Fred Burrows – 2008
Fred Burrows grew up in St. Louis and didn’t always plan to be in the news business. He originally attended Washington University in St. Louis with intentions of pursuing a career in engineering. To help pay his way through school, he got a job at KWK-TV (KMOX-TV) Channel 4. He did a stint at KPLR before returning to KMOX in 1960. While there, he directed the first live regional broadcast and the station was one of the first to transition from news film to electronic news gathering. After leaving KMOX-TV in 1986, Fred went to CNN where he devised what are now industry standards: generic line shots, archival services and affiliate seminars. While at CNN, he also produced and managed such events as the first national convention coverage for CNN’s affiliates, the terrorist attacks of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina.