Vincent Joseph "Vinnie" Politan (born February 4, 1965) is a former New Jersey county prosecutor, practicing private attorney and broadcast journalist. He serves as lead anchor of Court TV. He hosts and created the primetime show, Closing Arguments with Vinnie Politan, which is the highest rated primetime program on the network.
Vinnie Politan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vincent Joseph Politan February 4, 1965 West Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.A., Stanford University J.D., Seton Hall University |
| Occupation(s) | Television anchor and analyst; attorney |
| Employer | Court TV |
| Known for | Legal commentary |
| Children | 5 |
Previously, he co-created and hosted After Dark, a hit show on HLN which featured an in studio jury. It was the network's highest premiering show in its history. Before that he anchored "Prime News with Vinnie Politan" on HLN and HLN Special Report. He co-anchors In Session on the cable network truTV.[1] He previously co-anchored Bloom & Politan: Open Court (alongside Lisa Bloom) and Both Sides (with Kimberly Guilfoyle).
Trials covered by Politan include those of or connected to Jodi Arias, Trayvon Martin, Casey Anthony, Johnny Depp, Alex Murdaugh, Sean "Puffy" Combs, O. J. Simpson, Scott Peterson, Kobe Bryant, Darrell Brooks, and Kyle Rittenhouse among many others, since joining Court TV in January 2001.[2] Additionally, Politan hosted the morning radio show Me and Vinnie on Sirius XM radio's Stars Too station.
Politan remained at HLN until 2014[3] when he declined a contract offer from the HLN Network. In August 2014, he joined the morning broadcast of Atlanta's local NBC Affiliate WXIA, "11 Alive", as lead anchor for the morning weekday news.[4]
Biography
editBorn in New Jersey on February 4, 1965, Politan graduated from West Orange High School[5] and was captain of the school's basketball team both his junior and senior year - leading the squad to back to back conference championships and a state sectional championship.[6] He attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, receiving an AB in Communication before attending Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey.
Career
editHis first original job was in 1988 when he co-owned Metropolitan Recording Corporation with Jerry Salerno, he later on revived the label.
Politan, also the brother of a corporate attorney and son of federal judge Nicholas H. Politan, was a prosecutor in Bergen County, New Jersey, before going into journalism.[7]
Following his time as prosecutor, Politan worked in the private legal sector, including at the Carella-Byrne law firm in New Jersey. Politan's final employment as an attorney was as in-house counsel for the supermarket chain Grand Union.[citation needed]
Journalism
editPolitan worked at Channel 10 News in New Jersey as a reporter and anchor, covering general news, legal stories, and moderating political debates. He also produced and hosted a weekly legal program, Bergen County Justice with Vinnie Politan.
Politan worked as an AP reporter and then an anchor for Central Florida News 13 in Orlando. In 2000, he covered both Democratic and Republican National Conventions as a correspondent for Time Warner. After his departure from HLN in July 2014, Politan became an anchor of Atlanta's NBC affiliate, "11 Alive".[8]
He hosted the "Late Feed" on WXIA, a late night show featuring local newsmakers, headlines and intense legal coverage, for which he won an Emmy Award. In 2018, Politan agreed to become the lead anchor on Court TV, which relaunched in May 2019.
References
edit- ^ "Vinnie Politan Returns to TV as host of In Session". mediabistro.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ "court TV becomes truTV". courttv.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Team, The Deadline (June 16, 2014). "Vinnie Politan Latest To Leave HLN". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014.
- ^ Team, The Deadline (June 16, 2014). "Vinnie Politan Latest To Leave HLN". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014.
- ^ 1983 West Orange High School Year, digifind-it.com. P. 89. Accessed November 10, 2022.
- ^ Q and A with Vinnie Politan, November 20, 2006, accessed April 12, 2007. "It'll be tough to deal with him, even if I was the two-time captain of the West Orange Cowboys' Group 2 Section 2 State Championship basketball team."
- ^ Interview with Vinnie Politan - Court TV
- ^ Team, The Deadline (June 16, 2014). "Vinnie Politan Latest To Leave HLN". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014.