NBC News Digest with Jessica Savitch (10/3/83) 

Disrespectful comments about the late Ms. Savitch will cease on this video. Discussing her situation and life is expected, but openly ridiculing the deceased is out of line and will not be tolerated going forward. Thank you.

She doesn’t seem drunk or high, she sounds like she’s trying to talk with half her mouth paralyzed from Novocain.

Now you see... if I saw this broadcast, my first thought would not be "Is she drunk"... I would be concerned she was having a stroke.

I have to take extreme umbridge with her Wikipedia article where it states "Savitch was largely incoherent on the air". That was slightly slurred and *not* incoherent at all.

She was a little thick tongue so maybe she had more than one glass of wine, but other than that it certainly was not the melt down disaster everybody has made it out to be. She was much better in the second digest broadcast. I've seen a lot worse out of anchors over the years and nothing is made out of that. She was a brilliant journalist and a trail blazing pioneer for all the other female journalist who came after her.

I love the way they used to say "And now this ..." and "More news later on this NBC station, and on NBC News Overnight." It was cool. I miss hearing that.

RIP to THE anchor of my childhood. She was the 1st woman to do everything in Broadcast News & is the very woman I picture every time the conversation is had about women "breaking glass ceilings"! She was the ONLY WOMAN ANYWHERE ON TV NEWS, at the top of her game & just like Denzel said " That's when the devil comes for you". Rumors of & innuendos after this broadcast went haywire but the explanation given (after JS tried to ignore the uproar) was basically she had plastic surgery & it was the pain meds. That makes total sense 40yrs later, (especially before elective, same- day surgeries that are the norm now were around & better pain management expertise too) Three weeks later, she was in a car accident with a friend and her dog. The car skidded into a canal, turned upside down & settling in mud. All 3 died. There were no drugs found in her system. We pretty much all have been touched by drug dependence in some way, shape or form in 2022 wether ourselves, family or friends so we all can agree that a clean drug test 3 weeks after this broadcast doesn't sound like much of a coke head but if she did have a drug problem, we know that only makes her a human & obviously she was trying to not if she died with clean drug test. I think Ms Savitch is forgotten too much of the time & her name should be known more to the public, especially little girls who want to be tv newscasters. JS is an inspiration. Not to mention she inspired 2 HUGE movies (Michelle Phifer charecter\Up Close & Personal and Christina Applegate's character\Anchorman!). RIP Jessica Savitch

I remember watching this first run, and we did notice she was not herself. But to be fair, her normal was a really strong, professional standard. Extremely articulate, and a different speech pattern than what was shown here in the first digest.

Nowhere near as bad as people made it sound. She was really strong

Jessica's father David Savitch also died young. He died in 1959 at age 33 of uremic pericarditis, often seen in patients with end-stage renal (kidney) failure. He had been ill for two months. Jessica was 12 when she lost her dad, and it haunted her throughout her life. May their memories be a blessing.

If you didn't know her previous broadcasts, this really isn't horrible.

Wow! That wasn't so bad. I think she's more articulate "impaired" than over half the people on the news today. In fact, if I hadn't been told this was the broadcast, I probably would have completely missed it. Talk about being hyper-critical of people! She was fantastic! Were they this critical of the men? Probably not.

I loved her and seeing her always reminds me of my childhood

If You ever watch Jessica Savitch's interviews,she is just fascinating to listen to!!! I feel terrible about how she died....Nobody deserves that kind of horror!!!

Still miss seeing her. Glad there’s YT to relive moments like these anytime you want.

I’m so sorry for the sad way her life ended along with her friend and dog. She had a stellar career and is still an influence today for all she achieved and not the way it ended. Whether you like her or not, you can’t deny she made it as a female major news anchor pioneer.

What a horrific end to her life- the mud blocking her exit, her companion drowned in the front, her dog most likely frantically trying to escape and fighting for her life until the end.

