Smith will co-anchor WTOL's newscasts alongside . [5], On March 21, 2014, Media General announced that it would merge with LIN Media in a $1.6 billion deal. But that unsupported accusations can ruin someones life come on. Quotation[2] = "'The story first broke on FTVLive.com' - AP"; He followed that with reporting stints at WFLA-AM in Tampa, Florida, and WGLM-FM in West Lafayette, before landing back at WLFI in 1999, according to his bio. In 1990, a private company took over production. This is an important reminder that we all know pedophiles. ONCE he made the mistake of not having his wife present. Fridays show also displayed two paintings of city landscapes that came from a more serious thought process. Top He went on to follow his dream at Cornell University where he majored in Atmospheric Science. Two on-air staffers are gone from Gray's station in Toledo. The station changed its call letters to WLFI-TV in 1967. Then in 1993, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, at least five news organizations in Seattle began getting visits from a man named Clint Smith, who is no relation to Jeff Smith. Well, but theres signatures on them, Smith said. Copyright 2023. He eventually found a different job that kept him away from home and his family most of the week. In the summer of 1995, Clint Smith repeated his story, this time on the KVI-AM talk-radio show of controversial host Mike Siegel. None? Barbi Benton had a diverse and exciting career in the 1970s, starting with her appearances on the popular TV series Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. Describing what is perhaps the spirit of the Gallery Walk, Vohar thinks art can give people feelings that dont require explanation. Other breweries come to Teays Rivers rescue, Amazon quietly bails as Purdues official textbook seller, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 2023 www.jconline.com. var whichQuotation=Math.round(Math.random()*(Q-1)); So hear me, Jeff. Toggle primary navigation. Oftentimes when you look at art whether you like it or you hate it or its like meh theres sometimes reasons for that we dont know, dont realize, or dont understand. Clint Smiths suit charged the PBS star with both rape and breach of contract: that Jeff Smith had intimidated, coerced and persuaded him to have sex in the late 70s, when Clint was under 16; agreed to a large 1991 settlement; and then failed to pay the full amount. I felt immense sorrow for the guy. Jeff lives on a small farm near Dayton with dogs, cats, chickens, and sheep. Ordained as a minister in 1965, Smith spent the next six years as a chaplain at the University of Puget . Quotation [13] = " '(FTVLive) is a Mad Blogger'- Piers Morgan" Siegel crowed over being first with the sexual-abuse allegations about Jeff Smith. Low near 30F. Since news of the lawsuit broke last week, Shaffer said his office has had an outpouring of telephone calls from other men who said they were abused by Jeff Smith. Log In Jeff Smith, a minister who became public television's popular ''Frugal Gourmet'' before a sex scandal ended his career, died Wednesday. Jeff is 40 years old as of 2021.He was born on July 13, 1981, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the United States of America.In addition, he celebrates his birthday on July 13th every year and his birth sign is Cancer.. Jeff Smith Wife. Comcast Xfinity dropped the Indianapolis stations from its lineup on March 7, 2018,[12] but resumed carriage of NBC affiliate WTHR and ABC affiliate WRTV two days later.[13]. SEATTLE In 1995, two men called a controversial "hot talk" radio show here to make a startling accusation: They claimed the popular TV chef known as the Frugal Gourmet had sexually abused them when they were teenagers in the 1970s. The Pastor was told that even without a shred of evidence, if it went to trial hed face two years in prison. Four days before he was to face trial in Tacoma, Wash., Jeff Smith, host of the popular PBS cooking show, agreed July 1 [1998] to pay an undisclosed . Smith died in his sleep of heart disease on July 7, 2004 at the age of 65. For far too many people an accusation is as good as a self-admission of guilt. // to increment the Quotation[x] index! Except for one plaintiff, who says he was picked up and assaulted by Smith while hitchhiking in 1992, when he was 14, most of the men cite events in the 1970s. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. Shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, Smith sent a memo to the WLFI staff announcing his departure: "All: Effective immediately, I am no longer employed at WLFI," Smith wrote Friday afternoon. He studies artists like Jackson Pollock, Joan Mitchell and especially Franz Kline when hes looking for inspiration for abstract art. He was born on July 13, 1981, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the United States of America. At the Institution, Jeff broadcasted live weather forecasts for Newswatch 16, he student-run television station nearly Ithaca College. Why thats the case wasnt immediately clear? We want it understood these are not perfunctory denials," Winskill said. But I think when you get up in the middle of the night, it throws everything off. While he was one of the first popular chefs, hes not the only popular chef available to us, says David Rubinsohn, programmer at WHYY, Philadelphia, which has continued to air the Frug. Low near 30F. