Frank McGee (journalism)

Frank McGee (September 12, 1915-April 17, 1974) was a television journalist.

Related Topics:
September 12 - 1915 - April 17 - 1974 - Television - Journalist

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Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in the United States, McGee was a news reporter for NBC beginning in the mid-1950s. He had a great talent for descriptive language, giving viewers a word picture of the day's events. NBC News's Chet Huntley broke the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination, and McGee was on the phone from Dallas giving an account of this and was on air for 45 hours able to report without a script. In the early 1960's, he was also a news reporter on the NBC radio show Monitor.

Related Topics:
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - United States - NBC - NBC News - Chet Huntley - John F. Kennedy's assassination - Dallas

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In 1970, he was a co-anchor with John Chancellor on NBC Nightly News and in 1971, he moved to The Today Show, replacing Hugh Downs, who'd hosted the show since 1962. McGee moved the Today Show into a more serious news presentation. He co-hosted the show with Barbara Walters, but insisted on opening and closing the show by himself. He remained on the air until April 1974, when he took off because he was ill. It turned out to be bone cancer, which he succumbed to less than two weeks after his last Today broadcast. He was replaced by another Oklahoma native, Jim Hartz, who co-hosted the show with Walters until 1976.

Related Topics:
John Chancellor - The Today Show - Hugh Downs - Barbara Walters - Bone cancer - Oklahoma

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