From KERA:
Jim Lehrer, the longtime anchor of the PBS NewsHour who began his public television career at KERA, has died. He was 85.
Lehrer was hired by KERA to launch Newsroom, a half-hour weeknight television news program that debuted in 1970. Lehrer served as executive producer and editor.
His pioneering work at KERA led him to Washington, D.C., and the National Public Affairs Center for Television, where he met Robert MacNeil. The two would form a partnership that lasted decades, working together on PBS’ nightly news program.
“I’m heartbroken at the loss of someone who was central to my professional life, a mentor to me and someone whose friendship I’ve cherished for decades,” said Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour. “I’ve looked up to him as the standard for fair, probing and thoughtful journalism and I know countless others who feel the same way.”