Steve Crump, a longtime Charlotte journalist, has died, WBTV-TV announced Thursday.
The station announced Crump’s passing on Thursday, hailing him as the conscience of the WBTV newsroom. He was 65.
Who was Steve Crump?
Steve Crump was an American journalist, documentary film producer, and television reporter for WBTV. He is a graduate of Louisville’s Trinity High School, and Eastern Kentucky University
Crump is most known for his regional Emmy Awards for stories ranging from apartheid in South Africa to civil rights in the American South.
He also has earned a number of other awards including four National Headliner Awards, the Gabriel Award, and more than a dozen first-place honors from the National Association of Black Journalists, as well as organizations like Sigma Delta Chi and Sister Cities International.
In 2016, Crump was named the “2016 Journalist of the Year” by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Background
Steve Crump was born in 1957 in Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood. He graduated from Trinity High School in the Class of 1975.
He attended Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.
Early career
Crump’s career began in 1980, when he got a job as a DJ in Richmond, Kentucky. This job got him noticed by WSAV-TV, an NBC-affiliated television station, where he acquired an internship and was soon placed in front of the camera due to his iconic, booming voice.
Crump also worked for news stations in Orlando, Florida, Lexington, Kentucky, and Detroit, Michigan, as well an independent producer for Charlotte’s WTVI, BET, and Charlotte’s PBS affiliate before coming to WBTV.
How did Steve Crump die ?
Steve Crump cause of death
Steve Crump passed away from complications of cancer on August 31, 2023. According to WBTV, Crump had been struggling with the disease for five years.
He is survived by his wife of eight years, Cathy.
WBTV paid tribute in an official statement, which mentioned: ““It is with great sadness that WBTV announces the passing of Steve Crump. Steve was a devoted newsman who spent decades passionately telling the stories of the greater Charlotte community. He was also a cherished colleague, friend and mentor to many, both in the WBTV newsroom and throughout the country.”
Steve’s colleagues at WBTV expressed grief over his death. Molly Grantham talked about a situation where Steve took her side:
“When I hung up, he picked up the phone and called that City Councilman — who he knew — and stood up for me, and told him never to treat his teammates like that again.”
News anchor Brigida Mack said that Steve was her close friend and that he “fought valiantly” with his cancer for the last five years. She added:
“He was also my friend, a mentor and someone I looked up to. I can hear him now, in that booming voice, “BMack, what’s good?!””
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