World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France--Normandy
World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States.
Fifty years after the Allied amphibious invasion of Normandy during World War II, Western New York veterans of D-Day reflect on their roles and experiences as they descended on the northern coast of France. The seven-part series was presented on WIVB-TV as a tribute to all who took part in the invasion, which claimed 16,293 American lives. D-Day, led by U.S., British and Canadian forces on five beachheads, helped liberate Northern France from the Nazis and enabled the allies to launch their drive into Germany.
Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Host)
Smith, Doug (Producer, Writer, Host)
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Television Broadcasting of news--New York (State)--Buffalo--History.
Television Journalists--New York (State)--Buffalo--History.
Social Justice--United States.
Black lives matter movement.
Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)--History
Radioactive waste disposal--New York (State)--West Valley.
Buffalo Bills (Football team)--History.
McVeigh, Timothy.
Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1995.
John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005.
Waterfronts--New York (State)--Buffalo.
“The Buffalo Story: History Happens Here” aired on June 7, 2021 as a local primetime special on WIVB-TV. The documentary features major events covered by the station’s news department and illustrates the contributions of Buffalo’s broadcast journalists and the value of local television news archives and their potential to inform, educate and uplift the communities they represent. The two major segments in the first half of the program deal with the pursuit of racial and environmental justice in the Buffalo-Niagara region. Buffalo’s legendary role in the civil rights movement and the notorious Love Canal disaster are revisited through key archival news and documentary footage. The second half features Buffalo’s prominence as a television market for news and its ties to many historic developments and events of national and international significance. Examples include the terminus of the Erie Canal, the Buffalo woman shot along with Pope John Paul II during an assassination attempt, and the four consecutive Super Bowl appearances by the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s. The one hour program highlights efforts by the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA) to preserve the images on early news film and videotape before they deteriorate and are lost forever. It is written and hosted by WIVB-TV’s retired senior correspondent Rich Newberg. He was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the BBA’s Archive Project sixteen years earlier. Newberg’s fellow producer and editor Tom Vetter also worked at WIVB-TV as a news photographer. Newberg and Vetter created the station’s documentary unit in 1999. Some segments of their New York Emmy Award winning pieces appear in this documentary. Veteran WIVB anchor Jacquie Walker co-produced the program along with WIVB graphic arts director Kurt Murphy. “The Buffalo Story: History Happens Here” is more than just a history lesson or a tribute to the local broadcast journalists who provided an extraordinary chronicle of life-changing events. It is a call to action to preserve the news footage that helped define a region and in some cases, a nation.
Vetter, Tom (Producer, Photographer, Editor)
Moments In Time Video, Inc. & TVRE Productions, Inc.
Walker, Jacquie (Co-producer)
Murphy, Kurt (Co-producer, Graphic Arts Director)
Holland, Dan (Contributing Photographer)
Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Interviewee, Documentarian)
Ziemer, Heidi (Consulting Archivist)
Mombrea, John (Digital Archivist)
Terranova, Michael (Digital Archivist)
Newberg, David (Logo Designer)
Dworsky, Molly (Logo Designer)
Copyright held by Moments In Time Video, Inc. & TVRE Productions, Inc. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of Rich Newberg, Tom Vetter, WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
eng
A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 1]
Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill (Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
Chemical plants -- Waste disposal -- Environmental aspects -- New York (State) -- Niagara Falls
More than forty years after covering the Love Canal disaster in Niagara Falls, former WIVB-TV senior correspondent Rich Newberg returns to the site where 20,000 thousand tons of buried industrial chemicals took a terrible toll on families living on top of the toxic dumpsite. Hooker Chemical had once sold the property to the Niagara Falls School District for a dollar. The cries of families ravaged by chemical exposure in their own homes had initially been ignored by lawmakers who were in a position to offer meaningful support. The grassroots struggle of these homeowners and their ultimate victory in winning federal support offers powerful lessons to a nation still troubled by environmental injustice. Mr. Newberg tracked down the former Niagara Gazette rookie reporter who broke the story in 1978. In a rare interview, Michael Brown recalls his "journalistic obsession" after going door-to-door in the Love Canal neighborhood and establishing a pattern of still births and cancer. Lois Gibbs, the stay-at-home mom who rose to national prominence in her fight to be heard, tells Mr. Newberg that local broadcast journalists played a major role in getting the word out. “When people are right and people peacefully demonstrate and speak truth to power,” she said, “that’s how democracy works, and then we got what we needed.” The story ends with President Joe Biden bemoaning the fact that the right of every American to breathe clean air and drink clean water has yet to be fulfilled. “A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening” received a New York Emmy Award in the category of Science/Environment. It also won a national Telly Award. In addition, Rich Newberg and co-producer Tom Vetter took first place “Enterprise Reporting” honors from the Journalists Association of New York. The piece appeared as a featured segment of the Buffalo primetime special, “The Buffalo Story: History Happens Here,” which won a New York Emmy Award for “Public Service.” Originally aired on WIVB-TV and WNLO-TV / Buffalo, New York.
