Frank McGee (journalism)

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

Born in Monroe, Louisiana and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Frank McGee began his broadcast news career at WKY-TV (now KFOR-TV) in his hometown. In 1955, the owners of WKY purchased WSFA-TV in Montgomery, Alabama and sent McGee there as News Director. WSFA was an affiliate of NBC. As the civil rights movement gained national coverage, McGee's work came to the notice of NBC, who offered him a position with the network.

McGee was a floor correspondent for the political conventions of both parties in 1960, 1964, and 1968. In 1960, he hosted the second debate between presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. At that time, the debates were considered by the news media to have swung the election in favor of Kennedy.

McGee had a great talent for descriptive language, often giving viewers a vivid word picture of the day's events. When NBC News's Chet Huntley broke the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination, McGee appeared in the studio with Huntley speaking on the phone with Robert MacNeil from Dallas. McGee was told that the television audience was not getting the audio from Dallas, so for more than an hour, he relayed every detail MacNeil gave, almost word for word, meaning viewers actually received the information twice. The veteran journalist remained on duty for 45 hours with little rest, reporting without a script.

In the early 1960s, he also served as a news reporter and host on the NBC weekend radio show Monitor. He is most noted for his interview on that program with the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and for asking him specifically how he felt about being targeted for assassination. King responded calmly and told McGee he had given serious thought to the possibility.

In 1970, after Huntley's retirement ended the Huntley-Brinkley Report, McGee became one of a platoon of three anchors on the newly-renamed NBC Nightly News, along with John Chancellor and David Brinkley. When the network settled on Chancellor as permanent anchor the next year, McGee moved to The Today Show in 1971, replacing Hugh Downs, who had hosted the program since 1962. McGee moved Today into a more serious news presentation, insisting on opening and closing the show by himself while sharing other duties with co-host Barbara Walters. He also insisted that he, and not Ms. Walters, ask guests the first two or three questions if both of them were doing an interview.

He remained on Today until early April of 1974, when he was forced to leave the program due to an illness which was diagnosed as bone cancer. He succumbed to the disease on April 17 of that year while on sick leave from the Today Show. McGee was replaced by another Oklahoma native, Jim Hartz, who co-hosted the show with Walters until 1976.

Preceded by Hugh Downs with Barbara Walters

Today Show Host with Barbara Walters 1971–1974

Succeeded by Jim Hartz

Preceded by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley (as the Huntley-Brinkley Report)

NBC evening news anchors (as the NBC Nightly News) 1970 Co-Anchor with John Chancellor and David Brinkley

Succeeded by John Chancellor

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Anchors of The NBC Nightly News
John Cameron Swayze • Chet Huntley • David Brinkley • Frank McGee • John Chancellor • Tom Brokaw • Roger Mudd • Brian Williams

Anchors of NBC Today
Garroway • Chancellor • Downs • McGee • Walters • Hartz • Brokaw • Pauley • Gumbel • Norville • Garagiola • Couric • Lauer • Vieira