New Neighbors: Povich and Chung Are Moving Back to Washington

Connie Chung and Maury Povich spent more than $8 million on their new house.

After more than two decades in New York, TV journalist Connie Chung and talk-show host Maury Povich are moving back to Washington. The pair bought a seven-bedroom, 11-bath Tudor-style home bordering Rock Creek Park in Northwest DC. Says Povich: “It’s like a new adventure in an old neighborhood.”

Chung and Povich, whose father was legendary Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich, both grew up in Washington and launched their journalism careers here. Chung went on to co-anchor The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Povich to host the popular newsmagazine A Current Affair.

“Maury thinks I kidnapped him and held him hostage in New York for the last 25 years,” Chung says. “He’s been angling to move back to Washington for years.”

In late October, when Chung was in town for her high-school reunion at Montgomery Blair in Silver Spring, she toured a house with real-estate agent Nancy Taylor-Bubes, a longtime friend.

“It just really felt right,” says Chung. The 80-year-old house, which wasn’t officially on the market, was scheduled to list for just under $9 million. It sits on a third of an acre and has a pool and koi pond. While the final purchase price isn’t public yet, sources say that it went for at least $8 million.

Povich and Chung aren’t certain yet when they’ll move in—they say it will likely be between June 2010 and June 2011. Povich plans to travel to New York a few times a week to continue shooting his NBC talk show, Maury.

When they do move, the transition will be easy. They already have season tickets to the Nationals and Redskins, and Povich, an avid golfer, is a member at Rockville’s Woodmont Country Club.

The couple’s son, Matthew, will finish eighth grade this spring. They aren’t sure where he’ll go to high school; Povich went to Landon in Bethesda.

Chung says the buzz surrounding the Obama administration helped lure them back. “It’s an exciting time,” she says.

But don’t expect to see the pair anchoring the local evening news. Says Povich: “We’re definitely not looking for a seat at the table.”

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