John Hambrick
Encyclopedia
John Hambrick is an American
broadcast journalist, reporter, actor, and voice over announcer.
. By 1967 he was working at WCPO-TV
in Cincinnati
when he was recruited by its sister station
in Cleveland
, WEWS, to become its main news anchor. With much fanfare on December 25, 1967, 27-year-old Hambrick made his Cleveland television debut on WEWS as anchor of the 7:00 and 11:00 P.M. newscasts, which included commentaries by Dorothy Fuldheim
. A full promotional advertisement was printed in the both The Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press
newspapers.
In 1970, Dave Patterson joined Hambrick as co-anchor, with Fuldheim continuing as commentator; they would help station's news broadcast maintain the position as Cleveland's top television news program in the local Nielsen ratings
, to where it had risen during Hambrick's tenure. Hambrick then departed for KABC-TV
in Los Angeles
in September 1975, and Ted Henry joined Patterson as co-anchor.
After two years as 5:00 and 11:00 P.M. co-anchor on KABC-TV, Hambrick moved on to anchor for three years at KRON-TV
in San Francisco
. In January 1980 he joined WNBC-TV in New York City
as first a weekend, then weeknight co-anchor alongside Chuck Scarborough
for the next five years.
In spring 1985, WNBC-TV chose not to renew Hambrick's contract. He then was recruited by WTVJ
in Miami
to replace Ralph Renick
, the station's original news anchor who retired in April of that year. Hambrick joined WTVJ in July 1985 and spent the next four years as 6:00 and 11:00 P.M. co-anchor. Hambrick then moved to crosstown rival WCIX (now WFOR-TV
) at the start of 1990, remaining there until September 1993.
documentary film about the Florida Highwaymen, a group of pioneering African-American Florida
artists. The film, titled The Highwaymen: Florida’s Outsider Artist, included interviews with a portion of the artists, their mentor, late renowned Florida landscape painter A.E. Backus, and more than 100 original Highwaymen paintings. The film was produced by their production company, Everglades Productions. Hambrick also served as the project's narrator.
, and has had supporting and/or bit parts in the movie Telefon, the old 1950s TV series Playhouse 90
and, most recently, the hit NBC-TV series Friday Night Lights
. In 1960, Hambrick appeared in one episode of the 1950s CBS-TV series General Electric Theater. Since 2003, Hambrick has appeared in four movies: Mia's Father, Wonderful World
, Kings of the Evening, and the Texas based, Gabriel Folse directed film Guilty.
Hambrick is the older brother of retired newscaster Judd Hambrick
, (who also worked in Cleveland twice from 1977–1985 and 1993-1999 for WJW-TV and WKYC-TV
respectively), and former news anchor Mike Hambrick
, who is now a business consultant. John is also the father of television producer Jack Hambrick.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
broadcast journalist, reporter, actor, and voice over announcer.
Broadcast journalist
Hambrick began his television career in 1963, at a station in Abilene, TexasAbilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. By 1967 he was working at WCPO-TV
WCPO-TV
WCPO-TV, virtual channel 9 , is an ABC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. WCPO's studio is located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, just outside of Eden Park. Its transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati.The station...
in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
when he was recruited by its sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, WEWS, to become its main news anchor. With much fanfare on December 25, 1967, 27-year-old Hambrick made his Cleveland television debut on WEWS as anchor of the 7:00 and 11:00 P.M. newscasts, which included commentaries by Dorothy Fuldheim
Dorothy Fuldheim
Dorothy Fuldheim was an American journalist and anchor, spending the majority of her career for The Cleveland Press and WEWS-TV, both based in Cleveland, Ohio....
. A full promotional advertisement was printed in the both The Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press
Cleveland Press
The Cleveland Press was a daily American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio from November 2, 1878, through June 17, 1982. From 1928 to 1966, the paper's editor was Louis Seltzer....
newspapers.
In 1970, Dave Patterson joined Hambrick as co-anchor, with Fuldheim continuing as commentator; they would help station's news broadcast maintain the position as Cleveland's top television news program in the local Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, to where it had risen during Hambrick's tenure. Hambrick then departed for KABC-TV
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in September 1975, and Ted Henry joined Patterson as co-anchor.
After two years as 5:00 and 11:00 P.M. co-anchor on KABC-TV, Hambrick moved on to anchor for three years at KRON-TV
KRON-TV
KRON-TV, virtual channel 4 , is a television station in San Francisco, California, serving as the Bay Area affiliate of the MyNetworkTV programming service; the station is owned by Young Broadcasting...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. In January 1980 he joined WNBC-TV in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as first a weekend, then weeknight co-anchor alongside Chuck Scarborough
Chuck Scarborough
Charles Bishop "Chuck" Scarborough III is an American television journalist and author. Since 1974 Scarborough has been the lead male news anchor at WNBC-TV, the New York City-based flagship station of the NBC Television Network, and has also appeared on NBC News. He currently co-anchors with...
for the next five years.
