Rolland Smith
Encyclopedia
Rolland G. Smith is a former American television news reporter and anchor who is best known for his time in New York
, where he was based for most of his long career. He served as an anchor for WNEW-TV WCBS
and WWOR-TV
in New York.
Productions, where he served as White House correspondent for WTTG
. Metromedia would later transfer him to New York, where he would become co-anchor of WNEW-TV
's 10 PM newscast.
Smith departed Metromedia for CBS in 1970, and instantly became a reporter and anchor for WCBS. In 1973 Smith was named co-anchor of WCBS' evening newscasts, a position he held for 13 years. His 11 PM co-anchors included Dave Marash
(1973–1978 and 1981–1982) and Vic Miles
(1978–1979), before Michele Marsh
joined him for the balance of his run with channel 2. Starting in late 1975, he was teamed with Jim Jensen
on the 6 PM newscast, a partnership that remained until Smith's departure from the station.
He left WCBS when he was promoted to co-host of CBS' The Morning Program in January 1987. Smith left CBS that December after the show was canceled. Following this he moved to WWOR, and in early 1988 he became the lead anchor of the station's 10 PM newscast replacing Tom Dunn
. Smith would leave WWOR in 1993 and moved from New York for the first time since his transfer from Washington, as he relocated to San Diego
to anchor the 4 PM news for NBC-affiliated KNSD
. This was the first time Smith had worked for a network-affiliated station since his 1987 departure from WCBS (WWOR, at the time, was an independent and was a year away from gaining any affiliation). He stayed with KNSD until 1997.
After a four year absence Smith returned to New York and WWOR, and co-anchoring the nightly news with Brenda Blackmon. He eventually moved to weekends as the co-anchor of the station's now-former Saturday and Sunday newscasts. In addition to his anchor duties, on each newscast he provided a small commentary that would be accompanied by his signature superimposed on screen. After a long career Smith announced his retirement in 2006, ending a nearly 40-year career with 11 Emmy Awards for his body of work.
with several books and CDs
of his writings in print.He has also been the host of two Telly Award winning documentaries,NUREMBERG:REFLECTION & RESONANCE,and GYROPLANE REFRAIN.
and South Park
fans traces its origins to Rolland Smith. The Star Wars Holiday Special
is commercially unavailable except for the bootleg copies of home VHS
and Betamax
recordings of the show's one time airing. Among the most widely circulated recordings is one made from the broadcast on WCBS-TV, though recordings of the broadcast from many other CBS
affiliates as well as overseas broadcasters abound.
During the WCBS broadcast, a young mustachioed Smith appears during a number of commercial breaks in a "teaser" for the upcoming 11 p.m. newscast, where he simply says "Fighting the frizzies, at 11", probably in reference to a story on hair care
. The creators of South Park
, Matt Stone
and Trey Parker
- both huge fans of the Star Wars special - incorporated scenes of someone dressed up as Rolland Smith delivering this line deadpan
in a South Park holiday episode
.
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...
, where he was based for most of his long career. He served as an anchor for WNEW-TV WCBS
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
and WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
in New York.
Broadcasting career
Smith's earliest broadcasting job was for MetromediaMetromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
Productions, where he served as White House correspondent for WTTG
WTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
. Metromedia would later transfer him to New York, where he would become co-anchor of WNEW-TV
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...
's 10 PM newscast.
Smith departed Metromedia for CBS in 1970, and instantly became a reporter and anchor for WCBS. In 1973 Smith was named co-anchor of WCBS' evening newscasts, a position he held for 13 years. His 11 PM co-anchors included Dave Marash
Dave Marash
David Marash, known as Dave Marash is an American television journalist.Marash garnered considerable attention when he joined Al Jazeera English in January 2006 as the network's Washington, D.C. anchor, thus becoming the de facto American face of the new English language station. Two years later,...
(1973–1978 and 1981–1982) and Vic Miles
Vic Miles
Victor Miles Levy, Jr. , known professionally as Vic Miles, was an American reporter and news anchor for WCBS-TV from 1971 until his retirement in 1995. Educated at City College of New York, he served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War...
