Irv Weinstein

[http://www.staffannouncer.com/irv/irv%20weinstein.jpgPhoto]

Irwin "Irv" Weinstein (born April 29, 1930) is a retired local television news anchor. He hosted WKBW-TV's "Eyewitness News" in Buffalo, New York for 34 years from 1964 to 1998 and became an iconic broadcaster, well known in both the Buffalo area and in Toronto, which was within WKBW's broadcast area. Weinstein was known for his powerful delivery, sense of humour and diminutive stature. Weinstein, weatherman Tom Jolls and sports anchor Rick Azar are the second longest running anchor team in television history, fronting the broadcast from 1965 until Azar's retirement in 1989 (seconded only by a Salt Lake City broadcast team that started at the same time and outlasted them by two years). Weinstein was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall Of Fame in 1998 and the N.Y. State Broadcasters Association in 2006.

Born in Rochester, New York, Weinstein's broadcast career began while he was still in high school. He worked at WHAM Radio as an actor on several locally produced programs. After professional stops in Iowa and West Virginia, he was hired as a newscaster and New director at WKBW Radio in Buffalo in 1958, and soon forged a fast-paced newscast featuring strong writing and alliterative language ("pistol-packing punks" referring to petty criminals, or "Buffalo blaze busters" in place of firefighters) that took the newscast ratings to #1 in the Western New York market. In 1964, Weinstein was hired as News director/Anchorman at sister station WKBW-TV, an ABC Network affiliate. At the time, the station's news programs were rated #3 In a three-station market but by the mid-70's, WKBW-TV's Eyewitness News program had ratings higher than the combined audience of the two competing Buffalo stations and remainedthe top-rated newscast until Weinstein's retirement in 1998 and beyond. Furthermore, some of the talent that Weinstein developed at WKBW went on to then-sister station WPVI-TV, including Jim Gardner and Dave Roberts, where they continue to host the #1 newscast in that market.WKBW-TV is believed to be the first station to precede each late evening news program with the phrase, "It's 11 o'clock, do you know where your children are"? [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315327/trivia] [http://www.buffalobroadcasters.com/photos/ayoungirvweinstein.html] In 1968, Weinstein briefly returned to his broadcast beginnings as an actor in WKBW radio's Halloween adaptation of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" Weinstein also appeared in a remake of the broadcast in 1971. (the 1971 broadcast was rerun in 1998). During is 40 year plus career in Buffalo, Irv appeared in numerous theater productions and operated a theater in downtown Buffalo in the early 80's. The day of his retirement, December 31, 1998, was proclaimed "Irv Weinstein Day in Erie County" by the then Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski in recognition of his contributions to the the life of the community.

Five days later, Toronto columnist David Frum wrote a tribute in Canada's "National Post" titled "He came from Buffalo." "The way the French feel about Jerry Lewis, that's how we feel about Irv Weinstein"." Six years later, in October 2004, Weinstein's status as "an icon of television journalism in Buffalo" was discussed on the floor of the Ontario Legislature by MPP Tim Hudak. [http://www.ontla.on.ca/hansard/house_debates/38_parl/session1/L078B.htm]

Although Weinstein has mainly stayed quiet about WKBW and its numerous problems since his departure, he broke his silence about 10 years later, calling the 2003 move to drop most of the "Eyewitness News" format and its memorable theme song "dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb" in a 2008 interview with The Buffalo News. [Pergament, Alan. [http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/365284.html What happened to Channel 7 news?] The Buffalo News. 8 June 2008.]

Weinstein currently resides in Irvine, California, where his daughter, Beth Krom, serves as mayor. He also maintains a part-time residence in Ellicottville, New York. [Gallivan, Pete. "Where are they now? Irv Weinstein." WGRZ-TV.]

Legacy

These many years later, Weinstein fans are fond of singing the lyrics to a news promo that goes:

:"Irv Weinstein, you're really a pro!:Ya got all the news that we wanna know.:You tell it like it is and never throw us a curve,:Nobody says it like Ir-r-r-r-v !:Eye-wit-ness News (Yes-sah!)"

Canadian-born actors Eugene Levy, Martin Short, John Candy, Mike Myers, and Jim Carrey grew up watching Eyewitness News with Irv Weinstein.

*Eugene Levy's "Earl Camembert" character on SCTV is often compared to Weinstein (as well as Canadian broadcaster Earl Cameron), particularly in appearance.
*Actor Jim Carrey's character in Bruce Almighty, Bruce Nolan, is reported to be partially based on real-life anchorman, Irv Weinstein.

Irv Weinstein catchphrases

Weinstein was famous for his frequent use of alliteration in his news stories. For instance:

*"Buffalo's boys in blue"
*"Pistol-packing punks"
*"Buffalo blazebusters"
*"Sky-Scorcher"

External links

* [http://www.staffannouncer.com/irvricktom.htm The Irv, Rick, and Tom Page] by Buffalonian Steve Cichon