Cincinnati's Jerry Springer will be remembered for his heart - The Washington Post
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CINCINNATI — Before his name became synonymous with the kind of trashy, chair-throwing, three-ring circus talk show for which most people will remember him, Jerry Springer was a serious and thoughtful Cincinnati politician and a popular and dedicated local television news anchor. That’s the Jerry Springer being remembered this week across southwest Ohio and parts of Kentucky and Indiana.
Springer, who died Thursday at 79, was born in London after his family fled Germany during the Holocaust, but he was raised in Queens. With a law degree in hand, he landed at a Cincinnati legal firm in the late 1960s and over the years pursued various political offices, from Congress to governor. But his liberal leanings and bad timing confined success to the local level, where he first won a Cincinnati council race in 1971.
A potentially career-ending moment came with the revelation that Springer had paid a prostitute with a personal check. He resigned from the council, but his honesty and self-deprecating humor about the transgression won him grudging respect even from his adversaries, and he eventually regained his seat and was even appointed mayor for a year.
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Springer was not above pulling attention-getting stunts in city government, but usually they had the desired effect of carrying the day for whatever cause he was behind. But he found his true calling in the early 1980s when he was hired as a news commentator by the local NBC television affiliate, WLWT. His nightly opinions were thoughtful and provocative, and helped build an audience for the then low-rated station. Over time, they also won him several regional Emmy awards.
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Eventually, Springer took over as news anchor, continuing his commentaries and leading Channel 5 to the top of the ratings race. Like many viewers in the Cincinnati market, I watched Springer with a mix of emotions — but I watched. His politics were on the opposite end of the spectrum from mine (and those of most southern Ohioans), but his likability factor was off the charts. His bold takes on the issues of the day were delivered with a quiet dignity and even shyness. It was easy for conservatives like me to be aghast at what Springer was saying on any given subject but impossible to dislike him personally or to doubt his sincerity.
Along with a left-wing sensibility, Springer brought to Cincinnati his Queens accent, pronouncing the name of his longtime co-anchor, Norma Rashid, as “Normer.” This was frequently parodied on a local radio station, but he took the ribbing with his usual good humor.
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In Cincinnati, the news of Springer’s death brought not mocking disapproval focused on his eponymous national talk show, but warm remembrances of his generosity and his important contributions to the city.
Rashid told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “He was the first in my hospital room after I had a miscarriage to give me condolences. He was there to give me support. He was the best kind of friend you could have.”
Local restaurateur and friend Jeff Ruby told Channel 5, “He was gracious, friendly, funny and certainly intelligent. He had a commitment to what he did, whether it was acting mayor — he cared about the people.”
In a fitting tribute, longtime local TV/radio columnist John Kiesewetter wrote that “for most of his TV career, Springer yearned to return to his roots as a serious liberal thinker while he used some of his TV millions to promote progressive issues and Democratic candidates. … But he realized that he couldn’t return to politics as long as he was ‘Jer-ree! Jer-ree!’ on daytime TV.”
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His old station devoted much of its afternoon and evening newscasts to stories of Springer’s impact, told by people who knew and worked with him. Earlier this year, Springer had stopped by the studio to tape an interview for the station’s 75th anniversary celebration.
“I cannot think about my life or talk about my life without talking about Cincinnati and the role Channel 5 played,” he said. “Channel 5 gave me my career. So, that’s everything. … And Cincinnati is in my blood. … I love this place, I love this station, I owe it everything. You know, could’ve been lots of reasons people turned against me. And Channel 5 said here you go. … We accept you. And to have that blessing in life, it’s great. I love it.”
Based on the tributes pouring in across the Cincinnati tri-state area this week, the feeling is mutual.
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Source: The Washington Post
