James Franklin Oldham, better known as Jim O'Brien (November 20, 1939 – September 25, 1983), was an American newscaster.

Biography

He was born in Galveston in 1939. He married Sandra Jo Hauck in a small ceremony in Texas. They had two daughters: actress

Peri Gilpin Peri Gilpin (born Peri Kay Oldham; May 27, 1961) is an American actress. She portrayed Roz Doyle in the television series ''Frasier'' and Kim Keeler in the ABC Family television drama ''Make It or Break It''. She is due to reprise the role of Roz ...

(born Peri Kay Oldham), who played the character

Roz Doyle Rosalinda Doyle (born May 5 1963 or 1964) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Frasier''. Roz is the producer of Frasier Crane's ''Dr. Frasier Crane Show'' on KACL 780 AM. The role initially went to Lisa Kudrow, but Kudr ...

on the television program ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...

'', and Patti Jo Wynne (''née'' Oldham), who married Shannon Wynne. According to Peri, he wished to become a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

and was a

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

who studied at

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

. After short stints at radio stations KHJ in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and WOR-FM in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, he came to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1970 to become a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

at radio station

WFIL WFIL (560 AM) is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a Christian radio format consisting of teaching and talk programs. Owned by Salem Media Group, studios and transmitter facilities are shared with co-owned WNTP ...

. Around 1973, he joined the

WPVI-TV WPVI-TV (channel 6), branded on-air as 6 ABC, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station ...

''Channel 6

Action News ''Action News'' is a local television newscast format originating in the United States. First conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it is characterized by a tight format with strict time limits on set packages, a focus on surrounding suburbs, ...

'' team as a sports anchor. He soon became the weatherman, and eventually co-anchored the 12:00PM and 5:00PM newscasts, the local edition of '' Dialing for Dollars'', and the weekend magazine show ''Primetime''. O'Brien was beloved for his humor and the unique, fun-loving personality that he brought to his newscasts and weather reporting. He had two favorite hobbies:

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

riding and

skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

. The latter hobby led to his death in a skydiving accident on September 25, 1983 at the United Parachute Club near

Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania Gilbertsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northwest Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Douglass Township at the junction of Routes 73 and 100. The population was 4,832 at the 2010 census, and the ZIP co ...

. He and another skydiver jumping with him deployed their main parachutes. During their descent, under their open parachutes, they collided with each other and their parachutes became entangled. After they tried unsuccessfully to detach themselves from each other, O'Brien, an experienced skydiver, performed a standard skydiving emergency procedure called a "cutaway". He jettisoned his main parachute and deployed his reserve parachute. However, by the time he performed the maneuver, he was already at such a low altitude that he struck the ground before his reserve canopy was able to inflate. The other jumper managed to use the entangled main parachutes to land safely.aicommand.com
The Death of Jim O'Brien O'Brien was posthumously inducted into the

Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is a state-chartered, federally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, devoted to collecting information about and promoting cultural work related to broadcasting and communications in Philadelphia, Pe ...

Hall of Fame in 1997.

References

External links

* http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-10/1102674018112440.xml * http://www.famous56.com/jim/ * http://www.angelfire.com/celeb/JLeeves/periin.htm * http://aicommand.com/Obrien121704.htm * http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/bp4/obrien.html Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania American skydivers Parachuting deaths American television journalists People from Galveston, Texas People from Waco, Texas Television anchors from Philadelphia Philadelphia television reporters Weather presenters 1939 births 1983 deaths American male journalists Journalists from Texas 20th-century American journalists {{US-tv-bio-stub