"Back to you, Dave..."

Broadcasting & Cable magazine
Marash To Anchor Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera International, the 24-hour English-language global-news network gearing up for a late-spring launch, settled industry rumors when it named ex-Nightline correspondent Dave Marash as the news anchor at its Washington broadcast center.

Marash, who covered international and domestic news for Nightline beginning in 1989, will be the senior anchor for the network’s U.S. headquarters in Washington, leading the five-hour block broadcast from the U.S. each day...

I worked with Dave back in the 80s at WNBC-TV News. He was a "special correspondent," and had his own producer and a separate office down the hall from the newsroom, where he would write long essay scripts and play old jazz records. Jerry Nachman gave him a five minute spot on the 11 o'clock news, which I was producing, and the show would stop dead so Marash could blather on about aircraft parts or a Brooklyn school board while I wanted room for the story on what Bernie Goetz ate at the diner after leaving court.

Marash was "above it all" and flaunted it even then, but he had the right. He was a rumpled legend.

In the 1970s, Dave Marash was the ultimate New York City newsman, teamed up on the one New York City newscast that was up there with the Ten O'Clock News. He and Rolland Smith did the CBS local news from the newsroom. Rolland looked like Robert Goulet in his suit. Marash would be in shirtsleeves, with loosened tie and his sleeves rolled up, and in my memory, smoked a cigar. He probably didn't have the cigar, but Marash was the best.

Back in those days, New York City TV news always played to the "Three I's": Ireland, Italy, and Israel.

Today, there are those who believe that Al Jazeera is linked to terrorist groups. Imagine, an iconic New York City newsman having his salary paid by the same people who blew up the World Trade Center.