Comedian Will Ferrell has said the inspiration for his Ron Burgundy “Anchorman” character is Mort Crim, a major-market, network-affiliate anchor in the 1970s and 1980s. Among those markets: Philadelphia, where Crim anchored the award-winning, ratings-leading NBC-affiliate, KYW-TV in the ’70s.
As a native Philadelphian, I remember Crim–as well as co-anchor Jessica Savitch, weatherman Bill Kuster and sportscaster Al Meltzer. It’s still the best newscast team I’ve ever seen. Journalism trumped optics. But I don’t see Crim in the Burgundy character. Former WFLA co-anchor Bob Hite, maybe, but even that isn’t fair to Bob. Sure, he had the great pipes, the polyglycoat hair and the occasional faux pas. But he was also an unaffected professional and a nice guy.
I still say, however, if you want to see a great TV-news parody–not buffoonery and silly-assed slapstick that is a pop-culture staple–then rent “Broadcast News.” It still resonates. It still entertains. It’s still a classic.