Neil Zurcher

Neil Zurcher
Born	November 12, 1935 (1935-11-12) (age 76) Henrietta, OH, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	television news, author

Neil Zurcher (born November 12, 1935) is a retired American television reporter for Fox-TV affiliate WJW-TV, Channel 8 in Cleveland, OH. He is best known for his travel segment One Tank Trips.

Early Life and Career

Zurcher was born on November 12, 1935 in Henrietta, OH near Oberlin. Zurcher joined the Marines and after being honorably discharged began working as a reporter for the Oberlin News-Tribune in 1954. Seven years later Zurcher made the switch from print to broadcasting when he became a reporter for WEOL radio in Elyria, OH. During his time at the station he purchased a 16mm motion picture camera and began filming many of the stories he reported and sold the footage to WJW-TV in Cleveland. Zurcher became a full-time television reporter for WJW in 1967. He covered some of his biggest regional stories during the 1960s included the Palm Sunday tornado of 1965, the Kent State Vietnam War protests, and the 1968 Ohio Pen Riot.

One Tank Trips

During the oil crisis of 1979 WJW created a temporary travel segment for the news. The series was hosted by Zurcher and was called "One Tank Trips." The segment was so popular with Northeast Ohio audiences it was extended for several months and then later became a regular part of the program for the next twenty-five years. One Tank Trips consisted of traveling destinations that Northeast Ohioans could visit on a single tank of gas. During his decades of travels Zurcher has driven more than million miles.

Author

In 1995 Gray & Company, Publishers published the book One Tank Trips based on the reoccurring news segment. The book featured travel destinations in and around Ohio as well as stories from Zurcher's years on the road. Zurcher later authored several other books on Ohio travel and history such as Ohio Road Trips, Ohio Oddities, and Strange Tales from Ohio. In 2010 Gray & Company published his memoir Tales from the Road.

Retirement

In 2004 Zurcher took his last One Tank Trip and retired from WJW after forty-two years. He now writes a travel column for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and continues reporting on his blog, Neil Zurcher's One Tank Trips.

Awards, Honors, Accomplishments

Zurcher received the Distinguished Service award from the Society of Professional Journalism and the Silver Circle award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He also received an Emmy, the Award for Excellence in Broadcasting from the Cleveland Association of Broadcasters, and has been inducted into the Cleveland Press Club Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame and received their "Living Legacy" award in 2007.

Bibliography

• Tales from the Road (2009: ISBN 978-1-59851-064-5)
• Ohio Road Trips (2009: ISBN 978-1-59851-057-7)
• Ohio Oddities (2008: ISBN 978-1-59851-047-8)
• Strange Tales from Ohio (2008: ISBN 978-1-59851-048-5)

References

• Crump, Sara (2010-06-20). "Cleveland TV legend Neil Zurcher hits the highway with new memoir, 'Tales From the Road" The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2010-07-01
• Zurcher, Neil (2010). Tales from the Road. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59851-064-5
• "About Neil Zurcher" Gray & Company website.

External links

• Neil Zurcher's One Tank Trips Blog

Persondata
Name	Zurcher, Neil
Alternative names
Short description	US tv journalist
Date of birth	November 12, 1935
Place of birth	Henrietta, OH, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death