Jack Ford (news anchor)
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Jack Ford is an American television news personality specializing in legal commentary who has spent over two decades in front of the TV camera as host and presenter of numerous information and entertainment programs. He is not related to former President Gerald Ford, whose son, popularly known as Jack, was also (briefly) associated with the field of journalism.
Raised by a single parent in New Jersey, Ford attended Point Pleasant Beach High School graduated from Yale University and Fordham University School of Law.[1][2] He subsequently spent three years as a prosecutor in New Jersey, before beginning his own private practice as a lawyer. He also served as an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School.
In 1984, Ford was hired by WCBS-TV as its legal commentator and joined Courtroom Television Network (better known as Court TV) upon its launch on July 1, 1991. He moved to NBC News in 1994 as the chief legal correspondent and succeeded Mike Schneider as the co-anchor with Giselle Fernandez of the network's morning show Weekend Today in May 1995. He continued to host the show with Jodi Applegate from 1996 to April 1999 and with Soledad O'Brien from April to July 1999. That year he was named "Sexiest News Anchor" by People magazine.
In September 1999, Ford joined ABC News and became a correspondent for 20/20 and Good Morning America. On December 31, 1999, he was in Times Square as part of ABC 2000 Today, the network's 23-hour world-wide coverage of the Millennium, hosted by Peter Jennings. During ABC's coverage of the millennium, both he and Dick Clark counted down the final minutes until 2000 arrived in Times Square. Ford was the moderator of ESPN's The Sports Reporters from 2002 to 2003 and co-hosted the short-lived syndicated talk show Living It Up! With Ali & Jack, which premiered on September 15, 2003. Produced at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, the program, with "Ali", (actress Alexandra "Ali" Wentworth), started with high ratings, but quickly lost ground and terminated production after seven months, although repeats continued for another four months, to August 2004.
In June 2004 Jack Ford returned to Court TV and on January 17, 2006 began co-hosting (with Ashleigh Banfield) the 2-hour daily afternoon program Banfield & Ford: Courtside.
He has received two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, an American Radio and Television Award, a National Headliner Award, and the March of Dimes FDR Award.
Jack Ford resides in Spring Lake, New Jersey with his wife and two children.
[edit] Trivia
Ford was a contestant on the original version of Jeopardy! with Art Fleming, winning three games.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Strauss, Robert. "IN PERSON; '20/20' Co-Anchor Looks at Life in Hindsight", The New York Times, September 19, 1999. Accessed November 16, 2007.
- ^ Kamin, Arthur Z. "New Jersey Q & A: John R. Ford; Analyzing the Simpson Case for TV", The New York Times, August 7, 1994. Accessed May 22, 2008. "Jack Ford was an all-county football quarterback at Point Pleasant Beach High School, won a scholarship to Yale University and then helped to finance his tuition at the Fordham University School of Law with the winnings from appearances on the television quiz show 'Jeopardy.'"
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Marty Liquori Thomas Lewis Lyons Cliff Meely Kurt L. Schmoke Joe Theismann Jack Youngblood |
Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) Class of 1997 Tommy Casanova Jack Ford David Joyner Edward B. Rust Jr. James Tedisco Herb Washington |
Succeeded by Gary Hall, Sr. Lawrie Mifflin Drew Pearson Cynthia Potter Sally Ride Harry Smith |
