We’re just days away from restarting the pageantry and patriotism of the Summer Olympics. The Games of the XXX Olympiad take place in London.

This marks the 40th anniversary of the Munich Games, and the horrific events that resulted in those Olympics being called the Munich Massacre. Many from this generation got their knowledge from the 2005 Steven Spielberg film, Munich.

In a well-planned terrorist attack, eight Palestinians killed two members of the Israeli team. Nine others were held hostage. An ugly gunfight ensued leaving five terrorists dead. As for the nine remaining Israelis, ABC’s Jim McKay had the memorable, if not devastating, line: “They’re all gone.”

On radio, Dave Marash, a 30-year-old reporter, was pleased to have the Olympics assignment for WCBS Radio and the CBS Radio Network. He was filing reports on the various events in Germany and before long, Marash was covering one of the major news stories of the last 50 years.

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King and Queen of the anchor desk

Rolland Smith, for example, was the only personality selected for working with three different co-anchors during his 17 years at WCBS/Channel 2: Jim Jensen, Dave Marash, and Michele Marsh.

Here’s the Top 5 countdown of your picks for New York’s All-Time Anchor Team.

5. Rolland Smith and Jim Jensen — 4 percent of the vote. (1975 to 1987)

4. Smith and Michele Marsh — 7 percent (1979 to 1987)

3. Jim Watkins and Kaity Tong — 9 percent (1998 to 2010)

2. Roger Grimsby and Bill Beutel — 26 percent (1970 to 1986)

and at number 1….was there really any surprise?

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Vic Miles anchoring in 1978

For a quarter-century, Vic Miles was a steady rock at WCBS/Channel 2. His delivery was simple, not flourishing. His looks weren’t of a matinee idol; he appeared at times to have a suit too big for his slender build. Miles was a newsman, whether in the field or at the anchor desk.

Miles’ son Vincent Levy confirms to FishbowlNY that his father died last night. Miles, who had been in declining health, was hospitalized Saturday in New York. He was 79.

“I think he liked reporting a lot, because he was naturally suited to it,” former WCBS anchor Carol Martin recalls.

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Rolland Smith, a legendary TV anchorman from his stints at WCBS/Channel 2 and WWOR/Channel 9, is returning to his roots–radio.

Smith and Carl Sabatino are co-hosting a talk show Sunday nights  from 7 to 10 p.m. on The Apple/970. The show, which started on September 11th, is also available via streaming online.

“It’s a show that talks about the big issues, plus has great guests!” exclaims The Apple/WNYM program director Peter Thiele.

According to the press release, the program is a realistic, pragmatic and centrist approach to the talk format.

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In case you missed any of our special feature 9/11: New York Remembers, today we’re observing the 10th anniversary of the tragic day linking back to the entire series.

• After an introduction, we began on August 19 with the memories of famed anchors Ernie Anastos, Bill Ritter, and Chuck Scarborough.
• On Monday, August 22, we returned with one-time WABC/Channel 7 reporter Jeff Rossen describing the horrific scene at ground zero.
• Longtime WINS reporter John Montone had his own struggles dealing with the disaster.
• On August 24, we offered the account of two veteran NY1 reporters.
• Tom Kaminski, well-known to WCBS-AM listeners for his chopper reporting, was in the air during 9/11.
• Another well-known radio personality is Harry Harrison who, with his familiar style, was an important part of the healing process.

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If you grew up in the 1970s in New York, Rolland Smith needs no introduction. After all, he was co-anchor of Channel 2 News for 16 years. But for the next generation, he co-anchored with Brenda Blackmon at WWOR/Channel 9.

That’s where you would find Smith on the horrific morning ten years ago.

Our special series 9/11: New York Remembers looks at how the veteran, Smith, covered the horrible events.

At that time, Smith and his wife rented a house in West New York, New Jersey. The evening anchor saw a problem across the Hudson River.

“I was standing on the balcony talking to her… and I watched the first [plane] go into the World Trade Center,” Smith tells FishbowlNY.

Smith was anticipating the severity, even before the second plane confirmed suspicions. 

“If this is what I think it is, I won’t be home for quite a while,” Smith alerted his wife.

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