last word
Jim Gardner
THE LEGENDARY ANCHORMAN REFLECTS ON HIS CAREER
Jarrad Saffren | Staff Writer
Gardner a job.

“And I came here instead of Miami,”
the anchorman said.

J im Gardner was neither born nor
raised in Philadelphia. He did not
start his career here, either. The
Jewish anchorman was born, raised
and had a bar mitzvah in New York
City and spent the first six years of his
professional life in New York State with
radio and television stations in the city,
White Plains and Buffalo.

But when he came to Philadelphia to
take a job as a street reporter and noon
anchorman with WPVI or, as it’s more
popularly known today, 6abc, in 1976,
he never left. Gardner (his birth name
is Goldman) became 6abc’s 6 p.m. and
11 p.m. anchor in 1977 and has held the
seat ever since, becoming the region’s
most trusted face and voice in news.

Gardner became part of the city,
but Philadelphia also became part of
him. Perhaps even the biggest part.

During an hour-long interview with
the Jewish Exponent, he made sure
to clarify that he now roots for the
Philadelphia Eagles when they play the
New York Giants. And not only does
he cheer for the Birds, but he relishes in
their victories over his childhood team.

On Dec. 21, the 74-year-old will sign
off on his last broadcast. He said it’s
time, especially now that the Earth-
shattering stories of Donald Trump’s
presidency and the pandemic are
receding into history.

Gardner kept 6abc at No. 1 in the
local TV news ratings for the duration
of his tenure, save for one month. But
before the Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El
in Wynnewood member left his anchor
seat, he took a look back.

Photos by Jarrad Saffren
On the trust he built with
generations of Philadelphians
The anchorman hears from a lot of
people about how their grandparents
watched him; their parents watched
him; and now they watch him, too. It’s
a distinction he appreciates.

“We take very seriously what people
are concerned about; what their wor-
On becoming the anchorman
ABC’s previous six and 11 anchor
Larry Kane left for a job in New York
in 1977, opening up the seat. Gardner
said, “It didn’t even appear on my radar
screen.” But he auditioned, and it was
Pollock who chose Gardner over more
experienced candidates from across the
country. “For whatever reason, he thought
that maybe I was the person to do that
job,” the anchorman said. “I think he
felt that there was a good chance that
I might decide to stay here for a long
time.” Before his promotion, Gardner did
not see himself as an anchorman. He
just thought he was a reporter.

“Think about being curious. Think
about becoming a really good writer,”
he said. “Think about the kinds of sto-
ries that you want to tell.”
On Philadelphia’s evolution
since 1977
ries are; what their anxieties are; what
their joys are; what their triumphs are,”
he said. “And we try to cover that.”
When asked why people trust him,
Gardner said, “Because I’m trust-
worthy.” Then once his smile from his
joke receded, he explained that he just
sat in that chair year after year.

He said that he does not care so
much about breaking a story first.

What matters more to him is getting
it right. He also explained that he does
not try to reflect “what the emotional
response will be of a viewer to a par-
ticular story.” The reporter just tries to
stay even-keeled.

“But if you do have empathy, I think
a viewer recognizes that,” he said.

On how he got to Philadelphia
Gardner worked for WKBW-TV in
Buffalo when got a job offer in Miami.

He told his boss he was going to accept
it. But the boss said, “Wait a minute:
Would you mind if I talked to the
folks at WPVI in Philadelphia?” WPVI
was owned by the same company as
WKBW. The reporter said, “Sure,” and the
next day, he was in Philadelphia talking
to station General Manager Larry
Pollock. Within a day, Pollock offered
Frank Rizzo was mayor when
Gardner arrived, and as the anchor-
man put it, “the Black community felt
that he was not their best friend.” There
was a question, Gardner recalled, about
whether Philadelphia would ever have
a Black mayor. Since then, though, it
has had three: Wilson Goode in the
1980s and early ’90s and John Street
and Michael Nutter in the 2000s and
2010s. And from a business standpoint, “the
city has grown dramatically,” Gardner
said. “Just look at the skyline,” he
added. But one thing, according to the
newsman, has not changed.

“When I came here, people said
that Philadelphia is either the biggest
small town in America or the smallest
big city in America,” Gardner said,
smiling. JE
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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