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, however, says his office is on firm ground defending the law. Question: Please, just tell me first off that the first thing youre going to do on Thursday is sleep in. TOLEDO, Ohio Jeff Smith is once again glad to be doing what he loves in a place he adores. He was forced to move out of state. The show will go on. Quotation [19] = " 'FTVLive.com, a prominent television industry website' - Lexington Herald Leader" The Exponent received a copy of an internal email from Smith to his now former co-workers that was sent early Friday afternoon. While Jeff didn't often get the chance to cut loose on his hit singles with Smith, he was always given ample showcase material on their albums' deep cuts, many of which featured verses wherein . // Set up the quotations to be shown, below. Smith still goes to the library to study techniques (recently Impressionist ones) and look at reproductions of paintings. Q: Does that include now, as youre heading out? Jeff Smith, the United Methodist minister who shot to stardom in the 1980s as the "The Frugal Gourmet," died on July 7 of natural causes.He was 65. High 47F. One person who heard Clint Smith on the radio, according to Holton, was George Heitman, a maintenance worker at a Christian day camp, who was the first to file suit. In 1979, the station was purchased by Block Communications. Debate moderator and WLFI-TV News Director Jeff Smith announces the result from the coin toss. When you dont have the time to handle your plumbing installation issues, you can always rely on our team of expert plumbers for doing the job right in a way that will spare you the trouble of doing it on your own. Smith, an ordained United Methodist minister, has made no public response. Jeff has had an extensive music career of his own, and worked with a number of big name artists, including Eminem, Mac Miller, Talib . … Its just been a really good run. The girl never needed proof to damage his reputation; she hadnt told anyone else, etc. It has a cold, soothing calmness. When painting, he said at a Friday night reception, he likes to mix colors right on the canvas, and he always paints in oil. Him and Sashem couldn't go 2 minutes without giggling at something and he would literally stumble over reading "Los Angeles" off the prompter. Had it been a female assistant, it would have been quite a different reaction and this poor soul would have not been scapegoated and disgraced like he was at the time.for sure ! Theres just something about some art that moves you.. Its going to be emotional. His first job in broadcasting was at WLFI-TV. This becomes much, much harder when the attacker is a respected public figure. He was not interested and nothing happened. You can use this space to go into a little more detail about your company. You have no way of knowing about that side of someone unless you are their victim. Quattrocchi: I get up at 2:15 a.m., and I have to be at work at 3:30 a.m. And then Im finished with work when the show is over at 7 a.m. … I switched to the mornings (in 2016) so I could be home at night with the kids. Also, thank you for fixing the pipe leakages in my bathroom. The top notch tools and professional grade products, parts, and materials we use, combined with our substantial experience in the business, guarantees the quality work and results you deserve. So many questions, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. There are a number of people who firmly believe he will be back.. Smith went on to fame and fortune with his highly rated cooking show, "The Frugal Gourmet," which WTTW in Chicago produced and popularized beginning in 1983. Last spring, the accusers hired attorneys, and they served Winskill in August with a proposed lawsuit. The painting is abstract but features cool yellows and blues that are easy to imagine as corn and sky. But Benton was not content to just be known as a TV star, she . what happened to jeff smith wlfi NASCAR will honor Cody Putman, Twin Lakes fallen soldier, at Coca-Cola 600, Brewer down! In 2000, LIN TV Corporation acquired WLFI from Block in exchange for a 67% ownership interest in ABC affiliate WAND (now an NBC affiliate) in Decatur, Illinois (LIN TV later sold off its remaining 33% interest in WAND to Block Communications). I witnessed this at a public school where a special needs student on psychotropic medication accused a teacher of fondling him in the classroom with other students present. At WLFI, Smith led the newsroom and anchored broadcasts at noon, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Out of its original 20-person staff, only one person had any experience in television; the rest were radio personalities who pulled double duty. Updated: 10:59 AM EST January 5, 2021. You have to have a crime before you have a victim. A lawsuit accuses him of molesting boys in the 1970s. Smith hasnt discussed the allegations with reporters, either; he declined Currents request for comments. 4.2K subscribers in the Bone community. I felt very trapped, and very confused, he told the Seattle Times. Rosenthal sold the station to Sarkes Tarzian, a radio manufacturer based in Bloomington, which also owned primary NBC/secondary ABC and DuMont affiliate WTTV (now a CBS affiliate) in Indianapolis and ABC affiliate WPTA in Fort Wayne. In April 1997, Clint Smith filed suit separately, through a different attorney, and six others joined in Heitmans suit several days later. . Smith told the J&C he wasnt interested in talking about the situation. [3] The station originally operated as a primary CBS and DuMont affiliate. Smith receives an annual salary of approximately between $50,000 $110,500. A key figure in Jeff Smiths drama is Clint Smith (no relation), one of the men who had worked for Jeff Smith at the deli and later served two years in prison for forging checks on the chefs business account. A subreddit for Jeff Smith's epic comic series, BONE! When I read the articles in the newspaper, my jaw hangs open, says John Givens, who worked on the first Frugal Gourmet shows. Quattrocchi: Id like to take the summer and spend it with the boys. Give me a break here ! He was not