Jennifer York: Difference between revisions

'''Jennifer Jean York''' (born August 30, 1962) is an American [[journalist]] and [[bassist]]. An award-winning studio and helicopter [[traffic reporter]] in [[Los Angeles]], she has received acclaim for her coverage of the [[Laguna Fire (1993)|Laguna Fire]] and the [[Northridge earthquake]].

==Early life==

Jennifer York was born in [[Covina, California]] and raised in nearby [[Hemet, California|Hemet]]. She started playing the [[piano]] at the age of five, but switched to playing [[bass guitar]] in seventh grade because the instrument reminded her of one that she had seen [[Paul McCartney]] play. York graduated from [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA) with a [[bachelor's degree]] in Political Science and Communications.<ref name="High">[[Bill Kohlhaase|Kohlhaase, Bill]] (August 2, 1994) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-02-ca-22587-story.html "Jennifer York's High-flying Days, Bass-playing Nights"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Retrieved February 27, 2024.</ref><ref name="Official Website of Jennifer York">{{cite web|url=http://www.jenniferyork.com/splash.asp|title=Jennifer York|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226144230/http://www.jenniferyork.com/splash.asp|archivedate=February 26, 2014}}</ref>

==Career==

===Journalism===

York worked as a talent coordinator for Pierre Cossette Productions, contributing to events such as the [[Grammy Awards]] and the [[American Music Awards]]. After graduating from UCLA in 1984, York went to [[New York City]] to work as an assistant producer for [[Joel Siegel]] at ''[[Good Morning America]]''.<ref name="Down">Kohlhaase, Bill (May 6, 1994) [https://www.proquest.com/docview/282277962 "Down-to-Earth Bass Player Jazz: KTLA Skycam Reporter Jennifer York Remains Upbeat About Her Two Loves, Despite the Long Hours. She Will perform on Saturday at the Music Festival in Irvine"] {{ProQuest|282277962}} ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved February 27, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> She was eventually promoted to the Field and Series unit.<ref name="High"/><ref name="Official Website of Jennifer York" /> Three years later, she took a job as the [[Promotion (marketing)|promotions director]] of [[WWDJ]], a [[Christian radio]] station in [[Hackensack, New Jersey]].<ref name="High"/> The music playing there inspired her to begin looking at bass-playing as a viable career.<ref name="Down"/>

In 1987, after returning to [[Los Angeles]] and enrolling in the [[Musicians Institute]], York took a job playing bass guitar with an all-female [[Band (rock and pop)|band]] at [[Disneyland]], while simultaneously working as a waitress at [[Jerry's Famous Deli]]. When the Disneyland job ended two years later, she became a [[Metro Traffic]] and aerial reporter for [[KFWB]] radio, becoming the second-ever female [[traffic reporter]] to fly in a helicopter (the first being Kelly Lange, who flew for [[KABC (AM)|KABC]]). In 1992, she joined ''[[KTLA Morning News]]'' and [[Shadow Traffic]] as their aerial traffic reporter.<ref name="High"/><ref>Lycan, Gary (February 10, 1995) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1995/02-10/page-144 "Reporter Finds the High Life Amid Helicopters and Music"], ''[[The Orange County Register]]'' p.68. Retrieved February 28, 2024.</ref> York won numerous awards for her reporting at the station, earning an [[Emmy Award]] in 1993 for her coverage of the [[Laguna Fire (1993)|Laguna]] and Malibu fires<ref name="High"/> as well as two more the next year for the [[Northridge earthquake]] and her morning news reports. She also received three [[Golden Mike Award]]s in 1998, 1999, and 2003 and another Emmy in 2003, and left the station in 2004.<ref name="Back">Roderick, Kevin (August 7, 2012) [http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2012/08/jennifer_york_back_on_the.php "Jennifer York Back On the Air, But On the Ground"], ''LA Observed''. Retrieved February 27, 2024.</ref> She joined the morning show of [[KFSH-FM]] a year later alongside Billy Burke,<ref>Lycan, Gary (October 16, 2005) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/2005/10-16/page-166 "Remembering a Pioneer Broadcaster"], ''The Orange County Register'' A&E p.15. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> presenting there for two years before leaving the station in 2007.<ref name="Fish">Lycan, Gary (August 23, 2007) [https://www.ocregister.com/2007/08/23/on-the-radio-jennifer-york-is-leaving-the-fish/ "On the Radio: Jennifer York is Leaving 'The Fish'"], ''The Orange County Register''. Retrieved February 29, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> York returned to traffic reporting in 2012, with her familiar voice being heard on the air again, this time reporting from the studios of [[KNX (AM)|KNX]] news radio<ref name="Back"/><ref>Lycan, Gary (September 9, 2012) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/2012/09-09/page-62 "Mark Thompson Makes a Pitch For His Successors"], ''The Orange County Register'' A&E p.5. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> and working for [[Total Traffic Network]].<ref>Lycan, Gary (August 12, 2012) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/2012/08-12/page-124 "Ashley Paige Ousted From Go Country 105 Morning Show"], ''The Orange County Register'' A&E p.4. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> Over the years, York's visibility throughout [[Southern California]] led to her being featured as [[grand marshal]] at parades<ref>(October 6, 1995) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/victorville/victorville-daily-press/1995/10-06/page-47 "Calico Days"], ''[[Victorville Daily Press]]''. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> and [[emcee]]ing at trade,<ref>(October 4, 1996) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1996/10-04/page-33 "News Personalities Help Home Show Celebrate 20th Anniversary"], ''The Orange County Register'' p.33. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>(July 2, 1994) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/santa-ana/santa-ana-orange-county-register/1994/07-02/page-89 "Home, Flower, Garden Show to Open In Fullerton"], ''The Orange County Register''. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> car,<ref>(June 18, 1998) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/san-marino/san-marino-tribune/1998/06-18/page-6 "Classic Car Show Scheduled June 20 on South Lake Avenue"], ''San Marino Tribune'' p.A6. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> and helicopter shows.<ref>(May 4, 1995) [https://access-newspaperarchive-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/us/california/san-marino/san-marino-tribune/1995/05-04/page-2 "Unique Air Show at Fullerton Airport to Feature Celebrity Pilots, Machines"], ''San Marino Tribune'' p.A2. Retrieved March 1, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> She retired from KNX On May 10, 2024.<ref>{{Cite tweet |last=Moore |first=Vicky |user=VickyMooreNews |number=1788225505571061762 |date=May 8, 2024 |title=Retirement alert: Our beloved Jennifer York's last day @knxnews is Fri 5/10. |script-title= |trans-title= |language= |retweet= |location= |access-date=May 10, 2024 |link=https://twitter.com/VickyMooreNews/status/1788225505571061762 |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote= |ref=}}</ref>

