Reuven Frank, RIP

Obituaries like today's for Reuven Frank, the NBC News pioneer, really date me.  I know nothing about "The Huntley-Brinkley Report," which he produced from the late 1950s until 1970 (when I was five).

Link: Reuven Frank, Producer Who Pioneered TV News Coverage at NBC, Is Dead at 85 - New York Times.

No, I remember Reuven -- other than for his continuous editorializing in the Viewpoint section of TelevisionWeek -- for his work on a little NBC News program that, it seems, all but a few of us have forgotten.

Can you remember it? (Frazier Moore does.)  "NBC News Overnight." It was co-anchored by surly Lloyd Dobyns and a rumpled young talent named Linda Ellerbee, who recalled later in her memoir being told that the show "would not be hindered by money, Reuven explained, because there would be no money. Well, damn little. It would be a no-frills newscast and it would depend on the kindness of strangers." Frank was also, according to Ellerbee, the inspiration for the show's most storied moment, one that bears repeating in full in light of this week's anti-Danish rioting (!) that has newspaper editors terrified of publishing a cartoon.

(W)e got a letter from a creep, addressed to "NBC News Overnight, Jew York." The man said we'd lied to the public.  There had been no Holocaust. It was nothing but a bunch of
commie crap and we were nothing but a bunch of pinko traitors to America and all true Americans. On the theory -- Reuven's -- that it never pays to ignore a fanatic -- we read the letter on the air and suggested the man turn off his set; we didn't need viewers that much and frankly, would rather not have him as part of our audience.

Update: On the jump, Linda Ellerbee writes with her tribute. Update Update: And so does Lloyd Dobyns.

(Also, see my obit.)

Dear Aaron,

I read what you wrote about Reuven Frank and "NBC News Overnight." Thanks for remembering. Tomorrow I shall attend the funeral of the greatest teacher I ever had. My heart is heavy, but what Reuven taught us lives on, stuff like "News is what someone wants to suppress. Everything else is advertising." And "The way to do what you want to do is to make them believe you're doing what they want you to do." And, of course, Reuven's Television Law #1: "There is never a shortage of assholes."

I also recall when he explained TV to me. He said to turn on a TV newscast and go into the next room. If, from there, you could understand everything about the story, well, there was a word for
that, and the word was "radio." TV, he said, ought to compel you to watch it, because unlike print, TV deals in the transfer of experience.

Those of us who loved and revered him will celebrate his life tomorrow, and tell one another stories about him, and then go on missing him the rest of our lives.

All the best,

Linda Ellerbee

(P.S.) I forgot to mention one other thing Reuven said. He said never to be ashamed of working in television news: just do it better.

Indeed. I try hard to remember that one every single day.