate professional with that rare ability to touch the viewer. A longtime friend, he was a true gentleman who embodied integrity and whose company will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family at this time."
Penza rejoined "NewsChannel 4" in October 1997, following a 22-month hiatus. He first joined the station in October of 1980 as a news reporter and weekend anchor. In addition, he also contributed reports to "NewsChannel 4's" "Live at Five," 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts.
After his return to "NewsChannel 4," Penza covered a number of high-profile reports for the station. In February 1998, while covering the Pope's historic trip to Cuba, Penza located Joanne Chesimard, the woman convicted of killing NJ state trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike 24 years ago. She was sentenced to life in prison but escaped in 1979 and fled to Cuba where she lives under political asylum. Penza spoke with Chesimard in a rare and exclusive two-part interview, in which she maintained her innocence and recounted the night of the shooting.
In direct response to Penza's interview with Chesimard, NJ Governor Christie Todd Whitman wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno requesting federal help in securing Chesimard's return to the country. She followed-up that letter with a direct appeal to President Clinton asking that any improvement in relations with Cuba be conditioned upon the return of Chesimard to New Jersey. She also offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Chesimard's return to the U.S.
Penza also broke the story of a convicted pedophile, living in Manhattan, in whose room police discovered a list of more than 80 names headed "My Victims." He has also filed multiple reports on a dangerous mold, found in the New York area, that has been linked to the deaths of several children in the Midwest.
Penza received numerous top journalism awards, including: six Emmy Awards; two coveted NY Press Club "Gold Typewriter" awards for special series in 1992 and 1982; and a 1993 TRISCORT Award for excellence in radio-television from the tri-state Catholic Committee on radio and television. In addition, he held AP and UPI State Broadcasters, New York, Long Island and Philadelphia Press Club honors.
Penza's investigative reports for "NewsChannel 4" also generated a great deal of public interest. His 1994 series, "Dangerous Doctors," generated more than 60,000 follow-up letters from tri-state viewers. Also that same year, another series titled "Survival Guide" received a response from 45,000 viewers wanting a follow-up brochure produced in conjunction with the on-air report.
Prior to WNBC, Penza was a correspondent and weekend anchor, concentrating on the White House and State Department, for WDVM-TV, Washington. Before that, he was co-anchor for the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news broadcasts at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.
Throughout his 30-plus years in electronic journalism, Penza has also worked as a network newswriter, local news producer, assignment editor and news director.
Penza actually began his career while still in high school, working as a copy boy for Walter Winchell and other commentators at the ABC network. After graduating from New York University with a bachelor's degree in radio and television, he went on to become news director and anchor for KWWL-TV in Waterloo, IA, WCOJ in Coatesville, PA, and WSAV in Savannah, GA.
In 1960, Penza joined the ABC network news team as a newswriter. He moved to WABC-TV in 1961 as producer of its hour-long 6 p.m. newscast. He subsequently moved to WCBS-TV to produce the 6 p.m. news, and later was promoted to reporter and anchor.
Penza was a former president of the "Inner Circle," an organization of political reporters. He was the first television journalist to be named head of that organization.
Penza was born November 22, 1932.
Penza is survived by his wife and two children.