I won't be one to make negative comments or dance on her grave. Jessica Savitch wasn't perfect, she was human and made mistakes. It's a damn shame what happened to her not long after this broadcast as she was a very talented news anchor for NBC. If she could have lived, she would have done so much more. No telling how far up the ladder she could have gotten. Very sad.

I remember Jessica and how tragically she died, she was one of Dad's favorite newspersons R.I.P. Jessica 😇

Beautiful woman. I loved to hear her talk. Great voice!

I have never forgotten Jessica Savitch.

Ms. Savitch was going through some truly horrendous personal tragedies at this time-including the suicide of her second husband who she found had hung himself in their home-despite this she will be remembered for being a "trailblazer" for all the female journalists who followed her

You can see she was most notably more together in the second broadcast of that evening (3 Oct. 1983). The first broadcast is definitely not Jessica Savitch at her best but isn't quite the unmitigated disaster I'd been led to expect after reading several accounts (including People Magazine and the biographies, 'Almost Golden' by Gwenda Blair and 'Golden Girl' by Alanna Nash).

I was only a young kid in 83, so she was before my time, but I just learned about her as a person and her death by seeing an Andy Warhol silkscreen painting of that era that was simply a plain blown up picture of the NY Post front page of 10/23/83. Name of the painting is, "New York Post Marine Death Toll Hits 172". I then wiki'd her name and found out who she was and saw the thing about this broadcast. Link to Christie's here: tinyurl.com/yaswsz66 -- I saw the rumor that she got by with a little help from her friends like many do. If you've ever been prescribed opiates or sleeping pills, you have too, so don't judge. I've come away thinking this is nothin. I don't even know if I would've thought she was drunk/high if I watched it live. She slurred a little bit, but I've seen a lot worse. And if she was drunk or had a toot of coke before going on air, she pushed thru it pretty damn well. That only shows to me that she could handle her shit. At any rate, the death of any person of her relatively young age and ability is a sad thing. There's nothing to say that she wouldn't have gotten herself well had she lived. Her pain in life was vanquished, but she was too young to go.

If you watch her broadcasts over the years, she was really a talented broadcaster. She could have easily been the next Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer had she not lost her life so early on. Sure, she had an off night, perhaps a cocktail that mixed badly with her medication, but that doesn’t negate her as a journalist or a person. We lost her far too soon, she was really golden.

My Favourite 2 Broadcasters were Walter Cronkite & Jessica❤ Savitch. 3 months & 1 day after Jessica Savitch passed, our 1st born arrived (during a snowstorm). Named her “Jessica” 👼❤👍

The original clip has been played over and over, and yes, she seems a bit "out of it". But the 2nd clip shows she is back on her feet on the same night. She was a pro, not without problems off-camera, but a true newsperson who aimed at getting it right.

Almost like a TIA, mini-stroke. Sad ending for her.

She may have had her problems in her personal life,but so did most others in America. They had the benefit of not being on camera every day..This woman did good work through out her career. RIP Jessica.

Fame is a cruel mistress. It wasn’t even than bad but we love to tear our heroes down. She was a beautiful lady.

It's crazy to think we're coming up on the 40th anniversary of her untimely death. I remember hearing about it on the news and it was shocking considering she was one of the top anchors on TV at the time.

She’s in better shale than when I was using and working. She could hold her dope. Good on, ya, girl! Partay!!!

This is your brain on drugs

Not her normal broadcast but not as bad as people made to put to be. Also she did not look that bad , it was a different time and makeup in the 80’s was a bit much. I remember her so well and was full of personality

A truly gifted beautiful woman that had to live though to many tragic moments in her life.

