Per Annie Snyder, the late broadcaster Tom Snyder was Primo’s first anchorman hire
On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 6:02 PM Diner <[email protected]> wrote: > https://www.inquirer.com/news/al-primo-obituary-20220930.html > Al Primo, creator of ‘Eyewitness News,’ has died at 87 > He modernized TV news and diversified newsrooms across the U.S. > by Layla A. Jones > Published Sep 30, 2022 > > Albert “Al” Primo, 87, who transformed television news when he created the > now-ubiquitous Eyewitness News format, died Thursday, Sept. 29, at his home > in Old Greenwich, Conn. > > Mr. Primo launched Eyewitness News at Philadelphia’s KYW-TV, now CBS3, in > 1965 as the station’s 30-year-old news director. Mr. Primo’s makeover of > the TV news format ushered in an era of record viewership and profits for > the medium and changed America’s relationship with local news. > > Diverting from the static, newsreader format of the day, which featured a > sole, middle-aged white anchor, Mr. Primo created a beat system and hired > women and people of color for the first time. > > He paired men and women to anchor together, creating the first “family” of > local news people. > > “They said ‘it was not journalism’ and ‘he’s using show-business > techniques,’ ” Mr. Primo told The Inquirer earlier this year of critics who > challenged his strategy. “And of course, I said, ‘Yes, that’s right. This > is television, so we use lights, camera, action — that’s what we do.’ But > we do the news, too.” > > Integral to Mr. Primo’s vision were newsrooms that looked more like the > communities they were covering. Soon after taking a top role at KYW-TV, he > began meeting with civic leaders in Philadelphia. > > “What it did for me was really highlight the fact that there was no > minority representation on the station,” Mr. Primo said. “And so I began to > look around for someone who was qualified to join the team.” > > The young newsman then recruited Trudy Haynes, the first African American > television reporter in the city. Haynes died in June at 95. > > “It took a lot of courage to take a radio reporter from Detroit and put > her in Philadelphia, the fourth biggest city in America,” Mr. Primo > recently told The Inquirer of hiring Haynes. > > From mailroom to mogul > With his success in Philadelphia pushing him into the national spotlight, > Mr. Primo moved to New York City’s WABC-TV in 1968, and unrolled the > Eyewitness News format there. > > In New York, he gave big names like Geraldo Rivera their start. > > Building on his successful approach to television news, Mr. Primo > innovated again when he became a news consultant, inventing an entirely new > media profession and spreading the Eyewitness News format to more than 100 > stations across the world. > > His brainchild emphasized action on video, the perception that reporters > were always on the scene when news was breaking, the familial coanchor > arrangement with quippy banter, music, and graphics, and a more narrative > storytelling approach. These elements still define local TV news stations > across the country and some national TV news programs. > > Later in life, he created Teen Kids News, a children’s television program > that still airs and publishes online today. > > A Pittsburgh native, Mr. Primo began his journey to media mogul in the > mailroom of a local television station and worked his way up to assistant > news director. Frustrated by lack of promotion to news director, he left > first for Cleveland before coming to Philadelphia. > > Once he arrived, pioneering female broadcaster Marciarose Shestack helped > Mr. Primo launch Eyewitness News. > > ”What I can tell you about Al is he really revolutionized the news > business,” she said, noting that his death came as a “shock.” Shestack > emphasized Mr. Primo’s drive to hire people of color like Haynes and > prominent newspaper columnist Claude Lewis, who was Black. “He was a very > dynamic personality,” she said. “He was forward looking.” > > “We’re so proud of my dad and the advancements he did for women and > minorities and we’re so heartbroken. I knew him as dad and he was a great > one,” daughter Juliet Primo told The Inquirer. > > In addition to Juliet, Mr. Primo is survived by another daughter, Valeri > Primo Lack, and other relatives. > > Services are tentatively planned for Saturday, Oct. 8, at First > Congregational Church in Old Greenwich, Conn. > > Published Sept. 30, 2022 > Layla A. Jones > > © 2022 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/61db4a42-20cf-4cce-ad0f-afc15d587d9dn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/61db4a42-20cf-4cce-ad0f-afc15d587d9dn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKgmY4Bh7N1_fL7RdJO9RZMoZL6cQfKpEjEGn6A97XWT36qCrQ%40mail.gmail.com.
