The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

DAVID HENRY joined 6abc Action News as a general assignment reporter in November 1986. Prior to joining 6abc, David was the weekend anchor/reporter at WTNH-TV, New Haven, Connecticut; an anchor/reporter for WTAJ-TV, Altoona, Pennsylvania; an anchor/reporter for WRTI-FM radio in Philadelphia; and an announcer/news editor at WDVR-FM radio and WYSP-FM radio, both in Philadelphia.

Throughout his career as a journalist, David Henry has covered some of the biggest international, national and local stories of the past three decades. When history-shaping moments happened, David travelled across the country, and the world, to cover them.

He was on the ground within hours of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, and later managed to board a National Guard helicopter to join a walking tour of the aftermath with President Bush. Also in 1989, David reported from Sioux City, Iowa after the crash of United Airlines flight 232 that killed 111 passengers. Many of the 185 survivors were from the Philadelphia area.

He covered the Republican National Convention in New Orleans that nominated the first President Bush, and reported from the floor of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia that nominated the second President Bush. David covered every twist and turn of that disputed presidential election of 2000, spending two weeks crisscrossing Florida chasing dangling chads and paper ballots.

In addition to traveling across the nation, David’s career has taken him across international borders with reports from Israel during the first Gulf War, and from Kuwait during the second Gulf War.

David has spent countless days in courtrooms covering major trials, including the murder trials of John DuPont and Gary Heidnik, and the corruption trial of State Senator Vincent Fumo, not to mention numerous mob trials and the corruption trials that followed the Philadelphia City Hall bugging case.

David also traveled to Amish country to spend one week covering the Nikel Mines schoolhouse massacre. On his way to the station the morning of September 11, 2001, David was suddenly diverted to New York City for breaking news coverage of the tragic events. When he returned home one week later, he was still reeling from the emotional, gut-wrenching coverage.

David has lunched with presidents in the White House, and sat in humble row homes with the grieving families of children cut down by gunfire on the streets of Philadelphia. He has seen the best and worst of humanity, and has travelled the world, but, through it all, he speculates that he’ll be remembered most for his exchange with former Eagles star, Terrell Owens: “What have you done for T.O. other than to get him kicked off the team? Next question.”

David Henry is a proud graduate of Temple University. He grew up in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where he now resides with his wife.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com