Vetter, Tom (Producer, Editor)
Murphy, Kurt (Co-producer)
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Love Canal: Neighborhood of Fear [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 2]
Turning Anger Into Action [The Story of Love Canal Pt.3]
What Have We Learned? [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 4]
An Interview with Michael Brown
An Interview with Lois Gibbs [Her battle and victory on behalf of Love Canal homeowners]
The Memory Keepers : Rescuing Western New York’s Moving Image History
Broadcasters--New York (State)--Buffalo--History.
Broadcasting--New York--Buffalo--History.
The Memory Keepers (2021) This feature presents the cornerstone project of the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA). It lays out the goals and challenges in preserving and utilizing Buffalo’s archival TV news film and videotape dating back to the mid-1960s. This piece is the most recent in a series of videos tracing the history of The Archive Project. “The Memory Keepers” was presented at the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame induction ceremony on November 4, 2021 (Runs: 7:12) The Archive Project History (5 Parts: 2006 - 2011) (Total running time: 22:49) The history of The Archive Project is presented here by Rich Newberg in a series of five features. They document a period of awakening to the value of archival TV news footage, and show how painstaking efforts are underway to preserve the moving images that reflect more than a half century of life on the Buffalo-Niagara Frontier. Rich Newberg is a founding member of the Buffalo Broadcasters Association and former Archive Task Force chairman for the BBA. His five video reports were presented during most of the BBA's Hall of Fame ceremonies between 2006 and 2011.] (Summary of Reports) The Archive Project (2006) Runs: 3:51 *Edison’s historic moving images of Buffalo are presented as well as a vision for The Archive Project *The first meeting with Buffalo television executives is documented *Recommendations are given for saving Buffalo’s TV news film collection The Archive Task Force (2008) Runs: 4:00 *A task force is created to seek grants for digitization of TV news film in the BBA's possession *University at Buffalo senior research scholar Michael Frisch signs on to create a system for categorizing and indexing digitized material *Highlights of major Buffalo news stories from the 1960s and ’70s are referenced (civil rights riots, Blizzard of ’77, Love Canal, Attica uprising, Jack Kemp’s political rise to power) The Journey Begins (2009) Runs: 4:39 *First boxes of TV news film are itemized from the year 1966 *A vision is presented for a museum and resource center to house the collection *First meeting is conducted with Buffalo area colleges and universities *The BBA’s Archive Project is featured at a national conference of the Institute of Museum and Library Services held in Buffalo *Conference presenter Dr. Michael Frisch calls Buffalo “one of the most important media centers in the country, of the evolution of television news.” He references Western New York natives Tim Russert, Wolf Blitzer, and political satirist Mark Russell Buffalo Moments in Time (2010) Runs: 3:52 *A database is created listing the slugs of all 15-hundred WIVB-TV (formerly WBEN-TV) news stories from the year 1966, the first full year of the BBA’s collection *Scene Savers of Covington Kentucky sends representative John Walko to advise BBA leadership on how best to preserve and utilize the archival news film *Dr. Michael Frisch illustrates how his company, Randforce Associates, is able to catalogue and index all the digitized footage for easy access *BBA president Dave Gillen says, “We’ve got all the pieces in place. We just need the money to do it.” The Scene Savers (2011) Runs: 6:00 *The step-by-step digitization process is documented by Scene Savers staffers working on the BBA’s Archive Project. *Mr. Newberg says future projects will range from documentaries, to classroom presentations, to museum exhibits *The project seeks to complete the mission of the BBA to make Buffalo’s moving image history accessible to the public, “so that future generations will know their roots and will appreciate the contributions of Buffalo’s broadcasting pioneers.” Official Launching of The Archive Project (2019) WIVB-TV Report Runs: 3:24 On March 29, 2019, the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA) officially launched The Archive Project. The BBA established written agreements with WIVB-TV (Nexstar/CBS) and WKBW-TV (Scripps/ABC) to digitize their news film and early videotape archives. The moving image archive will be made available for educational use only. Through BBA fundraisers, donations, and grants from the Western New York Library Resources Council, digitized news reports and clips dating back as early as the mid-1960s began being posted on the New York Heritage website. Postings will also appear on the BBA’s own website. This WIVB-TV news report by News 4 anchor Jacquie Walker shows viewers the scope of the project and why the initiative is a valued resource for Western New York and the nation.] Official Launching of The Archive Project (2019) WKBW-TV Report Runs: 2:05 The BBA collection of archival Buffalo TV news film and video tape becomes the first of its kind on the New York Heritage website. Rich Newberg, one of the chief architects of the project, comments that the collection will document “huge stories, huge challenges that faced this community.” He says the archive holds valuable lessons for “seeking better solutions in the future.” He adds, “It’s the journalists, the reporters and photographers, who basically gave their communities the first draft of history. And that’s why we think it’s so vital to bring this back.” Actor Ed Asner Endorses The Archive Project (Recorded: September 20, 2019) Runs: :60 sec. Ed Asner, who played television’s legendary news director Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, endorsed the BBA’s Archive Project in a public service announcement. The endorsement was recorded while Mr. Asner was in Rochester, New York performing a one man show. Asner endorsement: “Hello. I’m Ed Asner. You may remember me as television’s no-nonsense news director, Lou Grant. If you think about it, journalists provide us with our first draft of history. Right here in Buffalo, more than 50 years of TV news coverage is being brought back to life! Local stations are working with the Buffalo Broadcasters Association to bring back the stories that helped define the Niagara Frontier. It’s called The Archive Project, and I support it with all my heart! So should you.”]
WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo's Immigrants : the American Dream
Buffalo (N.Y.)--Emigration and immigration
Immigrants--New York (State)--Buffalo--History
Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.) -- History.
A 5-part series hosted by Rich Newberg that traces the lives of European immigrants who passed through Ellis Island in the early 1900s, settling in Buffalo. Common themes of sacrifice and love of country are reflected by local family members of Polish, German, Irish, Italian, and Jewish descent.
Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Reporter)
Mombrea, Mike Sr. (Photographer, Editor)
Gangs--New York (State)--Buffalo
Teenagers--New York (State)--Buffalo
Gang members on Buffalo's Lower West Side were getting recruited at younger ages as gang violence was on the increase. WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Mike Mombrea Jr. spent a week on the streets of these neighborhoods. Their findings were that young teenagers were engaging in violence for the sake of violence alone, and that they had little regard for their own futures or those of their neighbors. "There is a ruthlessness on the streets, on a growing scale," observes Newberg, "that's new to our city."
Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Producer, Photographer, Editor)
Paige, Lenny
Vaudeville--New York (State)--Buffalo
Entertainers--New York (State)--Buffalo
New York (State)--History
Five part series featuring memories from some of Buffalo's vaudeville and nightclub entertainers of the 1940's and 1950's, including Tony Ode, former master of ceremonies at McVan's nightclub, and Lenny Paige, former MC at the Town Casino. Second portion of video is Rich Newberg's extended interview with Lenny Paige, who was friends with many of the nation's top entertainers.
Beauchamp, Steve (Photographer, Editor)
John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005
Popes--Biography
Catholic Church--History
Live reports from St. Peter's Square during the funeral of Pope John Paul II, who died on April 2, 2005. WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg and Chief Photographer Mike Mombrea Jr. find Western New York pilgrims among the millions of mourners who flocked to Vatican City to say goodbye to a pope who would later become a saint in the Catholic Church. Interviews also feature Sr. Mary Raymond Kasprzak, a Buffalo native who is head of all 2,200 Felician sisters in the world, as well as New York Governor George Pataki. Newberg and Mombrea devote a report to the deep ties between the late pope and Western New Yorkers, including Ann Odre, who was wounded by the same bullet that struck the pope during an assassination attempt on May 13, 1981. The final report in this series jumps ahead to Buffalo's reaction following the April 27, 2014 declaration by Pope Francis, making John Paul II a saint.
Sliwa, Curtis, 1954-
Sliwa, Lisa
Guardian Angels (Organization)
Crime prevention--United States--Citizen participation
When crime fighters who wore red berets appeared on the mean streets of Buffalo in the early 1980s, people wanted to know more about the young crime fighters calling themselves the Guardian Angels. Their leaders, Curtis and Lisa Sliwa, invited WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Mike Mombrea Jr. to cover the group's activities in the Bronx, where they began organizing subway safety patrols in 1979. Newberg got an up close and personal view of the Sliwas, who lived in poverty on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They lived on $9,000 dollars in 1982 and didn't own a car or have life insurance. They called their apartment "The Roach Motel." Yet they were effective in organizing chapters in big cities including Toronto and Cleveland. Sliwa was shunned by Buffalo Mayor Jimmy Griffin when he accused city officials and police of taking payola in the areas of prostitution and drug dealing. Griffin said Sliwa could not produce evidence that this existed. Interviews include Buffalo Police Commissioner James Cunningham, Curtis and Lisa Sliwa.
Mombrea, Mike, Sr. (Photographer, Editor)
Sliwa, Curtis (Guardian Angels Founder)
Sliwa, Lisa (Guardian Angels Founder)
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--History
African Americans--Civil rights--New York (State)--Buffalo--History
African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--Economic conditions
African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--Social conditions
Buffalo civil rights leaders reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King's dream vs. reality. Revisits the urban riots of the turbulent 1960s. The series raises the question: Are Buffalo's African American citizens better off now than they were during those times? Segments feature reflections from William Gaiter, George Arthur, Jim Pitts. There is archival footage of black leaders of the B.U.I.L.D. organization confronting Mayor Frank Sedita about the need to create jobs. Black Buffalo police Lt. John Eberhart says he joined the Buffalo Police Department in the 1960s as an act of self-defense, “to keep myself from the police.” Former Buffalo police officer Ted Kirkland reflects on his federal lawsuit against the city over the lack of black officers on the force. Former Buffalo School Board president Florence Baugh recalls the condition of the schools before desegregation. She calls desegregation “the most exciting social revolution occurring in the City of Buffalo.” School Superintendent Eugene Reville said English and math scores are up, while the drop out rate is down. The suspension rate for black students, however, was twice as high as that of white students.
Root, Kim (Photographer, Editor)
Panama—History—American Invasion, 1989
Drug control -- Latin America.
Drug control -- United States.
Military assistance, American.
In 1992 crews from the 914 Tactical Airlift Group out of Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station were deployed to Panama for a multipurpose mission. The C-130 cargo crews took Part in a drug interdiction operation, as well as providing aid to an orphanage and helping to build a school. The mission took place about three years after U.S. forces invaded Panama, removing dictator Manuel Noriega from power. Some members of the 914th had participated in the invasion, called Operation Just Cause. Noriega was brought to the U.S. where he was tried and convicted of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering. WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Paul Woodson accompanied the 914th on the mission and produced a four part series for the station.
Woodson, Paul (Photographer, editor)
Nolf, Neil (Niagara Falls Airbase Public Affairs Officer)
Copyright held by WIVB-TV. Access to this digital version provided by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Videos or images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without expressed written permission of WIVB-TV and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
The Buffalo Firefighters Story: A Testament to Courage, Commitment and Compassion
Fire fighters--New York (State)--Buffalo--History
Buffalo--Official and employees--History
Herbert, Donny--Health
September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.
SEGMENT 1: The Rescue and Awakening of Don Herbert A month after Buffalo firefighter Don Herbert was rescued from an attic of a burning house, WIVB-TV senior correspondent Rich Newberg and photographer Tom Vetter reported on the dedication and sacrifices of those who fight fires for a living. On December 28, 1995, Herbert became trapped after the roof collapsed. He ran out of oxygen before fellow firefighters could locate him. They saved his life but he suffered from brain damage and blindness. Rich Newberg visited the veteran firefighter whose speech was impaired but who was determined to do anything necessary to regain his strength and communication skills. Despite his strength of character and will to survive, Herbert later lapsed into a decade-long coma. On April 30, 2005, Don Herbert suddenly awakened and made international news when he began talking to family members and friends as if it were yesterday. He had been given drugs normally used to treat Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. Anderson Cooper, reporting for CBS’s 60 Minutes, produced a major story on what many were calling a “miraculous awakening.” Herbert broke into tears when a fellow firefighter told him he had been unresponsive for about ten years. Subsequently, Don Herbert took a fall out of bed, which again weakened his condition. He developed pneumonia and passed away on February 21, 2006. Herbert left behind a wife and four sons. Two became firefighters. The amazing story of his awakening gave hope to families with brain damaged loved ones in a coma. Herbert will always be remembered for his bravery and courage as part of a rescue team, and for his desire to do the very best he could under debilitating circumstances. SEGMENT 2 The Ultimate Sacrifice on North Division Street On December 27, 1983, a propane tank explosion at a four story radiator warehouse in Buffalo claimed the lives of five Buffalo firefighters. It remains the largest single day loss of life in the history of the Buffalo Fire Department. In addition, two civilians living near the warehouse were killed in their home. The explosion occurred shortly after the firefighters arrived on the scene, responding to the call of a propane gas leak. All five crew members from Ladder 5 were killed instantly. Eleven others were injured when the blast occurred. There were more injuries during rescue efforts. More than 150 civilians were taken to hospitals.The warehouse was destroyed as were buildings within a four-block radius. It was later determined that the 500 gallon propane tank had been illegally housed in the warehouse. A memorial service honoring the memory of the fallen firefighters takes place every year on December 27th at 8:23 p.m., the time of the explosion. It is held at fire call box number 191 at the intersection where the explosion took place. SEGMENT 3 Buffalo Firefighters Respond to 9/11 Attacks at Ground Zero When the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were attacked and destroyed by terrorists on 9/11/2001, Lt. Tony Liberatore, now a captain in the Buffalo Fire Department, said at the time, “A group of us felt we had to go there and we had to go there now. So we got there as quick as we possibly could.” WIVB’s Lisa Flynn and photographer Steve Beauchamp produced a segment for the hour special, “Day of Sorrow: Year of Change,” featuring the role Buffalo firefighters played in recovery efforts at Ground Zero. They called the story, “Forever Changed.” In the year following the attack, Liberatore returned to New York City, helping to train firefighter recruits. Flynn reported that the recruits were “desperately needed to fill the loss of 343 firefighters and a host of others who retired…”
Newberg, Rich (Reporter, Archivist)
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic artist)
Vetter, Tom (Photographer, Editor)
Cooper, Anderson (60 Minutes Reporter)
Richert, George (Reporter)
Mongiovi, Rachele (Reporter)
Flynn, Lisa (Reporter)
The Morning After: The Demise of the Courier Express
Buffalo (N.Y.)--History--Newspapers.
Buffalo, New York became a one newspaper town on September 19, 1982. It lost The Courier Express, the popular morning and Sunday newspaper that had begun publishing in 1926. This News 4 television special hosted by the late Bob Koop looks back on the reasons why the newspaper could no longer compete with The Buffalo News and the impact of the Courier’s folding on its former staff members and its readers. Staff members of the Courier Express voted down the opportunity to work under Rupert Murdoch’s News America. It would have meant transitioning to a tabloid newspaper as well as staff cuts of between 30 and 40 percent. When the paper shut down, eleven hundred people were out of work. Buffalo’s depressed economy at the time made it difficult for many of those workers to find jobs. Some had to go on welfare. The demise of the Courier Express followed the closings of other major newspapers throughout the country, including the Cleveland Press, which shut down three months earlier. It had been operating for 103 years. The roots of The Courier Express date back to 1828 according to SUNY Buffalo State, which has possession of the Courier Express archives. As the E.H. Butler Library at Buffalo State points out, “From 1828 to 1926, twelve separate newspapers merged during those years, ending with the formation of the Buffalo Courier-Express…” Mark Twain once was a columnist for one of those papers, the Buffalo Morning Express.
