Vault: Interview - Deborah Norville

Summary

The Bert Show: Vault - Interview with Deborah Norville

Date: October 31, 2025
Podcast: The Bert Show (Pionaire Podcasting)
Episode Theme:
A lively and personal conversation with acclaimed journalist and Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville. The interview dives into her Atlanta roots, career ascent from local news to national prominence, memorable early career moments, and her ongoing commitment to philanthropy with the March of Dimes. Listeners get both inspiring and humorous stories, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Norville’s journey and her heart for service.

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Episode Overview

The Bert Show welcomes Deborah Norville, tracing her path from Dalton, GA, to national television. The tone is informal, candid, and full of witty exchanges, delivering insights on broadcasting, philanthropy, and personal growth. A central focus is Norville's advocacy for the March of Dimes and its local campaign.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Deborah Norville’s Atlanta Roots and Early Career

[02:16-03:42]

• Deborah’s Origin: Born in Dalton, GA, attended University of Georgia (UGA).
  • Quote: “Yeah, I’m from Dalton. ...This is all home for me. It’s great to be back.” — Deborah Norville [02:25]
• UGA Experience: Playfully reminisces about the school’s reputation.
  • Quote: “It was one of Playboy’s top 10 party schools when I was there.” — Deborah Norville [02:37]
• Start in Broadcasting:
  • Began as an intern at WAGA (Channel 5) after being spotted by the station head’s wife while on a Channel 8 public TV program.
  • Quote: “He said, well, you know, she looks like she’s got some potential. And I got this phone call to come in and be an intern. I’m like, man, this is awesome.” — Deborah Norville [03:08]

2. First Reporting Assignment Anecdote

[03:00-04:20]

• Thrown Into the Deep End: Sent to report on the DeKalb County Fireman’s Family Picnic with minimal training.
  • Internal dilemma: honesty about lack of experience vs. seizing opportunity.
  • Quote: “I had like the little angel on one shoulder saying, Deborah, you must tell them you haven’t had news writing... And then the little one in the red suit on the other’s like, ah, shut up. If it’s important, they’ll figure it out.” — Deborah Norville [03:35]
• Behind-the-Scenes Realism: Colorful story about the cameraman “started smoking dope. Not kidding.” Led to humorous anxiety about being discovered by police dogs while interviewing the fire chief.
  • Quote: “Here I’m interviewing the fire chief and he smells reefer on me or something. ...These guys have been in burning buildings for 30 years. ...His olfactory glands are completely useless.” — Deborah Norville [03:55]

3. Ascending to National News

[04:20-04:38]

• Progression: From WAGA in Atlanta → Five years in Chicago → NBC Networks.
  • Quote: “It was a brief moment on the top and then we went slippery, slippery.” — Deborah Norville [04:32]
• Comparison: Tongue-in-cheek reflection on contrasts between career peaks and quirky fieldwork.
  • Quote: “You know what, they’re highs of different sorts, but equally thrilling.” — Deborah Norville [04:38]

4. On Hosting Inside Edition & Award-Winning Journalism

[04:48-05:27]

• Inside Edition Tenure: Seven years at the time—longest in her career—appreciates the variety and stability.
  • Quote: “I’ve now been there seven years. I’ve never worked anywhere that long in my life.” — Deborah Norville [04:53]
• September 11th Coverage Laurels:
  • The team won the Headliner Award for their work, beating major network resources with a small “class photo”–size staff.
  • Quote: “We did a little class photo of everybody who’d worked on the September 11th story. There were 12 of us in the picture.” — Deborah Norville [05:22]

5. Philanthropy: March of Dimes

[05:27-08:07]

