Philly TV newsers respond to Huggins’ death July 30, 2008

John Morrison did a great job in the DN writing a well-rounded profile of Edie Huggins, who died yesterday at 72.

He spoke to many anchors and reporters, from FOX’s Dawn Stensland to 6ABC’s Lisa Thomas-Laury.

Also quoted:

“We often use the word ‘pioneer’ loosely,” said Marc Howard, retired Channel 6 anchor. “But Edie truly was a pioneer. When she started in television, it was a collection of white males of no detectable ethnicity.

(Note the lack of mention of Channel 3, the station from which he permanently retired.)

And one more quote, from my newfound buddy:

Larry Kane, veteran broadcaster who worked with Edie at Channel 10, said that when he first saw her he was amazed at how she talked directly to the viewer.

“There are very few in this business who can make that electric contact. It was as though she was having a personal conversation with the viewer.

“She was very funny. Had a great sense of humor. She liked to tickle the big egos, bring them down to earth.”

Huggins’ impact on the lives of everyone — from family and friends to coworkers and viewers — has been clearly evident in the countless tributes in the past 24 hours. Undoubtedly, she will be greatly missed.