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Forum » Chew The Fat » Nick News host Linda Ellerbee retires
Mr Magic
Whether or not you watched Nick News in your youth, one thing's for sure: Linda Ellerbee was a big name at Nickelodeon. Will you miss her?




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"Magic can happen to you."

   
vkimo
Uhhh, I thought Nick News ended in the 90s.
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Mr Magic
It's a news show. News shows don't end just like that!
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"Magic can happen to you."

Vaporman87
I never got to know her or watch her show, so no... I won't be missing her. I bet a lot of 90's kids will though.
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eddstarr
Geez you guys, I got so much stuff on Linda Ellerbee I don't know where to begin.

I first saw Linda on NBC Nightly News as a regular reporter about the same time as the original Saturday Night Live began after 1975. It didn't take long for Linda to stand out from the rest of the NBC pack. She has a wonderful style about her that let's you know that she's a hell a lot smarter than the average reporter. Linda sure made an impression on Jane Curtain at SNL, I'm sure Jane's Weekend Update lady reporter took cues from Linda Ellerbee. 

Take a look at this clip from 1977. Doesn't Linda look like she's on the set of SNL?


But the story of Linda Ellerbee at NBC took a cool turn when she caught the attention of NBC veteran correspondent Lloyd Dobyns.

From 1977 to 1979 Lloyd Dobyns was the host of a most unusual TV news show. "Weekend" was an experimental project of NBC News and the show's name was due to it's airing on the first Saturday of every month.

Let me repeat, NBC's "Weekend" only aired on the first Saturday of every month, for one hour. But Lloyd made it TV worth watching with an eclectic mix of strange and unusual news stories, all told by Lloyd in his deadpan style that made him famous in the 70's and 80's. 


Lloyd Dobyns quickly arranged to have Linda co-host "Weekend" because both he and the NBC News brass had Linda in mind for the biggest new show ever: "NBC News Overnight". 

I cannot fully describe the impact of NBC News Overnight. It was unlike any news show airing on television at that time and Linda Ellerbee made it Rock! Like all good things, NBC News Overnight made late-night fans all over the country, including me. The only people that didn't love Overnight was the new Reagan Administration and the advertisers. The show attracted a huge audience, but it was the wrong audience - too poor and too racially mixed!

I can say more about Linda Ellerbee but for now let me leave you with this:

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Rick Ace Rhodes
I thought it ended years ago too. I will never forget the theme song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx1TrODqagY
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Vaporman87
eddstarr wrote :

Take a look at this clip from 1977. Doesn't Linda look like she's on the set of SNL?
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Stick Jane in there and it's absolutely SNL. That's hilarious.
eddstarr wrote :

I can say more about Linda Ellerbee but for now let me leave you with this:
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And all I can say is... Dem glasses, dem giant, giant glasses.

I can't talk though. I had some too and have the yearbook photo to prove it.
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Mr Magic
@Rick:

Me neither, man. I seem to think about that one almost every day.
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Jrs1991
I remember her on nickelodeon. I wouldn't watch it very long whenever it came on because i would turn the channel and watch something else.
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Mr Magic
There should be a Nickelodeon Hall of Fame, with Linda as an inductee,
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Poshy2005
I still can't believe she is finally retiring. I know they wasn't doing regular episodes of nick news anymore but speicals off and on. I still liked watching them because I still knew what was going on in the world and she didn't put it in a scary way. I agree nickelodeon does need a hall of fame for all of its past people that have made impact in the world including Linda.
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