===Music===

York is an accomplished [[bassist]]. She first played electric bass with the Smart Cookies band, and later with the [[Christian rock]] group [[Rachel Rachel (band)|Rachel Rachel]], of which she was the founder. The group, now defunct, recorded two albums on the [[Word Records]] label<ref name="Down"/> and performed at several events such as the Long Beach Jazz Festival, the Pasadena [[Playboy Jazz Festival]], and the Montreal Drum Festival.<ref name="Official Website of Jennifer York"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Jennifer York|url=http://www.jenniferyork.com/resume.html|website=jenniferyork.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223075402/http://www.jenniferyork.com/resume.html|archivedate=February 23, 2014}}</ref> In 1992, she began to take up the [[double bass]], being mentored on this instrument by [[John Clayton (bassist)|John Clayton]], and Christopher Hanulik, principal bassist of the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]].<ref name="High"/> Three years later, she formed an all-female [[jazz]] instrumental group called the Jennifer York Quartet,<ref name="Back"/> which performed at various clubs and venues such as the Grape Harvest Festival in [[Ontario, California]]<ref name="Skycam">Soergel, Brian (June 25, 1999) [https://www.proquest.com/docview/248891782 "Skycam Jam Veteran Traffic Reporter Jennifer York Keeps Her Eyes on Traffic and on Her Career"] {{ProQuest|248891782}} ''[[The Press-Enterprise]]''. Retrieved February 28, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> and the Southern California Jazz Festival at the Koll Center in [[Irvine, California|Irvine]].<ref name="Down"/> The band embraces many musical styles including [[Latin jazz|Latin]], [[Jazz-funk|funk]], and [[Swing (jazz performance style)|swing]], along with mainstream jazz.<ref name="Tapping">[[Zan Stewart|Stewart, Zan]] (November 30, 1995) [https://www.proquest.com/docview/293090639 "Tapping Into the Racing Pulse of a 2-Way Career; Jennifer York's Main Job is Broadcasting Traffic Reports From the KTLA News Copter. Her Other Love is Leading an All-woman Jazz Band"] {{ProQuest|293090639}} ''Los Angeles Times''. February 28, 2024. {{subscription required}}</ref> In 1999, the band released a four-song [[compact disc]].<ref name="Skycam"/>

York has been featured on shows such as ''[[Larry King Live]]'', ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'', and ''[[Leeza]]'', and appeared in films such as ''[[Bandits (2001 film)|Bandits]]'' and ''[[Hollywood Homicide]]''.<ref name="Official Website of Jennifer York"/> During the [[Mercyhurst University|Mercyhurst College]] Talent Show scene of [[Tom Hanks]]' 1996 movie ''[[That Thing You Do!]]'', York can be seen as the acoustic bass player for the [[girl group]] that is performing in the contest.

==Personal life==

York married Nils Johnson&mdash;a bassist who played with [[Ray Charles]]&mdash;in 1993.<ref name="High"/> They lived in [[Studio City, Los Angeles|Studio City]].<ref name="Tapping"/>

[[Category:20th-century American bass guitarists]]

[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]

[[Category:21st-century American bass guitarists]]

[[Category:21st-century American women guitarists]]

[[Category:American film actresses]]

[[Category:American jazz bass guitarists]]

[[Category:American marketing people]]

[[Category:American pop rock musicians]]

[[Category:American radio directors]]

[[Category:American women radio journalists]]

[[Category:American women television journalists]]

[[Category:Guitarists from California]]

[[Category:News & Documentary Emmy Award winners]]

[[Category:People from Covina, California]]

[[Category:People from Hemet, California]]

[[Category:Radio personalities from Los Angeles]]

[[Category:Restaurant staff]]

[[Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni]]

[[Category:Living people]]