• Walk America Event: Details about upcoming events, the registration process (it's free), encouraging community involvement.
  • Quote: “This is the big weekend. ...The walk here in Atlanta is going to take place over at Centennial Park. ...You can walk over there at 7:30 in the morning ...walk starts at 9:00.” — Deborah Norville [05:30]
• Personal Commitment: Shares gratitude for her healthy children, motivates action by citing Georgia's high infant mortality rate.
  • Quote: “Georgia has the seventh highest infant mortality rate in the country.” — Deborah Norville [06:18]
  • Quote: “Poor maternal health, not enough prenatal care, low birth weight babies. And that’s really what the March of Dimes main focus right now is, is to help premature babies not be born prematurely.” — Deborah Norville [06:20]
• Education Outreach: Highlights bilingual resources and educational efforts, especially in Spanish for expectant mothers.
  • Quote: “They have a whole education thing ...They’ve also got a Spanish language component. ...Hispanic mothers to be will get absolutely fabulous information.” — Deborah Norville [06:33]
• Authenticity of Involvement: She is genuinely engaged, not just lending her name.
  • Quote: “I think, you know. Anybody listening? Yeah, sure. We’ve all got problems ...But we’re here, we’re breathing ...which means you’ve been blessed in some way and there’s some way that you can give back.” — Deborah Norville [07:03]
  • Quote: “Even if you just give $5 ...$1 times everybody makes a huge difference.” — Deborah Norville [07:18]
• Call to Action: Registration and sponsorship details; group participation encouraged for raising funds.
  • Quote: “You guys would get together, you go as the Q100 Morning Show ...And you get people to sponsor you.” — Deborah Norville [07:48]
  • Quote: “It’s great. It’s so easy.” — Deborah Norville [08:07]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Her Local Roots:
  “I’m from Dalton... this is all home for me.” [02:25]

• Humor on Party School Status:
  “It was one of Playboy’s top 10 party schools when I was there.” [02:37]

• On Breaking Into Reporting:
  “They sent me up to Stone Mountain to cover the DeKalb county fireman’s family picnic ...the little angel on one shoulder saying... you’re not qualified ...the little one in the red suit... ah, shut up...” [03:35]

• Cameraman Anecdote:
  “So then we get in the news van and the cameraman started smoking dope. Not kidding.” [03:43]

• Comparing Career “Highs”:
  “They’re highs of different sorts, but equally thrilling.” [04:38]

• Journalism Recognition:
  “We beat Dateline and, you know, Dateline has such enormous resources. ...There were 12 of us in the picture.” [05:20-05:22]

• Giving Back:
  “Service is the rent we pay for living.” — Quoting Marian Wright Edelman [07:03]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:16] Deborah Norville’s Atlanta upbringing and UGA memories
• [03:00] Early TV gig and serendipitous break at WAGA
• [03:43] Wild first assignment: the smoking cameraman story
• [04:20] Career climb: Chicago, NBC, and different kinds of "highs"
• [04:50] Inside Edition: longevity and success, post-9/11 recognition
• [05:30] March of Dimes: event details, mission, and call for participation
• [06:18] Georgia’s infant mortality statistics and the impact of donations
• [07:03] Why service matters to Norville personally
• [07:48] How to get involved: zero registration, sponsorship method

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Closing and Lasting Impressions

Deborah Norville’s interview radiates gratitude, approachability, and humor while providing a compelling call to service. Her stories—from the quirks of local reporting to prestigious national achievements—blend authenticity and fun. The episode ultimately revolves around aligning personal success with meaningful community contribution, inviting listeners to walk the walk for the March of Dimes and embrace their own opportunities to give back.

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For more information on March of Dimes events:

• modimes.org
• 800-525-WALK
• Event info available at Q100Atlanta.com

Memorable Send-off:
“Let’s do it again tomorrow.” — Interviewer
“Okay. But you’ll have to come to Centennial Park because that’s where I’ll be.” — Deborah Norville [08:14]

Transcript

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[Radio Host]

Listen, it's the Birch Show.

[Interviewer]

The really cool thing about talking to Deborah Norville is that now that she's this big old national star, she got her start here locally in Atlanta. You born and raised here?

