MAX ROBINSON
(May 1, 1939 – December 20, 1988)
He was an American broadcast journalist, and ABC News World News Tonight co-anchor. He was the first black broadcast network news anchor in the United States . He was a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists.He spent 26 years in the business but it was a five-year stretch where he became a national name.
Max Robinson was born to Maxie and Doris Robinson in Richmond, Virginia. He completed all his preliminary education courses and enrolled in Oberlin College, where he was freshman class president. He began working in radio early on, including a short time at WSSV-AM in Petersburg, Virginia, where he called himself “Max The Player,” and later at WANT-AM, Richmond. MAX began his television career in 1959, when he was hired for a position at WTOV-TV in Portsmouth, Virginia, he had to read the news while hidden behind a slide of the station’s logo. One night, Max had the slide removed, and was fired the next day. He later went to WRC-TV in Washington, DC, and stayed for three years, winning six journalism awards for coverage of civil-rights events such as the riots that followed the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was during this time that Robinson won two regional Emmys for a documentary he made on black life in Anacostia entitled THE OTHER WASHINGTON.
In 1969, Robinson joined the EYEWITNESS NEWS team at WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C. He was teamed with anchor Gordon Peterson, becoming THE FIRST BLACK AMERICAN ANCHOR ON A LOCAL TELEVISION NEWS PROGRAM, and the newscast took off. During that time, he was so well-liked by viewers that when Hanafi Muslims took hostages at the B’nai B’rith building in Washington they would speak only with Robinson.
In 1978, when Roone Arledge was looking to revamp ABC News’ nightly news broadcast into WORLD NEWS TONIGHT, HE REMEMBERED ROBINSON FROM A 60 MINUTES INTERVIEW, and hired him to be a part of his new three-anchor format. Robinson would anchor national news from Chicago, while Peter Jennings would anchor international news in London and Frank Reynolds would be the main anchor from Washington. Robinson thus became the first black man to anchor a nightly network news broadcast. The three-man co-anchor team was a ratings success, and launched spoofs regarding how the three would pitch stories to each other during the telecast by saying the other’s name.
Robinson’s ABC tenure was marked by conflicts between himself and the management of ABC News over viewpoints and the portrayal of Black America in the news. In addition, Robinson was known to fight racism at any turn and often felt unworthy of the admiration he received and was not pleased with what he had accomplished. Together with Bob Strickland, Robinson established a program for mentoring young black broadcast journalists.
Frank Reynolds died in 1983, and Peter Jennings was named sole anchor of World News Tonight. Robinson was relegated to the weekend anchor post, as well as reading hourly news briefs.
Max Robinson left ABC television network in 1984 to become THE FIRST BLACK ANCHOR AT WMAQ-TV IN CHICAGO. HE RETIRED IN 1985.
Max Robinson was married three time. His first marriage was to Eleanor Booker and they had three children: Mark, Maureen and Michael.
His second marriage was to Hazel O’Leary.
His final marriage was to Beverly Hamilton, with whom he had another son, Malik.
Max Robinson was diagnosed with the AIDS Virus while he was hospitalized for PNEUMONIA in Illinois, but he kept it a secret. In the fall of 1988, while delivering a speech in Washington at Howard University School of Communications he again fell ill and was taken to Howard University Hospital where he passed away from complications due to the immune deficiency disease named Aids December 20,1988 AT THE AGE OF 49. He has always insisted he was neither a homosexual nor bisexual. HE IS NOT A FALLEN STAR BUT HAS LEFT BEHIND A TRUE LEGACY.
Max Robinson a man with a passion and a vision with the best integrity. He fought racism. He fought for the right of his race and bridged the gap. He is forever and will be remembered not as a man that died from AIDS but as a role model and true leader who overcame every obstacle he faced to the very end.
Member: National Association of Black Journalists, Society of Collegiate Journalists (honorary member).
Awards:
Regional Emmy Awards, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 1967, for documentary The Other Washington; received Star of Africa from the president of Liberia, 1972; named honorary citizen of Indianapolis, IN, 1978, Houston, TX, 1978, Cincinnati, OH, 1979, Atlanta, GA, 1979, and Gary, IN, 1979; Max Robinson Day decreed in Washington, DC, 1978, Richmond, VA, 1978, and Atlanta, GA, 1979; Emmy Award, 1980, for national election coverage, 1981; excellence in journalism award from College of William and Mary, 1981; recognition awards from National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Media Women