Sylvia Chase facts for kids
Sylvia Belle Chase (born February 23, 1938 – died January 3, 2019) was an American journalist. She worked on TV news shows for many years. Sylvia was a reporter for ABC's 20/20 from when it first started until 1985. After that, she became a news anchor at KRON-TV in San Francisco. In 1990, she went back to ABC News in New York.
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Early Life and School
Sylvia Chase was born in Northfield, Minnesota. She was the youngest of three children. Her aunt worked as a radio announcer. When Sylvia was in junior high, she and her sister created a local radio show. It shared news from their school.
Sylvia went to the University of California in Los Angeles. She worked hard to pay for her studies. She earned a degree in English in 1961.
A Career in News
After college, Sylvia Chase had different jobs. She worked as a secretary and even modeled sometimes. In 1969, she started working as a reporter for KNX radio. This was a CBS radio station.
Working at CBS News
In 1971, Sylvia moved to New York. She joined CBS News. By 1974, she became a full correspondent. This meant she reported on stories. She also wrote and narrated a new radio show called The American Woman.
Sylvia was one of the first important women reporters at the CBS Evening News. She helped make sure the news covered stories important to women. She also helped a group of CBS employees who wanted better rights for women. She hosted the Magazine news show and appeared on 60 Minutes.
Moving to ABC News
In 1977, Sylvia moved to ABC News. She reported on many different topics. She also co-anchored ABC News Weekend Report.
She became a reporter for 20/20 when it began in 1978. She worked there until 1985. During this time, TV Guide magazine called her "the most trusted woman on TV." Readers also voted her the best investigative reporter.
Time in San Francisco
In late 1985, Sylvia left ABC to work in San Francisco. She became a news anchor at KRON-TV. KRON was an NBC news station back then. She said she left because ABC canceled a 20/20 story she had worked on. This story was about Marilyn Monroe.
KRON welcomed her with the slogan "The Chase is on!" Besides anchoring the news, she hosted documentaries. She reported a lot on the AIDS crisis and on children's issues. She was in Europe when the big 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake hit the Bay Area in 1989.
Back to ABC and PBS
In late 1990, Sylvia returned to ABC News in New York. She co-anchored Prime Time Live. She also continued as a reporter for 20/20. She reported on an American woman whose children were taken by her ex-husband. She also narrated Hopkins 24/7. This was a six-hour documentary about the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
One of her reports was about the death of Kimberly Bergalis. After this report, health groups made rules stricter for cleaning dental equipment.
In 2001, Sylvia moved to PBS. She was a reporter for Now with Bill Moyers. She also narrated Exposé: America's Investigative Reports. Later, she retired to Belvedere, California.
Awards and Recognition
Sylvia Chase won many awards for her reporting.
- In 1983, she received the Pinnacle Award in Television News.
- She also won the National Headliner Award for Investigative Reporting in 1983.
- She earned two Emmy Awards for her work on 20/20.
- She won a Peabody Awards in 1989 for a KRON documentary about children without homes.
- She received three more Emmy awards for local news.
- She won the National Headliner Award again in 1979 and 1994.
- In 1991, she received the Matrix Award.
- She also won duPont-Columbia and Washington Press Club awards.
Personal Life and Passing
While in college, Sylvia married Robert Rosenstone. They later divorced. She also had a working and personal relationship with producer Stanhope Gould. They won an Emmy together for a report on cars.
In her retirement, Sylvia volunteered at De Marillac Academy. This is a middle school in San Francisco. She even made a documentary about a family whose children went to the school.
Sylvia Chase had diabetes. She passed away on January 3, 2019. She was 80 years old. She had been getting treatment for brain cancer.
