Jerry Springer, a former news anchor and mayor who rose to fame and fortune as the host of a controversial talk show, has died at 79.
Springer died on Thursday, April 27, at his home in Chicago after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Jene Galvin, a lifelong friend. Galvin confirmed the news and highlighted Springer’s remarkable ability to connect with people as the key to his success.
The “Jerry Springer Show” premiered three decades ago in 1991 and reached its peak popularity in 1998, surpassing “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in ratings with an impressive 12 million viewers. Initially, Springer saw the show as a logical step in his journalism career, aiming to address important issues. However, as the pressure to achieve higher ratings mounted, Springer and his producer, Richard Dominick, made significant changes to make the show stand out and attract a larger daytime audience, aligning with the increasingly provocative and coarse content of daytime TV.
Springer’s focus on sensationalism featured episodes about sex rather than politics. One of the show’s most controversial episodes featured a man who claimed to be married to a horse.
Born Gerald Norman Springer in Highgate, London, England, Springer was the child of Jewish refugees from Germany (now part of Poland). Both of his grandmothers tragically perished in Nazi concentration camps. Springer’s family emigrated to the US in January 1949 and settled in Queens, New York. In 1965, Springer graduated from Tulane University with a BA in political science.
Springer’s broadcasting career began at Tulane, where he worked for the university-operated radio station WTUL-FM New Orleans.
As mayor of Cincinnati, he provided commentaries on the album-oriented rock radio station WEBN-FM under the moniker “The Springer Memorandum,” which gained popularity and eventually led to a full-time broadcasting role. Springer joined NBC affiliate WLWT as a political reporter and commentator, initially hosting nightly commentaries that earned him 10 local Emmy Awards. He later became one of Cincinnati’s top news anchors.
Throughout his career, Springer appeared as himself in movies and TV shows and hosted “America’s Got Talent” for two seasons.
Springer is survived by his wife of 50 years, Micki Velton, and his daughter Katie.
