Robert MacNeil, the veteran PBS newsman who co-founded and co-hosted the long-running PBS NewsHour and MacNeil/Lehrer Report with Jim Lehrer, died today of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He was 93.
His death was announced by PBS NewsHour broadcaster Judy Woodruff, and confirmed to the Associated Press by his daughter Alison MacNeil.
“I am devastated at the passing of a dear friend and someone who helped transform American television news, Robin MacNeil,” tweeted Woodruff, using MacNeil’s nickname. “He and Jim Lehrer were partners in creating the iconic @NewsHour on @PBS and it was the honor of my life to work with and learn from them.”
Two years after teaming in 1973 on Emmy-winning coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings, MacNeil and Lehrer solidified their partnership in 1975 with the 30-minute PBS news program that soon would bear their names. Lehrer died in 2020 at age 85.
Unlike other newscasts, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report focused on one story per day, taking a deeper dive beyond the headlines. Their approach and execution would earn them considerable accolades, including News Emmys and a Peabody Award.
The title of the show — and its length — changed in 1983 to The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, considered to be the nation’s first hourlong evening newscast. With the expansion to 60 minutes, the program branched beyond the single-topic approach. It was the predecessor to what is now the PBS NewsHour.
PBS NewsHour co-anchors Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz said in a statement today, “Robin was one of a kind. With his distinctive voice, he brought stories to life — unraveling complex issues with clarity and compassion. Whether it was through his incisive reporting or his intimate interviews, he possessed a singular ability to connect with people. As we reflect on his many contributions, we honor his memory by continuing to pursue the truth and by fostering connections that bridge divides – just as Robin did with such grace and vigor. We are deeply grateful for the enduring legacy he leaves behind.”
Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, said: “Robin’s passing marks the end of an era for PBS, and is a tremendous loss for our country. His work with Jim Lehrer during the Watergate hearings, was profoundly important and groundbreaking. In creating the MacNeil/Lehrer Report, and ultimately the NewsHour, Robin and Jim set the standard for excellence in news programming through their focus on the facts and the critically important issues of the day. While we mourn his death, we honor his life and work by building on his legacy.”
Robert Breckenridge Ware MacNeil was born on January 19, 1931, in Montreal and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After a brief acting career for the CBC, he moved to London to become a playwright. While there, he signed on to the new network ITV as a reporter. From there, he landed a job as an editor at Reuters.
He joined NBC News in 1960, working as a London-based correspondent. In 1963, he was transferred to the network’s Washington bureau, where he covered the Civil Rights Movement and the White House, among other beats. Within five years he was co-anchoring a 30-minute weekend news broadcast with Ray Scherer.
After his work at NBC and, briefly, the BBC, he joined PBS in 1971 as a correspondent. Two years later, his national profile increased considerably with the award-winning coverage of the Watergate hearings. After retiring in 1995 from the nightly news program, MacNeil periodically would return to PBS, most notably hosting the 2007 PBS docuseries America at a Crossroads.
He is survived by sons Ian MacNeil, a Tony Award-winning Billy Elliot: The Musical theatrical set designer, and Will MacNeil; daughters Cathy MacNeil and Alison MacNeil; and five grandchildren.
