Linda Ellerbee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Linda Ellerbee
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Ellerbee in 1978
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Linda Jane Smith
August 15, 1944 Bryan, Texas, U.S.
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| Known for | NBC News Overnight, Our World, Nick News |
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Mac Smith
(m. 1964; div. 1966)Van Kenneth Veseika
(m. 1968; div. 1971)Tom Ellerbee
(m. 1973; div. 1975)John David Klein
(m. 1975; div. 1983)Rolfe Tessem
(m. 1985) |
Linda Ellerbee (born Linda Jane Smith; August 15, 1944) is an American journalist, author, and TV host. She is best known for hosting Nick News, a popular news show for kids and teens on Nickelodeon. For 25 years, Nick News helped young people understand important topics like wars, diseases, and disasters in a way that made sense to them.
Linda Ellerbee was also a well-known reporter and anchor for NBC News. Her work on a show called NBC News Overnight was praised for being very well-written and smart. People described her as sharp, honest, and very observant. She officially retired in 2015 after working in journalism for 43 years.
Contents
Linda Ellerbee's Early Life
Linda Jane Smith was born in Bryan, Texas. She grew up in Houston, where she went to River Oaks Elementary, Lanier Middle School, and Lamar High School.
She later attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1964, she decided to leave college. After that, she traveled around the country, taking different jobs in radio.
Starting Her Journalism Career
Linda Ellerbee worked for a politician in Alaska for a while. Then, she got a job writing news for the Associated Press in Dallas. She once got fired from a job for accidentally sending a personal letter instead of a news story!
But this mistake actually helped her get noticed by a TV station in Houston, Texas, called KHOU-TV. They hired her in 1973. Within a few months, she moved to New York City to work for WCBS-TV.
Linda Ellerbee's Television Career
At NBC, Linda Ellerbee started as a reporter for the Today show. Her first job as a main TV host was on a show called Weekend. She hosted Weekend with Lloyd Dobyns.
They became known for their unique writing style. They would always end their show with the phrase, "And so it goes."
Hosting NBC News Overnight
In 1982, Linda Ellerbee teamed up with Lloyd Dobyns again to host NBC News Overnight. This show was known for its smart and witty news stories. Just like on Weekend, they would end each broadcast with a short, often funny, comment and their famous sign-off, "And so it goes." This phrase later became the title of her first book.
After Overnight ended in 1984, Ellerbee co-hosted Summer Sunday USA. This was a special moment because it was the first time two women co-hosted a main network news show during prime time. She then worked as a reporter for Today again before moving to ABC in 1986.
At ABC, she worked as a reporter for Good Morning America. She also co-wrote and co-hosted Our World, a weekly show about history. She won an Emmy Award for her excellent work on this program.
Creating Lucky Duck Productions
In 1987, Linda Ellerbee and her husband, Rolfe Tessem, started their own company called Lucky Duck Productions. They decided to leave the big news networks to create their own shows.
Their most famous show is Nick News, which is a news program for children on Nickelodeon. This show has won many awards, including three Peabody Awards and three Emmy Awards. In 2004, Ellerbee also won an Emmy for her show When I Was a Girl on the WE: Women's Entertainment network.
Linda Ellerbee has also written several books. Her autobiography, And So It Goes, was published in 1986. She also wrote a series of eight Girl Reporter books for young people, which are perfect for kids interested in journalism!
Linda Ellerbee's Health Advocacy
In 1992, Linda Ellerbee faced a health challenge. Since then, she has spent a lot of time talking to groups about how she dealt with her illness. She encourages women to be strong, seek good medical care, and keep a positive attitude.
Linda Ellerbee's Work History
National Television and Film
- Reporter, Washington bureau of NBC News, 1976–1978
- Co-anchor, Weekend, 1978–1979
- Correspondent, NBC Nightly News, 1979–1982
- Co-anchor, NBC News Overnight, 1982–1984
- Co-anchor, Summer Sunday USA, 1984
- Reporter, Today, 1984–1986
- Reporter, Good Morning America, 1986
- Anchor, Our World, 1986–1987
- Narrator, Baby Boom, 1987
- President, Lucky Duck Productions, since 1987
- Commentator, CNN, 1989
- Producer, writer, and host, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee 1992–2015
Other Media Work
- Disc jockey at WSDM Chicago 1965–1968
- Program director, KSJO San Francisco, 1967–1968
- Reporter, KJNO Juneau, Alaska, 1969–1972
- News writer, Associated Press in Dallas, Texas, 1972
- Television reporter, KHOU in Houston, 1972–1973
- General assignment reporter, WCBS-TV in New York City, 1973–1976
- Writer, host, On the Record
- On-line production with Microsoft, since 1996
- Panelist, The Roundtable, WAMC, 2020–
Awards and Honors
- 1992 NOW NYC's Women of Power & Influence Award
- 1998 Personal Peabody Award
- 2011: Paul White Award, Radio Television Digital News Association
Images for kids
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Ellerbee in 1978
