BY MAUREEN TRAXLER

Like several of the storied icons that shaped broadcast news in the 1950s and ‘60s, John Roland followed a circuitous route to his Fox 5 anchor seat in New York City. Born in Pittsburgh and relocating to California with his family when he was a teenager, Roland earned a bachelor’s degree in English at California State University at Long Beach. He took a job as assistant to the dean of administration, and while he was coordinating a campus event, a KNBC crew member happened to ask if he’d ever thought about going into broadcasting. The spark ignited, he pursued a position as production assistant, and as he recalls, “I ran for sandwiches and coffee, learned the business, and slowly worked my way up.”

Roland contributed to the station’s coverage of the first unmanned landing on the moon and its live, 24hour coverage of Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic moon walk. During his time with NBC, he transitioned from production to writing and editing local news. He left NBC to join Metromedia (Fox) KTTV as a Los Angeles street reporter. During the tremulous decade of the 1960s, Roland covered and taped for East Coast viewing such major events as Senator Robert Kennedy’s campaign for president and his assassination, “actor” Ronald Reagan’s campaign for governor, and the Charles Manson murder trial.

Roland’s outstanding news coverage and professional packaging of his stories caught the eye of Fox 5 New York and the station asked him to join Fox as a beat reporter, working from City Hall, the hub of New York government and politics. Roland arrived in late 1969, the beginning of a crucial era in the city’s history when it would face fiscal bankruptcy, blackouts, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and violence in the Bronx.

“In those days, you had to work in New York to make it in the news business,” says Roland. “I thought I’d work there a couple of years and move on.” Move on, he did, at Fox. In 2004, Roland capped his 40-year career in broadcast journalism with 35 years as Fox 5’s Ten O’clock News anchor – earning him the distinction as the longest running, single station news anchor in the country. He was nominated for an Emmy 13 times for news reporting, winning twice in 1978 and 1983, and won the New York City Journalism Award in 1982. Roland notes, “I always wrote my own copy,” which was characterized by its conversational tone. “TV is a one-on-one medium,” he adds, noting that in essence the newsperson develops a “personal, one-on-one relationship with two people sitting in their living room.”

During his memorable career, Roland interviewed top New York City and State officials, traveled with former Mayor John Lindsay during his bid for the U.S. presidency, and interviewed national political figures, including Presidents Nixon, Carter, Ford, Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was honored, too, by civic and fraternal groups throughout the City, government organizations, and the City Departments of Police, Fire and Education. One of Roland’s proudest achievements is his receipt, in 2000, of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which honors individuals for their contributions to society as a whole.

“ You always think, no matter what I do, it isn’t going to make a difference,” remarks Roland. “But I’ve met many people that have made a difference; I’ve seen how possible it is. Since I left broadcasting, that notion has helped me take those experiences and emotional feelings that were passed down to me and try to give back to society, to make a little change.”

A resident of New York City and Westhampton Beach, Roland serves on the Board of Directors of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. The Foundation operates the New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, which is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of seals, sea turtles, whales, dolphins and porpoises, some species of which are critically endangered. Roland’s wife, Joanna, prompted his affiliation with the Foundation after they found a stranded seal on the beach near their home.

Roland volunteers as master of ceremonies at the annual dinners of East End Hospice in Westhampton Beach and Family Counseling Service, which provides mental health counseling, treatment, education, and support services to individuals and families on the East End. He’s an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, and fundraises for Southampton Hospital and the Peconic Bay Medical Center.
Roland serves on the Advisory Board of Lollipop Theater, a nonprofit organization that brings first-run movies to hospitalized children battling life-threatening illnesses and facing daunting medical treatments. He reports that Lollipop Theater is active on Long Island, in New York City and along the East Coast, and “we’re trying to spread it across the country.” With roots in the media, Roland is active with the Sunshine Committee of the Friar’s Club, a 100-yearold organization that was founded by theatre district press agents and shares the unique gift of laughter.

“ The Sunshine Club sends comedians and entertainers to senior citizen condominiums and brings first-run movies to about a thousand underprivileged youngsters each year,” remarks Roland. At their annual Christmas event, he plays Santa Claus and “gives every child a big bag of goodies.”

Following his retirement, Roland began a consulting business, Roland Associates, which coaches executives, politicians, authors and anyone with the potential to be interviewed for television, radio or news magazines on how to feel comfortable in front of the camera, answer questions honestly, and get their message across. He also joined a West Coast company as its East Coast representative promoting sales incentives and creative travel ideas to media businesses in the tri-state region to assist them in raising sales income through enticements that benefit the company and the client.

Roland looks forward to “experiencing the benefits of New York City and the Village of Westhampton Beach,” with his wife Joanna, a lawyer and CPA who owns a private investment company with offices in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, and “spending time playing golf and tennis.”

NETWORKING® January 2008