Al Primo died last week. He was the Philadelphia and New York City news executive who pioneered the practice of putting reporters on the set to introduce the stories they did that day, and discuss them with the anchors. Revolutionary. Compelling television. Some say it ushered in the "happy talk" news era.
Primo was a diversity pioneer. He opened newscasts to different faces, different ethnicities, different sexes... It made the news more human, more relatable. Stations across the country copied the format and the rest is history.
In later years, Primo developed a syndicated newscast for children. We exchanged a few emails, and it always was a kick to communicate with a legend. It was clear there was a passion for news, and a love of the medium.
Al Primo was 87.