Thank you for posting this. I've never seen the second clip from that night, and in it, she is almost completely recovered. Extraordinary. I am a huge fan. She was a very major star, very much liked by the public who were quite discerning back in the 70s and 80s. However, she looked older than her years due to her substance abuse and was becoming a bit of a problem for the network. They had a hard time finding the right framework for her. Basically, they didn't know what they had, and so ended up squandering her. She was extremely ambitious, and I beleive her meteoric rise happened too rapidly. She then started having personal problems and the pressures and demands of success overwhelmed her. The magnitude of her stardom was such, that at the mere age of 32 she had her autobiography relased. Professional, talented, and born for TV, the fact that she was able to hold it together in this clip (despite whatever she is going through) is testament to her remarkable charisma and natural ability to command the screen. Had she lived, it would have been fascinating to ask her to reflect on this episode in later years. Most people I've talked to think this would have been the end of her network career- since it's hard for a modern viewer to truly assess how bad this would have looked then, I have to wonder. What were the ramifications....I don't think it's so bad, but we've been exposed to so much more on tv these days - maybe her bosses were looking for a reason to get rid of her? I don't think she had been fired when she died. We'll never know. I don't know if Barbara Walters was ever asked about Jessica, I would love to hear her thoughts.

Jessica looks a bit tense in the first clip. These of course being towards the end of her life. Still she was a professional to the very end. So nice when new clips of her surface. Thank you!!!!!!

Yeah. How come we never hear of that slight improvement on the "Digest" of an hour later? Context is everything in this world. I too remember Ms. Savitch's performance in the second "Digest" wasn't as "out of it" as in the first. A d---ing indictment on the whole reliance of "first impressions," if you were to ask me.

What most people don’t talk about is the incredible pressure these people have on them not to mention being a woman in this field at this time. Nobody bat an eye if it was a man. She got mad like a man she expressed her opinions like a man and yet she was expected to be a woman a beautiful woman that she was. RIP Jessica

Jessica Savitch was an AMAZING woman and broadcaster. She would have risen to nightly news anchor during the week, no doubt!

She actually read everything perfect. Her speech just kind of sounded like maybe she took a muscle relaxer

Thank you for sharing. It's important for it's historical significance. It appeared to me that she was on something.

She was alright in the last segment. The effects had worn off.

God rest her soul. She did not look well.

My mom spoke about her during my youth. Beautiful lady, beautiful soul

Hard to believe that she was the indirect inspiration behind the film Up Close and Personal starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford which was released 13 years after her death.

I know Jessica was a grown woman and responsible for her actions but I blame the producers for this embarrassment. When she jacked up that first segment they should've immediately replaced her. Nobody's gonna miss one or two news updates, so they could've either put in a few extra commercials or a taped segment - something to fill, so they could put someone else in. I don't care how insistent she was, the fact that they let an obviously impaired person on live t.v. is inexcusable. What do all those people in studio think they're paid for? Part of their duties are to prevent stuff like this. It also protects the dignity of the person on camera. How would you like there to be videotape of you in this condition. There didn't have to be. Makes me think that someone there wanted to sabotage her.

Sealy, really?!

To this day I admire my Aquarian sister. She is a news pioneer and a legend. Rest well Ms. Savitch.

I remember watching this with my family at dinner time. We wondered what happened to her.

Kind of reminds me a bit of Tom Brokaw, or maybe Dana Carvey doing his impression of Tom Brokaw. Either way, she doesn't sound drunk, just different.

In the early 1980s she put together an enthralling and spectacular documentary on NFL football, gambling, possible game fixing and the outlaw line. One of the best things I've ever seen on the internet. It's extremely difficult to find online. I've seen it on RU-vid only to disappear then reappear then disappear, etc.

Guess I missed something, Sometimes they have off days. I see news people do it everyday. Jessica Savitch was very good! It looked like more the producers fault going to commercial after 2 or 3 sentences.

Wow, what a blast from the past. I was reminded of her name today while listening to Will Ferrell on the Dan Patrick sports show. I thought "I remember that name. It's so familiar to me..." so I googled to find out why I knew the name and here I am. it's crazy that I remember her so well, so much so that I assumed she was still around. But clearly she passed in 1983. Crazy memory. RIP Jessica. 8/23/23 6:40 p.m.

I never knew she did one after that initial news break. Thank you for sharing this with us. Jessica was a leader, a treasure and a legend. Her untimely death, along with the other occupants in that car, was a horrific and disturbing tragedy that should have never happened. RIP to her and Chewy, and the other two people.