In spring 1985, WNBC-TV chose not to renew Hambrick's contract. He then was recruited by WTVJ
WTVJ
WTVJ, virtual channel 6 , is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC television network, located in Broward County. WTVJ shares its TV studio and office facility with co-owned Telemundo station WSCV in Miramar, Florida, and its transmitter is located near Sun Life Stadium in north...
in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
to replace Ralph Renick
Ralph Renick
Ralph Apperson Renick was a pioneer television news journalist for Miami's WTVJ, channel 4 , Florida's first television station...
, the station's original news anchor who retired in April of that year. Hambrick joined WTVJ in July 1985 and spent the next four years as 6:00 and 11:00 P.M. co-anchor. Hambrick then moved to crosstown rival WCIX (now WFOR-TV
WFOR-TV
WFOR-TV, virtual channel 4.1 , is the CBS owned-and-operated station in Miami, Florida. WFOR shares its TV studio facilities with sister station WBFS-TV in Doral, near Miami International Airport, and its transmitter is located in Miramar.WFOR-TV also previously had two translator stations in the...
) at the start of 1990, remaining there until September 1993.
The Florida Highwaymen (2002)
In 2002, Hambrick and his son Jack co-produced an hour-long PBS-TVPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary film about the Florida Highwaymen, a group of pioneering African-American Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
artists. The film, titled The Highwaymen: Florida’s Outsider Artist, included interviews with a portion of the artists, their mentor, late renowned Florida landscape painter A.E. Backus, and more than 100 original Highwaymen paintings. The film was produced by their production company, Everglades Productions. Hambrick also served as the project's narrator.
Music
In 1972, Hambrick, who is also a gifted musician and songwriter, wrote and recorded a rock/country-western album, Windmill in a Jet Filled Sky, under the Brown Bag Records music label, while moonlighting at his job at WEWS in Cleveland. The album was largely overlooked by consumers, in spite of positive critical reviews. Hambrick never abandoned his full-time television career, but he went on to record three more LPs.Thunderbolt Raiders (2010)
In early 2010, he teamed up with former WEWS TV news colleague J. Lee Bailey as co-writers of a screenplay tentatively titled Thunderbolt Raiders. It is a psychological action-adventure film based on actual characters and events of the Civil War. Their official web site is www.thunderboltraiders.com.Supporting actor roles
Hambrick is also registered with the Screen Actors Guild SAGScreen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, and has had supporting and/or bit parts in the movie Telefon, the old 1950s TV series Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
and, most recently, the hit NBC-TV series Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
. In 1960, Hambrick appeared in one episode of the 1950s CBS-TV series General Electric Theater. Since 2003, Hambrick has appeared in four movies: Mia's Father, Wonderful World
Wonderful World (film)
Wonderful World is a 2009 drama film directed and written by Joshua Goldin, who in this movie makes his directorial debut. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Sanaa Lathan, Michael K. Williams and Jodelle Ferland....
, Kings of the Evening, and the Texas based, Gabriel Folse directed film Guilty.
Hambrick is the older brother of retired newscaster Judd Hambrick
Judd Hambrick
Judd Hambrick is an American former Emmy-award winning television newscaster/reporter.Hambrick grew up in Mount Pleasant, Texas.- Career, accomplishments, and awards :...
, (who also worked in Cleveland twice from 1977–1985 and 1993-1999 for WJW-TV and WKYC-TV
WKYC-TV
WKYC, virtual channel 3 , is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by the Gannett Company. Its studio is located on the shores of Lake Erie, while its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio....
respectively), and former news anchor Mike Hambrick
Mike Hambrick
Mike Hambrick is an American television anchor and correspondent who has worked on network television stations such as WJLA-TV in Washington, DC, KTVT-TV in Dallas, KTAR-TV in Phoenix and WBAL-TV in Baltimore. Hambrick was also a news anchor for WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh where he also served as its...
, who is now a business consultant. John is also the father of television producer Jack Hambrick.
Awards and accomplishments
Hambrick has received numerous citations for his journalism. Amongst his accomplishments are:- Emmy - Best Newscast - WNBC-TV, NY, 1983–1984
- Emmy - Cardinal Cooke Funeral - WNBC-TV, NY, 1983–1984
- Emmy - Florida's Obscenity Showdown - WCIX, Miami, 1991
- Silver Circle Award by Academy of Television Arts & Sciences - Miami, 1990
- Long Island Press Club Award - 1981-1982