After 30-some years as a WNBC newscaster, Sue Simmons is being pink-slipped. She is just the kind of chipmunky, giggly newscaster I should hate, but I have to admit to a fondness for her. She’s really good when she wants to be, and her flubs are endearing (as well as her occasional cussing).
As shocking as her firing us–it really isn’t. She’s 68 years old and has been out with back problems, and I have a feeling she is not good at contract negotiations (“I’ll come in when I fucking *feel *like it!”). Still, I cannot imagine the news scene without her–of course, I sill miss Pat Harper, Betty Furness and Jessica Savitch . . .
Has anyone outside of the NY area ever heard of Sue, or is she purely a local celeb?
Chuck and Sue have been on WNBC since before I was born. Nonetheless, it occurs to me that nobody has asked her if she even wants her contract to be renewed. She is 68, and has had some serious back problems and surgeries in recent years. Maybe she wants to retire.
AFAIK, she hasn’t publicly commented on it at all. So after my expression of OUTRAGE!!!111, I must wonder whether the decision was mutual or not.
The Daily News (“The paper for people who like to read fast or have to read slow!”) says she makes $5 million a year and has been having diva fits lately.
The one encounter I had with her, she was charming and delightful, but then I am not her boss or her coworkers.
I’ve heard of the names of Sue, and Chuck, only because they’re mentioned in a Fountains of Wayne song. Still, for awhile I assumed they were fictional newscasters.
Chuck is no spring chicken either. I suppose being a man makes all the difference. Or the not cursing on air part. But then again Ernie’s gotta be older than the both of them put together and he told his weatherman to keep fucking that chicken on air-- as opposed to Sue’s accidental fuck-- and Ernie keeps fucking that chicken on air.
Somewhere I read that she was the highest paid female anchor ever anywhere. Perhaps NBC got tired of paying so much money for such an old woman.
If it was that NBC wants to put a younger face on the news and was letting both Chuck and Sue go I wouldn’t think much of it, but to renew his contract and not hers makes no sense to me.
Of course I have never worked in television or the news, have never met them, and so forth.
This is Cindy Adams’ column that I read yesterday. From it I inferred that Sue would stay if asked.
I haven’t lived in that market for years either. I’ve lived here for eight years and don’t know the local anchors’ names. Denise Something and the guy with the large round head…
Sorry, never liked her. However, she’s at least got a personality (not always a good one, but she’s not yet another pretty generic blonde who reads the teleprompter).
Wow. I haven’t lived in New York since my university days 25 or so years ago, and I remember Sue Simmons, and Chuck Scarborough, and Ernie Anastos (sp?). I’m surprised any of them are still on the air.
Anastos actually died over 15 years ago, but they’re doing a helluvajob keeping his animated corpse looking somewhat humanish. The move to high-def isn’t helping with the cover-up, though…
It probably makes more difference that Chuck isn’t quite so highly paid, prepares for his tv appearances and does a lot more charity and corporate functions for the station than Sue does.
