R.I.P.: Bill Jorgenson, Longtime NYC Broadcast News Anchor

Bill Jorgensen (1928-2024)

Longtime New York City broadcast news anchor Bill Jorgensen, known for coining the tagline, “It’s 10 p.m. — do you know where your children are?” died on Wednesday at age 96.

The NY Post reports Jorgensen was recruited from Cleveland in 1967 to be the founding anchor of the Ten O’Clock News on WNEW, now Fox 5 New York, which he hosted for over 12 years, always signing off with his signature, ““Thanking you for your time this time, until next time.” 

“His ‘never-give-up’ spirit lasted until his end of life, and I just hope to be able to follow his example as long as possible,” his daughter, Rebekah Jorgensen, wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

She did not share his cause of death.

“I grew up knowing him, behind the scenes, as a man deeply committed to finding the story that put people and their rights in danger, intent on finding innovative ways of telling it,” she said.

His daughter recalled his coverage of environmental stories including Cleveland pollution, as well as the story of Robert Manry, a copy editor from Ohio who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1965 in a 13-foot sailboat.

He also reported on the famous case of Dr. Sam Sheppard, who was accused and then acquitted of his pregnant wife’s 1954 murder.

The Sheppard case is said to have inspired the television series and later movie, “The Fugitive.”