Jim Gardner Biography

Jim Gardner is an American retired News anchor. He last reported for 6abc News, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gardner joined the station on June 1st, 1976 as a reporter and anchor of Action News at Noon.

Jim Gardner Age

Gardner is 75 years old as of 2023. He was born on May 17, 1948, in New York City, New York, United States. Gardner celebrates his birthday on the 17th of May every year.

Jim Gardner Height

Gardner stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 8 inches.

Jim Gardner Family

Gardner was born in New York City and grew up on the Upper East Side in a Reform Jewish household. He was brought up by his father Joseph Goldman and his mother. His father was a professor and chairman of the ear, nose, and throat department of Mount Sinai Medical Center. Through his father, he is the step-grandson of noted Jewish rabbi Mordecai Kaplan

Jim Gardner Wife

Gardner is married to former WPVI-TV sales executive Amy Goldman. Amy serves as chair of the Radnor Township School District board. He is also a grandfather to Josh’s son Henry. They live in Villanova, Pennsylvania as a big family.

Jim Gardner Children/Kids

Gardner and Amy Goldman have two children, Emily, who’s an artist in Portland, Maine, and Jesse, a college student. Gardner has two other children, Josh and Jenn from a previous marriage to a woman named Julie.

Jim Gardner Net Worth

Gardner has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 Million – $5 Million which he has earned from his successful career as a retired news anchor.

Jim Gardner Salary

Gardner earns an annual salary ranging between $40,000 – $ 110,500.

Jim Gardner Education

He attended Ethical Culture Fieldston School where he graduated and earned his Diploma in General education. From there, he had to further his education, therefore he joined Columbia University. In 1970, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. During his time as a student, he was a play-by-play announcer for football and basketball. In addition to that, he reported on the Columbia University protests of 1968 for the university’s radio station, WKCR-FM

Jim Gardner Career

Gardner is a retired news anchor who recently worked for 6abc News. He got his first taste of broadcast journalism when he reported on the historic student riots at Columbia in 1968. Upon college graduation in 1970, worked at the all-news 1010 WINS Radio in New York. While there, he worked as a producer, writer, and desk assistant. He also worked for WFAS radio in White Plains, New York where he was a reporter and later elevated to a news director.

After two years, he moved to Buffalo, New York to start his television broadcast career at WKBW-TV. He took the stage name Gardner because of antisemitism in the Buffalo community, and the thought that there were too many Jewish names on staff. From June 1, 1976, to December 21, 2022, he worked for WPVI in Philadelphia. After joining the station, he began as a reporter and noon anchor prior to anchoring the 5:30 PM news by November 1976. Since May 11, 1977, he replaced Larry Kane and solo anchored the 6:00 PM weekday newscasts. Between May 11, 1977, and January 11, 2022, he solo anchored the 11:00 PM weekday newscast.

During that time, he interviewed every president and major presidential candidate from 1976 on and covered every Democratic and Republican presidential convention from 1980 on. In addition to that, he traveled to the scene of breaking news across the world. Prior to his retirement, he left his position as anchorman on Action News at 11:00 PM on January 11, 2022, and remained on the 6:00 PM broadcast until his retirement and final broadcast at 6:00 PM on December 21, 2022. He is the second-longest news anchor serving in United States television history. This is Dave Ward who retired in 2017 after 49 years of anchoring the evening news at sister station KTRK-TV.

Jim Gardner Retiring

His last broadcasting report took place on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, and he said a heartfelt goodbye to viewers after nearly 50 years of service. “We also promise to share in your joys and your sadnesses, your triumphs, and your losses, because they are ours too, we are all members of the same community — and we have the same very high stakes in its well-being — and in return for all of this you gave us just one thing: your trust.” He said to viewers.

“Maintaining that trust became the most important motivator for me coming to work every day and doing the absolute best job that we could … that I could.” He continued. Gardner ended his speech by sharing how much he will miss the viewers and thanked the public and his colleagues for their support. 6ABC reports that Jim will pass over his duties to Rick Williams and Brian Taff now that he has officially said goodbye.

Prior to working with 6ABC Philadelphia’s Action News for almost five decades, his journalism career began in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1974 working at WKBW-TV. He also worked in White Plains, New York at WFAS Radio. Gardner started his radio job at WINS Radio in 1970 upon his college from Columbia University.

Jim Gardner Awards and Honors

Throughout his career in journalism, he has received several awards and honors. The City of Philadelphia honored Jim Gardner on June 22, 2017, for his hard work and dedication to the City of Philadelphia over the past 41 years. He also won John Cardinal Foley Award for Excellence in Communication and The Walt Disney Company honored Gardner with their Mousecar award for his long service to that company, which owns WPVI-TV both in 2022. Furthermore, he was the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Person of the Year in 1996 and the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003.