Richard Vincent Oliver Jr. (April 11, 1939 – November 11, 2016)[1] was an American print journalist, radio host and television reporter, best known for his tenure as a correspondent for Good Day New York from 1988 until 2001, broadcast on television station WNYW Fox 5.[2]
Dick Oliver | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Vincent Oliver Jr. April 11, 1939 |
| Died | November 11, 2016 (aged 77) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia University (BA, MS) |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist and reporter |
| Years active | 1961–2002 |
| Notable credit | Reporter for Good Day New York (TV program) (1988-2002) |
| Spouses |
Kathryn McGrath
(m. 1993–2016) |
| Children | 2 |
Oliver was the first journalist to report on the 9/11 attacks on live television. [3]
Career
editOliver was born in Astoria, Queens. He graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School, and received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University and master's degree from Columbia School of Journalism.[1] He started his career as a reporter and editor with the New York Daily News, in 1961, before becoming a reporter for United Press International
Oliver was a radio host, as presenter of a program called The Daily News Bulldog Edition in 1978, and becoming assistant managing editor in 1980, he remained with the program that was broadcast on several New York station's until 1995.[2]
In 1988 he became a reporter on the television breakfast show Good Day New York until 2001. On July 19, 2001, while field reporting on a landlord-tenant dispute, he was involved in a heated exchange live on air with Good Day New York anchor Jim Ryan.[4][5]
On the morning of September 11, Oliver had been on assignment in Lower Manhattan when the attack on the World Trade Center occurred. With the production truck still running, the station quickly interrupted a commercial break to switch to Oliver. After 8 minutes, the uplink signal from the van was interrupted due to a failure at the receiver on the roof of one of the two towers. Reporting from Oliver continued over a phone line.
His live report was among the earliest news coverage of the event.[2][6] Oliver would retire from Fox the following year and afterward taught journalism at Columbia University, Hunter College and New York University.
He died in a hospice care facility on November 11, 2016, aged 77, from complications of a stroke.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Slotnik, Daniel E. (15 November 2016). "Dick Oliver, Reporter for 'Good Day New York,' Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ a b c d "R.I.P.: NYC Radio Host, Reporter Dick Oliver Dead at 77". Media Confidential. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
- ^ Realtime TV multiviewer of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, retrieved 2024-09-21
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Anchor vs. Reporter on-air fight. YouTube.
- ^ Starr, Michael (2001-07-20). "JIM & DICK ALL THE RAGE ON 'GOOD DAY' ; AM HOST AND REPORTER SWAP ANGRY INSULTS ON LIVE TV". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
- ^ The first minutes of the reporting of the 9/11 attacks from WNYW/Fox 5, retrieved 2023-09-13
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