Frank Magid's Passing

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We learned this past week of the passing of Frank Magid, one of the most influential people in the history of television news.

Frank was the founder and CEO of Frank Magid Associates, a television news consultant hired by local stations to improve the ratings and quality of their news programs, a service that started in the 1970's and continues to this day. Magid created "Action News" which emphasized jazzy graphics, catchy musical openings, consumer reporting, and, yes, enhanced TV weather coverage. To see the legacy of Mr. Magid's work, Google "Action News" and look at all of the markets that use it as their moniker.  And, yes, Eyewitness News was created by a Magid competitor, etc.

In Warnings, I talk about what happened after our revolutionary coverage of the June 8, 1974, tornado outbreak in Oklahoma. We were visited by a consultant to learn about how we did what we did saving so many lives that day. The consultant was Frank Magid and one of his other executives. I worked again with Magid's people at KTVI in St. Louis. I always found their advice to be useful and constructive.

I wish the Magid family and company well after this tragic loss.

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