[Deborah Norville]

Yeah, I'm from Dalton.

[Interviewer]

Oh, is that right?

[Deborah Norville]

And went to University of Georgia. Started working here in Atlanta at Chandel when I was still in college.

[Radio Host]

Yeah.

[Deborah Norville]

So, yeah, this is all home for me. It's great to be back.

[Interviewer]

Tell us about the old University of Georgia days.

[Deborah Norville]

Oh, man, it was so much fun. I was at Georgia. I don't know how Georgia's, you know, ranked nationally now, but it's getting up there now. It's not like I'm not talking about the academics. It was one of Playboy's top 10 party schools when I was there.

[Interviewer]

I'm thinking it's probably still there.

[Deborah Norville]

It's still there.

[Interviewer]

Hanging out with Deborah Norville this morning. Okay, so the progression goes University of Georgia, and then do you, like, work in a small, little, itty bitty Georgia town before you go to waga, or.

[Deborah Norville]

How does the whole deal work? I started at WAGA when I was still here. It was the freakiest thing. The guy who was running Channel 5, his wife was flipping channels, and I was doing this internship on Channel 8 on Georgia Public TV, covering the legislature, sort of a forerunner of what they do now on C span. And the wife saw me and she showed me to the husband, and he said, well, you know, she looks like she's got some potential. And I got this phone call to come in and be an intern. I'm like, man, this is awesome. So I come in three days into this internship. They were low on reporters, and they said, hey, Norville, go cover this story. And they sent me up to Stone Mountain to cover the DeKalb county fireman's family picnic. I had like the little angel on one shoulder saying, deborah, you must tell them you haven't had news writing. You're not qualified to do this story. And then the little one in the red suit on the other show's like, ah, shut up. If it's important, they'll figure it out.

[Interviewer]

Right?

[Deborah Norville]

So then we get in the news van and the cameraman started smoking dope. Not kidding. I'm thinking, God, is this what they.

[Interviewer]

Do in news writing?

[Deborah Norville]

I had this vision of the dog that gets the people of the burning buildings as also being the drug Dog. And I could just imagine, you know, this German shepherd latching onto my thighs and wrestling me to the ground because I've tested positive for dope. Here I'm interviewing the fire chief and he smells reefer on me or something. But then what happened is I realized these guys have been in burning buildings for 30 years.

[Interviewer]

Right.

[Deborah Norville]

His olfactory glands are completely useless.

[Interviewer]

Now. So from Waga. And then you go to the networks.

[Deborah Norville]

No, then I went to Chicago for five years and then I went to NBC, to the networks.

[Interviewer]

Now that's the apex in our journalist careers, to go work for the networks, right?

[Deborah Norville]

Yeah. It was a brief moment on the top and then we went slippery. Slippery.

[Radio Host]

Yeah. Compare that with smoking weed with a cameraman in a van.

[Deborah Norville]

You know what, they're highs of different sorts, but equally thrilling.

[Interviewer]

When you get that phone call most.

[Deborah Norville]

Times you think, I'm gonna die.

[Interviewer]

Are you totally digging on the Inside Edition thing?

[Deborah Norville]

It's great. It's great. Yeah. We're on GCL in the afternoons and it's a good place for me to be. I've now been there seven years. I've never worked anywhere that long in my life. You know, you guys were broadcasters and you work here for two years and then they fire. If you're lucky, you make it two years and. Yeah, so it's a great gig and it's enough of a mix of stuff. And a couple of weeks ago, we found out that we won the Headliner Award for our coverage of September 11th. Thank you. Yeah, we beat Dateline and, you know, Dateline has such enormous resources. We did a little class photo of everybody who'd worked on the September 11th story. There were 12 of us in the picture.

[Interviewer]

Is that right?

[Deborah Norville]

I mean, we're just a really small staff.

[Interviewer]

Tell us about March of Dimes, everything you're doing this weekend.