Koop, Bob (Program Host)
Smith, Doug (Former Courier Express Entertainment Editor/News 4 “Fun Ranger")
Baker, Jim (Former Courier Express Radio-TV Critic)
Lapping, Ed (Veteran Newspaper Editor)
Jasen, Carol (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Sacks, Karen (Producer)
Vandivort, Dave (Director)
Wigginton, Chris (Photographer, Editor)
Cantwell, Bill (Photographer)
Santana, Dave (Photographer)
Ayers, Don (Technical Staff)
Clemons, Mickey (Technical Staff)
Johnson, Len (Technical Staff)
Johnson, Rex (Technical Staff)
Kerner, Kathy (Technical Staff)
Novelli, John (Technical Staff)
Pels, Godon (Technical Staff)
Rozek, Dan (Technical Staff)
Homelessness--New York (State)--Buffalo
Homeless persons--New York (State)--Buffalo
1 In 1979 the Buffalo Food Pantry was created to assist residents who couldn’t afford to feed their families. As the project developed, there were still independent efforts to feed the hungry. In 1980, the Bread Giveaway was one such effort. An organizer expressed the hope that the community would become aware of the fact that, “There are hungry people and there’s an agency now to deal with it.” Only half a block away from the place where bread was being distributed, a poverty-stricken, laid-off shipping clerk tried to offer his services to load and unload trucks in a desperate attempt to provide milk and other essentials for his two children. 2 For some of Buffalo’s homeless, living quarters are concrete spaces under the New York State Thruway. Some use cardboard to shield themselves from the elements. 67 year old Harvey Bryant was one of them. He was a “hobo” who was barely surviving on food from trash cans. His health was failing when a Buffalo family came to his aid. The City of Buffalo’s Human Resources Department and Catholic Charities were made aware of the case and immediately provided Mr. Bryant with shelter, while also addressing some of his other basic needs. 3 Buffalo soup kitchens faced increased demand in the 1980s during a period when the city experienced economic decline. Families suddenly found themselves in dire need. The federal government set aside money for cities hoping to do more for the homeless and the hungry. Buffalo’s Department of Human Services vowed to cut through red tape in order to help the neediest. 4 Sunny Miano, a modern day Robin Hood, stole money to provide for the needy of Buffalo. He served time for writing bad checks. He then established a soup kitchen called Helping Hands. He became a beloved life-saver for the poor. His operating philosophy: “If we can’t help somebody along the way, what good are we? We’re nothing!” 5 As we entered the new millennium, there were still more than hundred homeless people in Buffalo living in tunnels, under bridges, in abandoned homes, and on the streets. One of the most compelling and heartbreaking stories was about a man named “Jeff.” He lost both legs to frostbite. Various agencies came to his aid. He was provided a furnished apartment, but sadly, according to reports, he reverted back to heavy drinking and passed away.
Terranova, Michael (Digital Editor)
A Life in the Balance: Struggles of the Mentally Ill
Terry Anderson, who grew up in Batavia, New York, was abducted by Hezbollah militants in Beirut, Lebanon on March 16, 1985. He was serving as the Associated Press’ chief Middle East correspondent at the time he was taken hostage. Anderson was held for six years and nine months, the longest of a group of Americans taken hostage at the time. The abductions were an attempt to drive U.S. military forces from Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. Anderson was released on December 4, 1991. From the time of his abduction, his sister Peggy Say worked tirelessly for his release. Her efforts were covered extensively by the Buffalo news media and often made national and world headlines. She was perhaps the most covered of all the hostages’ relatives. On December 4, 1991, Terry Anderson was finally released by his captors. His 2,455 days as a prisoner included about a year and a half in solitary confinement. WIVB-TV anchor, the late Bob Koop, traveled to Wiesbaden, Germany for Anderson’s first meeting with the press. His report includes Peggy Say’s joyful embrace of her brother, one of the most moving moments of his newly found freedom. This series of reports begins with a CNN recap of Anderson’s ordeal and later life activities. A sequence of reports follows, beginning with the time leading up to his release, his reunion with his sister, first statements as a free man, reaction in Batavia, and finally, Anderson’s return to Batavia in 2011 while on a “mission of peace.”
Rich Newberg Reports Collection
Michael Terranova (Digital Editor)
Koop, Bob (Reporter)
McClintick, Michele (Reporter)
CNN (from YouTube)
PS 076 Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy
Journalism, Elementary school
Journalism and education
On September 30, 1997, WIVB-TV created a mentoring program for high school students at the Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy in Buffalo. The goal was to initially expose them to the inner workings of a television newsroom and teach them the basics of broadcast journalism and production. News 4 anchor Rich Newberg and news photographer Tom Vetter conducted workshops with the final goal of creating a TV news magazine program called “The Badillo Beat.” Fernando Correa, an 8th grade student who showed great potential in front of the camera, anchored the program, taking viewers into the heart of Buffalo’s Hispanic community. The purpose was to address important unresolved social issues. The items featured in this compilation include reports on what transpired during the course of the project and the student produced program that was presented to the school on June 23, 1998. Buffalo mayor Anthony Masiello had praised the initiative, telling students at the partnership signing ceremony that they were being given “an opportunity to grow” at a time when “communications is everything.” He said, “We live in an international marketplace. By the time you are adults, we’ll be communicating with all parts of the world every single day visa-a-vis TV and journalism, computers and telecommunications.” The Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy already had facilities and equipment used to videotape important school events. Rich Newberg told them that having entry into a television station and a professional newsroom could be a major step toward a career in broadcast journalism. However, he cautioned them that, “Unless you go for it, unless you want want it badly enough and work for it, it is not going to come to you. All we can offer you is the opportunity to see what television is all about.”
