Joe Birch Biography
Joe Birch is an American Emmy Award-winning journalist who anchors Action News 5 Monday through Friday at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. In 2018, Joe celebrated his 40th year of service to Action News 5 and its viewers.
How old is Joe Birch? – Age
He was born on 21 September. His year of birth is not revealed to the public.
Who is Joe Birch married to? – Family
He has been married to Memphian Robyn Davis Birch. The couple married in June 1983. The couple has two sons, Joseph III Birch and Matthew Birch.
Joe Birch Education
He graduated from Christian Brothers University on May 20, 1978. Joe was named “Trustee Emeritus” by Christian Brothers University after serving on the Board of Trustees for 12 years.
Joe Birch Alzheimer
Joe is deeply involved in the Alzheimer’s disease fight. His beloved father battled Alzheimer’s for 14 years before passing away in 2002. Joe is a regular emcee at Alzheimer’s Association events, such as the annual Memory Walk. Joe was honored at the Mid-South Alzheimer’s Association Gala in 2008.
Joe Birch Orion 5K Run-Walk
Joe is the co-founder and long-time race director of the Orion 5K Run-Walk for St. Patrick Community Outreach, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves children and families in 38126, the city’s poorest zip code. A total of 1,708 runners and their families participated in the 2018 Orion 5K, which concluded with a spectacular party on the east side of FedExForum.
How long has Joe Birch been on channel 5?
Joe has spent his entire career serving Action News 5 viewers. In 2018, Joe celebrated his 40th year of service to Action News 5 and its viewers. On May 20, 1978, the day after graduating from Christian Brothers University, he accepted an offer to work at Tennessee’s first television station.
Joe Birch Career
Joe was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2009, the Emmy-winning news anchor was inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Mid-South Chapter. Joe has covered Action News 5 from coast to coast and around the world. He spent three weeks in the People’s Republic of China in 1986 to cover a visit by representatives of the Memphis In May International Festival, which honored China in 1987.
In 1992, the journalist traveled to Italy on assignment to prepare a documentary about the Vatican Museums’ Memphis-bound Wonders cultural series exhibition. During that assignment, he met Pope John Paul II and taped their conversation for later broadcast on Action News 5. “The people of Memphis send you their warmest greetings,” Joe told the Holy Father. “God-a-bless-Tennessee,” the Pope said in his Polish accent. Joe later spent 25 days in Atlanta covering Memphis and the Mid-Southers who were attending the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
Closer to home, Joe has received recognition from the National Council on Problem Gambling for his reports on the positive and negative economic and social consequences of casinos in the Mid-South. Birch has received numerous honors for his charitable and civic contributions. Joe was honored in December 2016 by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for 15 years of participation in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend since its inception in 2002. During the St. Jude Marathons and Half Marathons, he has raised more than $100,000.
Joe was named “Newsmaker of the Year” by the Memphis Gridiron Show, Inc. in 2009, an honor he treasures because it was previously bestowed on Joe’s hero, the late entertainer Danny Thomas, founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Joe also received the Association of Fund Raising Professionals’ Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year award in 2009, as well as the Ave Maria Award for years of service to the Ave Maria Nursing Home in Bartlett, Tennessee. Joe became the 14th recipient of the Maurelian Medal, Christian Brothers University’s highest award for service to the university or community, in 2008.
Diversity Memphis named Joe the 2008 Humanitarian of the Year, along with four other Memphis residents recognized for their community service. Birch was awarded the St. Peter the Rock Award in 2008 for his contributions to St. Peter Villa, the nursing home and rehabilitation center where Joe’s beloved father spent the last year and a half of his life. The Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association established the Joe Birch Media Award in 2007, to recognize those who use communication tools to educate the community about MIFA’s wide range of services. Joe was the first to receive the award.
For nearly 20 years, Joe has delivered MIFA Meals on Wheels (Route #12) once a week. One client, who was 105 years old, asked Joe and others to repair her dilapidated home. Ms. Wright was able to enjoy her newly renovated home at no cost until the summer of 2007. Joe was named “Citizen of the Year” in 2007 by the Memphis and Shelby County Optimist Respect for Law Committee. Joe received a community service award from the Memphis Chapter of UNICO, an Italian-American service organization, in 2004. Joe received the Bishop Carroll T. Dozier Service Award from Associated Catholic Charities in 2002, the organization’s highest honor for community service.