I remember her so well as a kid. Something just wasn't right on this night.

She died 20 days later.....

RIP.... October 23, 1983....

So sad that they let her go on television that fateful night when she was clearly “altered.” Someone should have intervened sooner. The truly sad part is that she did ultimately get the help that she needed but sadly ended up in a car driven by another party in bad whether and went over the side of a small bridge, which killed her. There were no drugs or alcohol in her system. She was such an inspiration to women everywhere; I find it tragic that she passed in this manner at that time. She could have accomplished so much more…

Why does she sound so weird?

She is drunk.

Loaded. I used to love her! She was my hero.

Someone else was ready to go on the air that night. Jessica didn’t arrive until the very last minute.

She looked cooked.

And honestly, this is not really even that bad. I’ve seen much worse throughout the years.

sounds like a stroke more than an alcohol, or ok probably drugs, but whatever, the job was still done pro - u tough guys try to do that bet u cant even.

She held it together at the end like a professional. RIP

Nbc is said to have erased all copies of the 8:58 pm news digest from that night. One surviving video recording was found in Jessica's mother's house in Margate, NJ in the 1990s.

She does seem to get it together by the second digest. But as I said a few months ago, this was the main topic at work the next morning: "What was WRONG with Jessica Savitch last night? OMG! I think she was drunk!" What was really shocking was when she died in that accident in New Hope, PA a few weeks later. The assumption at the time was she must have been high or drunk...she wasn't, just a freak accident and a nasty way to die. :(

NBC pioneer. 🇺🇸

This is not a huge deal in this era but back in 1983 it was a big deal. Bad, very bad.

It's clear that she was trying her best to be as professional as possible even though she was not sober. That's a testament to her character.

Sounds like she just came from dinner with NYC local anchor buddy Sue "Happy Hour" Simmons.

Anyone else notice that the earth is rotating backwards?

Has anything changed in the news?

Folks, she's smashed. The euphemisms are sweet, though...

It's a shame addiction wasn't better understood then. Elizabeth Vargas, Lanre Fehintola, Steve Dunleavy & many other writers/journalists have struggled with substance problems (that we know of). It's nothing to hang your head in shame about and I hate that her life ended on such a sad note career-wise. I see a lot of comments about how she inspired so many people but I don't know if she knew that.

Even at her worst, Ms. Savitch still sounded more coherent and more professional than that lisping marble mouth Tiffany Cross does every night

Jessica sounded 10x more coherent than Joe Biden.

Over 40 years ago. Crazy

She does look like she was cut off guard by that sudden Commerical.. XD

She was a mess

Her Frontline piece on nfl ties to gambling and fixed games was good stuff.

I remember her and liked the way she said her name😊

Word salad.

Her age is amazing. She looks like a well aged 50 year old. Certainly not mid 30’s.

Cocaine's a helluva drug.

It's cocktail hour!

Sorry, but by TODAY's standards (have you seen some US politicians speak?) this is barely even noticeable. She accomplished so much in her young life, career, although without disrespect, it's hard not to comment that she looks, sounds, acts QUITE mature, as if over 50, well beyond her years.

Nothing to see here, folks!

its so refreshing to listen not over the top news...no red, no dramatic music, no over saturartion of image...just the fucking news

It's not as bad as you'd think but if you compare this to her last broadcast (that's on YT) she's looks and sounds terrible here.

Drunk? More like pills.

The woman couldn’t settle down. Always looking for the peak experience. She found a couple of them, too. Praise her if you must, but she simply lacked common sense.

$390 an oz. gold ! Now it’s like $1500

she was killed for outing the NFL/games being fixed

Jessica was a good journalist. She led the path for women and minority groups in broadcast journalism. She always spoke as if she spoke to you personally with a gleam of hope in her eyes.

Stoned...hehehe

She was having some kind of minor speaking problem here, but seemed to be totally professional otherwise.

I remember her name, but as a teenager at that time didn't watch the news. Her delivery in this clip is not perfect, but based on what I read, I expected much worse. The reaction seems like it was overdone.