Vetter, Tom (News photographer)
Rice, Marie (Reporter)
Buffalo (N.Y.)--Biography.
Women--New York (State)--Buffalo--Biography.
“Love is Stronger than Pain” is the title of Michael O’Brien’s book memorializing the legacy of his mother, Irene Corcoran O’Brien. She lived a life of daily sacrifice, tending to the critical needs of two of her children stricken with a rare, debilitating, painful disease which causes blistering of the skin and deformities. Her faith and unconditional love of John and Maureen enabled them to experience joy in life and inspire others to do the same. WIVB-TV’s Rich Newberg covered the O’Brien story for years, capturing the spirit of John, who honored the wish of his late sister and helped raise funds for a play about her life. “Hit Me Again” was in presented in Buffalo in April 1991. John died in 1992 at the age of 39. He was the oldest survivor of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Maureen was 27 when she passed away in 1984. She died as her mother was changing here dressings. Both brother and sister appeared much older than their years. At John’s funeral it was said by his brothers that “he made friends out of strangers and family out of friends.” The series of reports ends with the tribute to Irene. Newberg interviews Michael who recalls Mother Theresa giving Irene her rosary. There is a scene of the brother and sister in the audience during Mother Theresa’s presentation at Niagara University. Speaking of his mother’s spirit, Michael says, “It was genuine humility…” He added, “She just thought that she was fulfilling God’s will and purpose for her life.”
Grosvenor Room of B&ECPL (repository)
Drug addiction--Treatment
Drug addiction--Rehabilitation
In an effort to better understand the nature of addiction, WIVB-TV reporter Rich Newberg presents a series of reports featuring addicts speaking intimately about their drug habits and how their lives are controlled by substance abuse. Out of Control (:00 - 8:38) Air Date: June 29, 1989 These reports by Rich Newberg and Mike Mombrea, Jr. are unique in that some addicts allow themselves to be recorded as the illicit drugs enter their bloodstreams and take effect. The viewer learns first hand why it is so difficult for these individuals to straighten out their lives. Delving even further into the dark side of drug abuse, Newberg and Mombrea record addicts Julie and Randy as they suffer through the pain of withdrawal. They are documented desperately seek help at the county hospital only to be told they must come back in two days because there are no beds available. During their two day ordeal, Julie and Randy turn to alcohol in an attempt to steady their nerves. They also take part in a group therapy session, candidly sharing the feelings they are experiencing. They long for “a nice, healthy, normal life.” Two weeks after detoxification, the couple appears to be energized and eager to continue on the road to recovery. They are determined to beat the odds, which are generally against addicts leaving detox centers. Living on Drug Row (8:45 - 19:09) Air Dates: May 9, 10, 11, 1989 Reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Scott Alexander explore the ease in which heroin and cocaine are obtainable within Buffalo’s inner city. Citizens bemoan the fact that when a low level dealer is arrested, another fills his place almost immediately. Drug abuse is so prevalent in the city’s housing projects, that children are exposed to hypodermic needles where they play. We meet two five year old girls whose mothers are deeply concerned that their daughters might suffer long term effects due to their contact with discarded needles. One child drank the contents of a syringe. The other girl pricked her finger on a needle. A cocaine dealer speaking candidly says five thousand dollars a day can be made on the streets. He adds that “young kids” are recruited to sell because there is less risk to the dealer. He claims it is easy for those arrested to “beat” the family court system. Saving the Kids (19:15 - 23:08) November 15, 1989 A shortage of long-term drug treatment centers and clinics in Western New York requires families of means to send their addicted children out of the region for help. Rich Newberg presents the case of Matthew, outwardly the “All American Boy” from suburban Amherst, New York, who hid his drug problems from his loved ones until he became alienated from his family. Matthew attended one of the area’s most highly rated high schools, but disclosed that drug abuse “before, during, and after school” was a hidden but festering problem. Matthew’s father was in denial until his son completely cut himself off from the family. Matthew, along with about a dozen other Amherst children who were abusing drugs, became enrolled in the Straight Program in Plymouth, Michigan. The success rate is seventy-five percent and relies on a combination of rigid exercise and an open sharing of feelings to wean teenagers off of drugs. Matthew’s program lasted twenty-two months and cost $12,000 dollars. Most of the drug treatment programs in the Buffalo area at the time lasted twenty-eight days. While programs like the one in Plymouth offered hope to upscale families who could afford the tuition, there appeared to be a sense of hopelessness in the inner city, where drug dealers ruled the streets and controlled the lives of those who became dependent on them to feed their addictions.
