Lester Crystal

Lester M. Crystal (September 13, 1934 – June 24, 2020) was an Emmy Award-winning American television news executive. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He was best known for being executive producer of the nation’s first hour-long nightly newscast, The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (now known as the PBS Newshour).[1]

He joined the organization as executive producer in 1983 and was appointed president of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions in 2005. He retired from the NewsHour in 2010. He was president of NBC News from 1977 to 1979 and executive producer of NBC Nightly News.[2]

Crystal died on June 24, 2020 in New York City from brain cancer, aged 85.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Les Crystal, a guiding force behind NewsHour, dies at 85". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  2. ↑ Prial, Frank J. (April 11, 1983). "LESTER CRYSTAL, THE MAN WHO'S CHANGING 'THE MacNEIL-LEHRER REPORT'" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ↑ Les Crystal, Who Led NBC News And PBS’s ‘NewsHour,’ Dies At 85