John Palmer (TV journalist)
| John Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Spencer Palmer September 10, 1935 Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | August 3, 2013 (aged 77) Washington, D. C., U.S. |
| Cause of death | pulmonary fibrosis |
| Alma mater |
Northwestern University Columbia University (Masters) |
| Occupation | TV journalist |
John Spencer Palmer (September 10, 1935 – August 3, 2013) was a long time news correspondent for NBC News, American television broadcaster and news anchor.
Palmer worked for the NBC network over the course of 40 years, first from 1962 to 1990; then again from 1994 until his retirement in 2002. During his tenure with NBC News, he held several positions, including correspondent stints in Chicago, Paris, and the Middle East; White House correspondent (1979–1982); news anchor for The Today Show (1982–1989).
In April 1980, Palmer reported on the failure of Operation Eagle Claw, the mission to rescue the American hostages held by Iran. This earned him the Merriman Smith Memorial Award for excellence in presidential news coverage, becoming the first broadcast journalist to ever receive this prestigious award.
On January 28, 1986, Palmer broke into NBC's regularly scheduled programing from the New York news desk at 11:40 am to report "...we've just witnessed the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger ... there has been a major problem with that launch." As a replay of the launch began to play, Palmer's calm voice over of the footage shown brought the chilling news to the nation ... "In just a few moments you will see an explosion. The Space Shuttle Challenger apparently exploded ... you will see it very clearly on your television sets."
Palmer officially joined the Today cast as news anchor on September 27, 1982, replacing Chris Wallace, who had read the news and served as Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley's Washington co-anchor. The team of Gumbel, Pauley, Palmer, Willard Scott, and Gene Shalit helped take The Today Show to the top of the ratings in 1986, where it stayed until the end of the decade. In the late 1980s, Palmer was the primary substitute co-host of Today on days when Gumbel was away.
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