Newberg, Rich (Reporter)
Mombrea, Mike, Jr. (Photographer)
Alexander, Scott (Photographer)
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
This series of reports deals with the challenges involved in cleaning up one of Western New York’s most toxic hot spots, located in West Valley, about thirty miles south of Buffalo. Initial projections for the cleanup of radioactive waste pegged costs at $235 million dollars. The project, it was thought, would take seventeen years to complete. By 2018 the amount spent totaled $2.3 billion dollars. The full cleanup price tag could be in the range of $10 billion dollars, according to earlier estimates by the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2020, forty years after the site was declared a National Demonstration Project, efforts were still underway to dismantle and remove the remaining contaminated buildings still standing on the site. Other efforts were focused on either dismantling and removing radioactive waste material from burial and storage areas or making them more secure. Environmental watchdog groups continue to raise serious questions about public safety and health. WIVB-TV, the CBS affiliate in Buffalo, closely covered the West Valley story and presented many reports that focused on the grassroots efforts that helped shape the massive cleanup project. The movement grew in intensity as New York State and the federal government considered proposals to accept more nuclear waste at the site. This overview is the first of five groups of television news reports, videos, and films documenting the political, economic, and social processes that led to a forty-year cleanup effort that is still in progress. The multi-billion-dollar undertaking continues to serve as a national demonstration project. The reports and summaries that follow are compiled by WIVB-TV senior correspondent (ret.) Rich Newberg. He played a major role in covering initial events as they unfolded in the early 1980s. Overview Summary: (1979 - 2020) 1. The Nuclear Waste Challenge CBS report by Robert Schackne lays out the challenge: 1979 “Some 600,000 gallons of lethally radioactive liquid waste that must be disposed of by a technology that has never been developed.” 2. Migrating Radioactive Waste WIVB-TV report by Rich Newberg: 1982 Sand “lenses” in trenches containing low level nuclear waste provide paths for migration of contaminated rain water. Sierra Club issues a warning that the “flaky” bedrock is not a suitable barrier. 3. Lessons Learned the Hard Way Reports by WIS-TV, Columbia South Carolina: 1983 Problems at West Valley lead to a rethinking of plans to activate a similar privately-owed nuclear reprocessing plant in Barnwell, South Carolina. 4. Who Would Accept Radioactive Waste? CBS report by Bill Curtis: 1982 The small Texas Town of Tulia considers accepting radioactive waste from sites such as West Valley. Tulia sits on top of one of the biggest salt beds in the country. Salt beds are one of three geological formations deemed suitable by the federal government to store radioactive waste. 5. West Valley Chosen for a National Demonstration Project (1980) WIVB-TV Report by Allen Costantini: 1982 Ten years after Nuclear Fuel Services stopped operations at West Valley, control of the site is turned over to the state and federal governments and the Westinghouse Corporation. Westinghouse is the primary contractor hired to clean up the site at West Valley. The 600,000 gallons of high-level liquid waste is to be solidified into a glasslike substance and then moved to a secure storage outside of the region. 6. Entering the First Radioactive Cell for Testing WIVB-TV Report by Rich Newberg: 1983 Rich Newberg and photographer Jay Lauder cover the first tests conducted by Westinghouse experts inside a radioactive cell where uranium was extracted from spent fuel rods. The tests would help establish the best techniques for preparing the facility for the task of solidifying the high-level liquid radioactive waste. 7. Storing the High Level Radioactive Waste Video by CHBWV West Valley Decommissioning Team: 2015 The West Valley Demonstration project becomes the first site in U.S. history to place high level radioactive waste into long term outdoor storage. This video traces the history of the nation’s first and only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and the enormous task of cleaning up the waste it generated during its six year run, from 1966 to 1972. (see West Valley File 5 of 5 in this collection for present and future safety concerns.) Background West Valley is located In the Cattaraugus County Town of Ashford. It is here where Nuclear Fuel Services once served as the nation’s only commercial plant that reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods used to produce atomic energy. The rods contained plutonium and uranium which could be recovered for reuse. The first rods were delivered to the plant in 1966, but when federal regulations toughened, the costs were deemed too much to bare. The plant closed in 1972. The entire site initially became the responsibility of the state of New York. In 1961 the state had bought and leased 3,300 acres of West Valley land for atomic industrial use. The plant was first owned by a subsidiary of the W.R. Grace Company, which later sold the operation to Getty Oil. The Cleanup Challenge Hundreds of thousands of gallons of high-level radioactive liquid waste needed to be removed from underground steel storage tanks located on an eight-acre burial ground site. Another fifteen acres of burial land is also of major concern because it served as one of the nation’s six commercial burial grounds for radioactive waste. The material was buried in unlined soil trenches and included at least fourteen pounds of plutonium. Yet another burial site contained waste from the reprocessing operations at West Valley, including damaged irradiated fuel. This waste was buried in fifty-foot-deep holes. Environmental activists, scientists from the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and professors from the University at Buffalo pointed out that the trenches were geologically unstable, and that ground water could be contaminated and migrate from the site. In addition, the area is situated on a fault line and is potentially susceptible to earthquakes. A group called The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes was formed in 1974. Some of its members specialized in technical aspects of radioactive waste disposal and health effects of radiation. The Coalition began putting pressure on the state and federal governments to have the West Valley site stabilized and cleaned up. It also fought against proposals to have additional nuclear waste material brought to the site for burial, incineration, other