Crim, Mort

WDIV: Anchor, reporter.

PRESS RELEASE (Springfield, Illinois) June 11, 2019
Long-time newsman Mort Crim will be inducted into the Illinois Broadcasters Hall of Fame at a luncheon ceremony in Springfield on Thursday, June 13. Crim’s 45 years in broadcasting included reporting and anchor stints at ABC, New York, KYW-TV Philadelphia, WBBM-TV Chicago, and for 20 years, senior anchor at WDIV-TV Detroit. Mort was vacation back up to legendary radio commentator, Paul Harvey, for five years, and hosted his own syndicated radio series, Second Thoughts, on more than 1,300 radio stations across the nation. He was previously inducted into the Michigan Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. Crim is the author of seven books and has just completed a memoir. Since retiring from broadcasting, he found himself again in the public eye when Will Ferrell revealed that Mort had been the “inspiration” for Ron Burgundy in the Anchorman movies. Crim told Ferrell at the premier of Anchorman II that he might have been offended if they’d advertised Anchorman as a “documentary.” “But,” he laughs, “as a satire I think it’s pretty good.” Crim also appeared regularly in a cameo role in two seasons of “The Detroiters” and had the featured role in one episode titled “Mort.” Younger fans may know him as the voice on the White Stripes song “Little Acorns,” a piece Jack White based upon one of Mort’s commentaries. Previous inductees into the Illinois Broadcast Hall of Fame include: Oprah, Jack Benny, Hugh Downs, Mike Wallace, Paul Harvey, Danny Thomas, George Will and others.
For additional information, contact:
Dennis Lyle, President, Illinois Broadcasters Association
(618) 985-5555

References:

• Facebook

• Anchored: A Journalist’s Search for Truth

  

  Mort Crim has reported on major conflicts around the world for more than four decades and was a major inspiration for Will Ferrell’s performance in the movie Anchorman. Crim’s memoir takes readers behind the camera to show what life was like when the local anchorman was as revered as the professional athlete, and just as overpaid. It was a glamorous life, working alongside some of journalism’s legends, like Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Dan Rather, and Ted Koppel.

  The son of an evangelical minister in a conservative church, Crim suffered his first crisis of faith at the age of 15. Despite nagging questions, Crim eventually followed his father’s path into ministry. But the more he delved into the Bible, the more his faith was shaken. Unable to defend things he wasn’t sure of from the pulpit, Crim left the ministry for a career in journalism, determined to pursue truth. After a four-year stint in the Air Force, he earned his master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and by the age of 30, had made it to New York—the epicenter of his profession.

  As a national correspondent for ABC, Crim anchored the network’s top-rated morning radio show and covered America’s newly-developing manned space program. When Neil Armstrong took that first step on the moon, it was Crim’s voice that described the historic event for millions around the world.

  At the urging of Walter Cronkite, Crim moved from network radio into the heady world of television news. At KYW in Philadelphia, Mort Crim was paired with the late Jessica Savitch, and their anchor team spawned the idea for Will Ferrell’s Anchorman movies. Crim’s journey for truth will resonate with anyone raised in a cocoon of certainty that they felt compelled to question.