Bill Schenley
2004-08-28 01:19:36 UTC
Larry McCormick, a longtime television journalist and one of the first
African American newsmen in Los Angeles, died today at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center after a lengthy illness. He was 71.
Throughout his 43-year broadcasting career, McCormick hosted musical
programs, radio and television talk shows, TV game shows, and did
football play-by-play. He wrote, narrated and produced television and
radio documentaries.
McCormick joined the KTLA station in 1971 as a weathercaster and was
later an anchor and a news reporter. He was also co-anchor of "Making
It: Minority Success Stories," the station's weekly public affairs
series.
As a television journalist, McCormick took a leadership role in the
Los Angeles African-American community, organizing or emceeing more
than 2,100 programs over the past 30 years.
"Your responsibility will be triple those of your non-African American
counterparts," McCormick said in 1997 when he won the Mel Goode
Lifetime Achievement Award, an award named for the nation's first
African American television journalist. "You will find yourself
reporting about your people, to your people, and explaining about your
people. And you will have to do it while upholding your objectivity.
It's not easy to be on-camera and deliver a very negative story about
your culture."
Los Angeles Urban League Chairman John Mack, a close friend of
McCormick for more than 30 years, said the African American journalist
played an important role as one of the region's first minorities to
appear regularly on radio and then television broadcasts.
"He clearly was a pioneer," said Mack, who lived near McCormick in the
Lafayette Square section of Los Angeles. "He was a role model,
especially for other African American news personnel."
Among his contemporaries, McCormick was seen as a professional and a
gentlemen - a relatively hard line to walk in the sometimes cutthroat
world of television journalism.
"Larry taught me how to be an anchorperson," said Marta Waller,
McCormick's weekend co-anchor at KTLA and a 20-year co-worker. "He
never tried to upstage anyone. He was always looking out for what was
best for the station. He gave of himself the whole time."
FROM: The Los Angeles Times ~
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-mccormick_lat,1,3746385.story?coll=la-home-headlines
(w/photo)
KNBC anchor Paul Moyer, himself a longtime veteran of Los Angeles
broadcasting, described McCormick as a "consummate professional."
"He was old school polite, gracious," said Moyer, who recalls
listening to McCormick's radio broadcasts on KFWB. "He never talked
down to his audience. He was just really, really solid."
McCormick won numerous awards for his professional and community work.
In 1994, he won the "Governor's Award," the highest honor presented
annually by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
He was nominated for several Emmy awards, and was the recipient of
numerous Golden Mike awards. In 2002, McCormick received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Larry McCormick was the gold standard not only for African Americans
journalists, but for all broadcast journalists in this town," said
Tony Cox, a Los Angeles broadcaster on television and radio for 35
years, who also is a weekly host for the "Tavis Smiley Show" on
National Public Radio. "He was smooth, articulate, a great guy and a
great influence for me. His style was one that I tried to copy in my
own career."
A theater major at University of Missouri before switching to
broadcasting, McCormick portrayed TV newscasters in more than 80
television and motion picture dramas.
McCormick was a former Negro League baseball player in his early years
and an avid tennis player.
McCormick is survived by his wife, Anita, of Los Angeles and his three
children, Alvin, Mitch and Kitty. Survivors also include two
grandchildren, David and Benjamin.
Flowers were to be placed on his star on the Walk of Fame this
afternoon.
African American newsmen in Los Angeles, died today at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center after a lengthy illness. He was 71.
Throughout his 43-year broadcasting career, McCormick hosted musical
programs, radio and television talk shows, TV game shows, and did
football play-by-play. He wrote, narrated and produced television and
radio documentaries.
McCormick joined the KTLA station in 1971 as a weathercaster and was
later an anchor and a news reporter. He was also co-anchor of "Making
It: Minority Success Stories," the station's weekly public affairs
series.
As a television journalist, McCormick took a leadership role in the
Los Angeles African-American community, organizing or emceeing more
than 2,100 programs over the past 30 years.
"Your responsibility will be triple those of your non-African American
counterparts," McCormick said in 1997 when he won the Mel Goode
Lifetime Achievement Award, an award named for the nation's first
African American television journalist. "You will find yourself
reporting about your people, to your people, and explaining about your
people. And you will have to do it while upholding your objectivity.
It's not easy to be on-camera and deliver a very negative story about
your culture."
Los Angeles Urban League Chairman John Mack, a close friend of
McCormick for more than 30 years, said the African American journalist
played an important role as one of the region's first minorities to
appear regularly on radio and then television broadcasts.
"He clearly was a pioneer," said Mack, who lived near McCormick in the
Lafayette Square section of Los Angeles. "He was a role model,
especially for other African American news personnel."
Among his contemporaries, McCormick was seen as a professional and a
gentlemen - a relatively hard line to walk in the sometimes cutthroat
world of television journalism.
"Larry taught me how to be an anchorperson," said Marta Waller,
McCormick's weekend co-anchor at KTLA and a 20-year co-worker. "He
never tried to upstage anyone. He was always looking out for what was
best for the station. He gave of himself the whole time."
FROM: The Los Angeles Times ~
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-mccormick_lat,1,3746385.story?coll=la-home-headlines
(w/photo)
KNBC anchor Paul Moyer, himself a longtime veteran of Los Angeles
broadcasting, described McCormick as a "consummate professional."
"He was old school polite, gracious," said Moyer, who recalls
listening to McCormick's radio broadcasts on KFWB. "He never talked
down to his audience. He was just really, really solid."
McCormick won numerous awards for his professional and community work.
In 1994, he won the "Governor's Award," the highest honor presented
annually by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
He was nominated for several Emmy awards, and was the recipient of
numerous Golden Mike awards. In 2002, McCormick received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Larry McCormick was the gold standard not only for African Americans
journalists, but for all broadcast journalists in this town," said
Tony Cox, a Los Angeles broadcaster on television and radio for 35
years, who also is a weekly host for the "Tavis Smiley Show" on
National Public Radio. "He was smooth, articulate, a great guy and a
great influence for me. His style was one that I tried to copy in my
own career."
A theater major at University of Missouri before switching to
broadcasting, McCormick portrayed TV newscasters in more than 80
television and motion picture dramas.
McCormick was a former Negro League baseball player in his early years
and an avid tennis player.
McCormick is survived by his wife, Anita, of Los Angeles and his three
children, Alvin, Mitch and Kitty. Survivors also include two
grandchildren, David and Benjamin.
Flowers were to be placed on his star on the Walk of Fame this
afternoon.