Deborah Norville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Deborah Norville
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Norville in 2011
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| Born |
Deborah Anne Norville
August 8, 1958 Dalton, Georgia, U.S.
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| Education | University of Georgia (BA) |
| Occupation | Television journalist |
| Years active | 1979–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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Inside Edition CBS News Today NBC News at Sunrise Deborah Norville Yarn |
| Spouse(s) |
Karl Gert Wellner
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | 2024 Edward F. McLaughlin Lifetime Achievement Award |
Deborah Anne Norville (born August 8, 1958) is a well-known American television journalist and businesswoman. She is famous for being the anchor of Inside Edition, a popular TV news show that shares interesting stories. She has been the anchor since March 6, 1995. Besides her TV work, Deborah also has her own line of yarns called Deborah Norville Collection for people who love to knit and crochet. Before Inside Edition, she worked as a reporter and anchor for CBS News and was also a co-host on the Today show on NBC. Her book, Thank You Power, even became a best-seller!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Deborah Norville was born in Dalton, Georgia. When she was in high school, she won her town's Junior Miss contest. This led her to represent Georgia in the 1976 America's Junior Miss pageant. Even though she didn't win, seeing how the CBS TV team worked behind the scenes inspired her. It made her want to become a TV journalist instead of a lawyer. Years later, in 1999, she even hosted the America's Junior Miss contest herself!
College Years
Deborah Norville went to the University of Georgia. She was a very bright student, finishing her journalism degree in just three years. She graduated with top honors, earning a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She was also chosen for Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society for smart students. During her time at college, she was involved in student government and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Starting Her Career in TV
Deborah began her TV career while still in college. She got an internship at Georgia Public Television. There, she worked on a show called The Lawmakers, which covered the state's government. An executive from WAGA-TV in Atlanta noticed her talent and offered her a summer internship.
One day, the station needed a reporter, and Deborah got her chance. She covered a news story and reported it on the six o'clock news that evening! This led to a weekend reporting job during her last year of college. It was tough, as she had to drive 60 miles between her school in Athens and her job in Atlanta. Sometimes, she even slept in her car to be ready for work. In January 1979, while still a student, she interviewed President Jimmy Carter live on TV.
After graduating, Norville became a full-time reporter at WAGA-TV. In 1979, she became a weekend anchor. Later, in 1982, she moved to Chicago to work for WMAQ-TV, an NBC station. She became a reporter and then an anchor there. In 1986, when it was announced she would join NBC News in New York, the Mayor of Chicago even declared "Deborah Norville Week" in her honor!
Working at NBC News
In January 1987, Deborah Norville joined NBC News. She became the anchor of NBC News at Sunrise. She was the only woman at that time to be a solo anchor of a network newscast. When she joined, the show's ratings went up by 40 percent! This led to her sometimes filling in on the Today Show and "Sunday Today". In 1989, she hosted a documentary called Bad Girls about teenage girls. It was one of the most-watched shows that week.
In September 1989, Deborah became the news anchor on Today. Soon after, the show's co-host, Jane Pauley, decided to leave. Deborah was then chosen to take her place. She became the co-host of Today in January 1990. During her time on Today, she won an Emmy award for her reporting on the democratic uprising in Romania. After taking time off for the birth of her first child, she decided not to return to the program. Katie Couric then took her place on Today.
Return to Television
Deborah Norville returned to TV in October 1992, joining CBS News as a correspondent. She reported for shows like Street Stories and 48 Hours. She won her second Emmy award for her coverage of the Mississippi floods in 1994. She also worked on the CBS Evening News and co-anchored America Tonight. From 1993 to 1995, she was a regular anchor for the CBS Sunday Evening News.
In 1995, Deborah Norville became the anchor of Inside Edition. This is a news show that is shown across many TV stations. She still holds this position today! In March 2015, the show celebrated her 20th anniversary. This made her the longest-serving female anchor on national television. She even wrote the lyrics for a song used on the show, which was a big challenge for her. She said that the strength she gained from doing something she never thought she could do still stays with her.
In 2003, MSNBC announced that Deborah Norville would host a prime-time show called Deborah Norville Tonight. She left the show in 2005. She explained that it was hard to balance her work on Inside Edition and MSNBC with her family life.
In 2015, Deborah also became the host of Knit and Crochet Now!, a craft show on public television.
Writing and Books
Besides her TV career, Deborah Norville is also a talented writer. She was an editor for Inside Sports magazine in the 1980s and for McCall's magazine from 1991 to 1993.
She wrote a book called Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You (2007). This book became a New York Times best-seller. It talks about the good things that research has found about being grateful. Before that, she wrote Back on Track: How To Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You a Curve (1997). This book shared lessons from her earlier experiences on the Today Show.
Her book The Power of Respect: Benefit from the Most Forgotten Element of Success (2009) explains how respect is important in business, at home, and in your personal life. She also wrote The Way We Are: Heroes, Scoundrels, and Oddballs from 25 Years of Inside Edition (2013). This book celebrates 25 years of Inside Edition and tells stories from its many episodes.
Deborah has also written several books about knitting and crocheting patterns. One popular one is Knit With Deborah Norville—18 Classic Designs For The Whole Family (2009). She has also written two children's books: I Don't Want to Sleep Tonight (1999) and I Can Fly (2001). She has also contributed stories to the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Other Activities
In 2008, Deborah Norville started appearing in TV commercials, also known as infomercials. She launched her own Deborah Norville Collection of knit and crochet yarns. She partnered with Premier Yarns, a company that makes yarn. She introduced her yarn line at a big craft industry event in 2009, where she was also a main speaker. Her yarns and other knitting and crocheting tools are sold in craft stores and online.
In 2013, Deborah Norville was chosen to be on the board of directors for Viacom, a large media company. She left the board in December 2019 when Viacom merged with CBS Corporation.
Personal Life
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Deborah Norville married Karl Wellner, a Swedish businessman, in 1987. They have three children together.
On April 1, 2019, Deborah Norville shared that she would be having surgery for a health issue with her thyroid. This health issue was actually noticed by a viewer who saw a small lump on her neck and contacted her.
See also
- New Yorkers in journalism
- Lisa Guerrero