(1978–1979), before Michele Marsh
Michele Marsh
Michele Marsh is a former New York Television anchorwoman from Connecticut.Michele started as a reporter/anchor at WABI-TV, Channel 5 in Bangor, Maine after graduating from Northwestern University. She reported in the field and anchored the 11 p.m. Monday-Friday newscasts, and the 6 p.m. Saturday...
joined him for the balance of his run with channel 2. Starting in late 1975, he was teamed with Jim Jensen
Jim Jensen
Harold James Jensen, usually known as Jim Jensen was a longtime American anchor and reporter, most notably at CBS' flagship station, WCBS-TV in New York.-Background:...
on the 6 PM newscast, a partnership that remained until Smith's departure from the station.
He left WCBS when he was promoted to co-host of CBS' The Morning Program in January 1987. Smith left CBS that December after the show was canceled. Following this he moved to WWOR, and in early 1988 he became the lead anchor of the station's 10 PM newscast replacing Tom Dunn
Tom Dunn
Tom Dunn was an anchor and reporter at several New York and Florida television stations.Dunn was born in Warwick, New York, and was a child actor at radio station WAAT in Newark, New Jersey. He started in television at WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida in 1959 after leaving the army. He served as...
. Smith would leave WWOR in 1993 and moved from New York for the first time since his transfer from Washington, as he relocated to San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
to anchor the 4 PM news for NBC-affiliated KNSD
KNSD
KNSD is the NBC television station based in San Diego, California. It is owned by a joint venture of NBCUniversal and LIN TV . However, because NBCUniversal has majority control, KNSD is run as an NBC owned and operated station...
. This was the first time Smith had worked for a network-affiliated station since his 1987 departure from WCBS (WWOR, at the time, was an independent and was a year away from gaining any affiliation). He stayed with KNSD until 1997.
After a four year absence Smith returned to New York and WWOR, and co-anchoring the nightly news with Brenda Blackmon. He eventually moved to weekends as the co-anchor of the station's now-former Saturday and Sunday newscasts. In addition to his anchor duties, on each newscast he provided a small commentary that would be accompanied by his signature superimposed on screen. After a long career Smith announced his retirement in 2006, ending a nearly 40-year career with 11 Emmy Awards for his body of work.
Outside of news
In addition to his news career, Smith is a published poetPoet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
with several books and CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of his writings in print.He has also been the host of two Telly Award winning documentaries,NUREMBERG:REFLECTION & RESONANCE,and GYROPLANE REFRAIN.
"Fighting the frizzies, at 11"
This obscure-in-origin catchphrase among both Star WarsStar Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
and South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
fans traces its origins to Rolland Smith. The Star Wars Holiday Special
The Star Wars Holiday Special
The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 American television special set in the Star Wars galaxy. It was one of the first official Star Wars spin-offs, and was directed by Steve Binder. The show was broadcast in its entirety only once, in the United States and Canada, November 17, 1978, on the U.S...
is commercially unavailable except for the bootleg copies of home VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
recordings of the show's one time airing. Among the most widely circulated recordings is one made from the broadcast on WCBS-TV, though recordings of the broadcast from many other CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliates as well as overseas broadcasters abound.
During the WCBS broadcast, a young mustachioed Smith appears during a number of commercial breaks in a "teaser" for the upcoming 11 p.m. newscast, where he simply says "Fighting the frizzies, at 11", probably in reference to a story on hair care
Hair care
Hair care is an overall term for parts of hygiene and cosmetology involving the hair on the human head. Hair care will differ according to one's hair type and according to various processes that can be applied to hair...
. The creators of South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
and Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
- both huge fans of the Star Wars special - incorporated scenes of someone dressed up as Rolland Smith delivering this line deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
in a South Park holiday episode
Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is episode 46 of Comedy Central's animated television series South Park. An album of comedic holiday songs, some featured in the episode, and others exclusive to the album, or featured in other episodes, was released the week prior to the episode's original air...
.