About Me
GERALD KOLPAN was born in New York City and grew up in New Rochelle, NY.
Gerald received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Philadelphia College of Art (now The University of the Arts). After college, Gerald’s career path took him in many different directions. He was an illustrator for books, magazines, and advertising for over a decade and later became an advertising copywriter and art director. At the dawn of the punk era, he even fronted a rock band.
Gerald then embarked on a writing career. Beginning as a freelancer, he wrote articles for newspapers nationwide, including the Los Angeles Times, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Miami Herald and both the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. He also wrote the column “Fulminations” for City Paper, Philadelphia’s leading alternative weekly.
In 1979, Gerald turned to radio. Beginning as a volunteer at the University of Pennsylvania’s radio station, he eventually gained national notice as a contributor to National Public Radio’s news program All Things Considered. He was also a commentator for the WNYC radio series Future Forward.
In 1987, WTXF television hired Gerald as a features reporter. He became the station’s longest-serving reporter, with over twenty-one years on the beat. His work has been featured on the Fox News Channel and CNN.
Gerald has earned numerous honors for his work, including 7 Middle Atlantic Emmy awards in such categories as best feature story, best feature series, best health and science reporting and best television news writer. He has won Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” award and was chosen as a member of the Daily News TV News Dream Team. He has also won awards from the Radio and Television News Directors Association and the Associated Press.
Gerald Kolpan lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Joan Weiner. Their daughter, Kate, just received her masters degree and their son, Ned recently graduated from college.