[Deborah Norville]

Yeah, this is the big weekend. This is the weekend when all over the country and there's probably like 1400 of these going on, but it's Walk America. And the walk here in Atlanta is going to take place over at Centennial Park. And if you haven't signed up, it's no sweat. You can walk over there at 7:30 in the morning. They'll have the table set up. You can start registering. Walk starts at 9:00'.

[Jamie Morton]

Clock.

[Deborah Norville]

It's about a six mile walk. And it's so funny. I mean, this is a part of town. When I lived in Atlanta, you wouldn't dare drive your car, much less.

[Interviewer]

Things are changing now.

[Deborah Norville]

Things have changed big time. But it's A great opportunity to raise money for the March of Dimes. And that money goes to help fight birth defects. I've got three healthy kids. I don't have anybody who's got any problems. And I'm so grateful about that. And that's really why I'm involved with the march. It's a way to give back. And this is absolutely appalling. Georgia has the seventh highest infant mortality rate in the country. Is that right? 7th highest in the nation.

[Interviewer]

What can that be attributed to?

[Deborah Norville]

Poor maternal health, not enough prenatal care, low birth weight babies. And that's really what the March of Dimes main focus right now is, is to help premature babies not be born prematurely.

[Interviewer]

Does March of Dimes also help in the education side of the world?

[Deborah Norville]

Absolutely, yeah. They have a whole education thing. So the whole. You can go on the March of Dimes website, it's modimes.org and you can see just tons and tons of material. They've also got a Spanish language component. So Hispanic mothers to be will get absolutely fabulous information. And the money that will be raised from the Walk America will go to that, both for education and for research.

[Interviewer]

You know what's so cool? I think sometimes celebrities just put their name on a charity, an existing charity, just so they can say that they're doing something philanthropic. But you actually know it about the charity.

[Deborah Norville]

Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

I'm very impressed.

[Deborah Norville]

I'm a big believer. Marian Wright Edelman, the woman who founded the Children's Defense Fund, once said, service is the rent we pay for living. And I mean, I think, you know. Anybody listening? Yeah, sure. We've all got problems. There's all crap, you know, we've all got crappy things going on in our lives. But we're here, we're breathing. We're going to have a bed, hopefully to sleep in tonight, which means you've been blessed in some way and there's some way that you can give back. And even if you just give $5, you know, $5 times everybody, man the difference, $1 times everybody makes a huge difference.

[Interviewer]

And you can make a difference this weekend again at the Walk.

[Deborah Norville]

Yeah. And you can call 800-525-WALK to get information about how to register because there are other walks in the Atlanta area. If Centennial Park's not convenient, there are lots of others you can get involved with.

[Radio Co-Host]

We got the info all up on our website, too.

[Interviewer]

Oh, cool. Do you know how much the registration is by any chance?

[Deborah Norville]

Zippo. Zippo, yeah. What you do is like, you guys would get Together you go as the Q100 Morning show, right? Yeah. And Burt and the gang. And you get people to sponsor you. Like you could get your listeners to call up and say, hey, I'll sponsor you if you guys will go walk.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Deborah Norville]

So they'll say, I'll pay you $25 if you'll go walk. And they make their checkout to the March of Dimes, and you just hand the money over to the March of Dimes.

[Radio Co-Host]

Oh, outstanding.

[Deborah Norville]

It's great. It's so easy. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Cool. And we'll have all the information up on q100atlanta.com Deborah Norville, this has been great.

[Deborah Norville]

Thank you. It's been lots of fun for me.

[Interviewer]

Well, let's do it again tomorrow.

[Deborah Norville]

Okay. But you'll have to come to Centennial park because that's where I'll be.

[Interviewer]

That's a deal. Ok. We'll do the show from down there tomorrow.

[Deborah Norville]

I'll see you there.

[Interviewer]

Thank you, Deborah.

[Deborah Norville]

Thank you.

[Interviewer]

Bye.

[Deborah Norville]

Now.

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