waste processing, or disposal. The Coalition played a major role in the creation of the West Valley Demonstration Project Act which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. It gave the U.S. Department of Energy the responsibility to solidify the high-level waste. It also granted the D.O.E. the authority to address the issues involved in decontaminating and decommissioning the facilities. West Valley is believed to be the only radioactive waste site in the country with its own act of Congress. In 1982, the federal government took control of two hundred acres at the West Valley site, including the underground high level radioactive waste tanks, the high level waste burial grounds, and the contaminated buildings where nuclear fuel rods had been reprocessed. In 1985 Congress required states to assume responsibility for the storage and management of what it termed “low level” radioactive waste generated within their borders. Watchdog groups say much of this waste is “high level” and dangerous. At West Valley, New York State maintains control over the fifteen acres of “low level” burial grounds mentioned above. This area had closed in 1975 after radioactive water had filtered through an inadequate landfill cap and found its way into surrounding streams that eventually drain into Lake Erie. The greatest challenge to the federal government was finding a company that was capable of turning the liquid high level waste into a solid and more stable material for storage. Between 1996 and 2002, Westinghouse removed most of the high level liquid waste from the underground tanks and converted it into glass logs. It used a process known as vitrification. 275 intensely radioactive logs were formed and initially stored deep in the bowels of the reprocessing building, which helped provide shielding from the radioactivity. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy selected the company that goes by the name CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, LLC as its contractor. Its tasks were to secure the storage of the high-level waste and to demolish the closed radioactive buildings and the underground piping. In order to secure the storage of what came out of the underground tanks, 275 stainless steel canisters containing the vitrified waste were placed in steel-lined giant concrete storage casks, each weighing 87 1/2 tons. A 16,000 square foot reinforced concrete storage pad now holds 56 casks for what is termed “long term passive storage.” The casks are certified to hold the high-level waste for fifty years. Since there is no designated national repository for high level nuclear waste, the material must remain on the grounds of the West Valley site, at least for now. A coalition of radioactive waste experts and concerned citizens prevented more waste from coming into West Valley and has been providing oversight of cleanup efforts since the late 1970s. As final decisions for the site are expected to be made by 2022 or 2023, critical issues of health and safety continue to be raised by these citizen watchdogs. (See File 5 of 5 in this collection for detailed concerns involving air and water contamination.) In May 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy said its Office of Environmental Management “is continuing to make safe and steady progress with decommissioning activities at the West Valley Demonstration Project. With regard to ongoing concerns by citizen watchdog groups, the DOE statement reads, “The goal of the extensive demolition activity air and radiation monitoring program is to detect any change in radiological conditions, so that work can be slowed, modified, or even stopped to protect employees, general public and the environment. The work is carefully planned and carried out such that all contamination is controlled within the boundaries of the demolition area. (See File 5 of 5 in this collection for the full statement by the U.S. Department of Energy.)
Murphy, Kurt (WIVB-TV Graphic Arts Director)
Vetter, Tom (Editor)
Schackne, Robert (CBS News Correspondent)
Roberts, John (WIS-TV Columbia, South Carolina)
Curtis, Bill (CBS News Morning Anchor)
Costantini, Allen (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Lauder, Jay (WIVB-TV Photographer)
D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
Hameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Vaughan, Ray (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
Pillittere, Joe (Communications Manager for West Valley contractor)
Bower, Brian (DOE Director for West Valley Demonstration Project)
Bembia, Paul (NYSERDA Director at West Valley)
These selected reports beginning in 1978 provide insight into how Love Canal homeowners were able to channel their fears and anger into action in terms of personal injury lawsuits against the Hooker Chemical Corporation and pressure applied to their local, state and federal government representatives. Beginning in the summer of 1978, when blood tests were first administered and only a selected number of households were ordered to evacuate their contaminated homes, Lois Gibbs and her Love Canal Homeowners Association demanded that arrangements be made to move out more families for permanent relocation. After strong lobbying efforts, president Jimmy Carter took initial action in approving enough funds for New York State to buy 236 Love Canal homes. Families were relocated at a cost of $10 million dollars. Three months later it was revealed that 200 tons of dioxin, one of the most lethal chemicals produced by humans, were buried in the canal. Residents said they witnessed the military also using the canal as a dumpsite. In May 1980 the Environmental Protection Agency determined that some residents suffered from chromosome damage. Four days later President Carter declared Love Canal a national emergency. Eventually another 710 Love Canal families were relocated. Love Canal families had originally sought $15 billion dollars in damages from Hooker Chemical’s parent company Occidental Chemical Corporation. In 1983, about 1,330 families got a settlement of $20 million dollars. In addition, a one million dollar medical trust fund was created. In 1995, Occidental Chemical Corporation and Occidental Petroleum agreed to pay the federal government $129 million dollars as reimbursement for clean-up costs of the Love Canal landfill.
Beard, John (Co-host)
Gunter, Gary (Reporter)
A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 1] Love Canal: Neighborhood of Fear [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 2] Turning Anger Into Action [The Story of Love Canal Pt.3] What Have We Learned? [The Story of Love Canal Pt. 4] An Interview with Michael Brown An Interview with Lois Gibbs [Her Battle and Victory on Behalf of Love Canal Homeowners]