Do You Remember Joe Carcione ‘The Green Grocer’ from Channel 6 in Philadelphia?
Do you remember Joe Carcione "The Green Grocer" from Channel 6 in Philly?
If you grew up in or around Philadelphia in the 1970s and 80s and you watched Action News, you probably remember his produce updates, which aired several times per day.
For someone who wasn't a true member of the Action News reporting or anchor team, his straight-ahead personality made him a bit of a legend for simply talking about lettuce and apples five days a week.
In fact, he was so good at what he did that just about everyone in the area thought he worked along the Italian Market on 9th Street in South Philadelphia.
The truth is, he wasn't anywhere near Philadelphia.
What you saw on Channel 6 each day was actually filmed 3,000 miles away in San Francisco.
Carcione's reports were a syndicated feature that aired on stations across the country.
Additionally, he wrote a national newspaper column, did updates for radio stations, and even wrote books about produce.
Here's how it all came together
Carcione was born on October 31, 1914, and worked in the produce industry in California. He got his start in the world of media in 1967 doing radio commercials. From there, his empire grew and grew.
Carcione died of cancer on August 2, 1988.
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Gallery Credit: Joni Sweet