interested and nothing happened. Besides being a really good news anchor, she became a really good friend. ", Winskill, Jeff Smith's attorney, said he saw no benefit in taking legal action against Clint Smith at the time. Jeff, has recorded numerous records for Smith as a producer. It was Tarzian who finished the relocation to channel 18, returning WFAM-TV to the air on that channel on November 15 of that year. // Copyright 2004 by CodeLifter.com In fact, Smith sometimes spends up to a year finishing paintings. Wlfi Location 2605 Yeager Rd, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47906, United States Description Read More Industry Broadcasting Media & Internet Discover more about Wlfi Owned by Allen Media Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on Yeager Road in West Lafayette; its transmitter is located on County Road 700 in rural northwestern Clinton County (southwest of Rossville ). The Tacoma, Wash., native earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Puget Sound and a master's degree from Drew University. For Jeff, these are things he takes seriously that he does, and most every stroke is for a thought or a feeling or a reason.. Everything looked great, he told the woman who had persuaded him to display his art for the Gallery Walk. He wanted to prevent the same thing from happening to anyone else, he told USA Today. // ====================================== PBS broadcast rights for his latest series, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian, expire in October, and United Methodist Communications last year canceled a separate series, The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast, that ran on the Odyssey cable network. That automatically took jail time off the table. Jeff Smith Jeff Smith was born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. As the little boy started getting bored, Smith handed him a palette knife full of black paint and let him go to town. Most nights, Im not asleep until 9. Coronavirus: Stay-at-home restrictions lifting 'in a measured way,' starting Monday. All rights reserved. Shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, Smith sent a memo to the WLFI staff announcing his departure: All: Effective immediately, I am no longer employed at WLFI, Smith wrote Friday afternoon. Jeff Smiths career was ruined and his show cancelled for it. Sounds like you only know this story from the Pastors side. Weve been like two ships passing in the night, as it was, said Smith, who shared anchoring duties with Quattrocchi formany of her nearly 20 years at the station. Quotation[6] = "'The site that everyone that works in TV News turns to' - NPR "; History [ edit] Its the hardest schedule Ive had, for sure. Winds light and variable. Jazzy Jeff, real name Jeffrey Townes, will forever be associated with international megastar Will Smith, with whom he scored scads of gold and platinum albums and chart-topping hits in the '80s and '90s as the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. In 1981, Clint Smith, then 18, was convicted and sentenced to 48 months in prison in 1981 for stealing money from Jeff Smith's business account, the newspapers reported. If someone threatened to expose what I knew to be false evidence, that I could not disprove, but would ruin my reputation with family, friends and business, unless I paid them off, well, I guess I would pay. Court TV had asked to cover the trial, and it could have featured testimony against Smith from more than a dozen people who didnt sue him, as well as the seven who did. And it cost him his day job as a salesman. Jeff Smith, a white-bearded minister who became public television's popular "Frugal Gourmet" before a sex scandal ruined his career, has died, his business manager said Friday. I realize that women and boys are assaulted every day, and it infuriates me. // ============================================== Smith is happily married to his wife Dana Jones of Moorpark, California since 2015. There was a double standard here that was horrendous. Kurt Lahrman, WLFIs creative services and operations manager, said: At this time, we have no comment.. . His bio remains on the stations website. … Ill miss being out in the community and having this front-row seat watching all these changes in our area. "The legitimate media called me about these allegations, but they never were willing to run any stories.". From coming to your home or commercial property for a thorough plumbing inspection to making sure that the job is complete, you can be sure that we, at Keagy's Best Price Plumbing, will meet all of your individual requirements in a timely and budget-friendly manner. You have permission to edit this article. var Q = Quotation.length; What happened to Jeff Smith. I think part of the reason people dont want to believe it is that it means they had turned their back on it.. Quotation [11] = "'Scott Jones, whose FTVLive.com Web site broke the story' - LA Daily News" Vohar looked jokingly aghast. Smith also prospered as a highly successful author, publishing 12 cookbooks, many of which became bestsellers. In January 1997, Heitman charged that the chef had coerced him to have sex when he was 15 leading him to drugs and attempted suicide. Judge Fleming dismissed the suit, now under appeal, but information on the case is scarce; the judge closed hearings and sealed documents in Clint Smiths case last fall, apparently to avoid pretrial publicity that could sway potential jurors in the seven-person case. That incident changed the way KVI operated, said Rob Dunlap, vice president and operations manager of Fisher Broadcasting, which owns the station. Its OK. Ive been blessed and lucky to do it for 20 years, and Ive had the opportunity to do it in the place I grew up and the place I call home.