Michael Malone Dies: Writer And TV Business Trade Reporter Was 55

Michael Malone, who covered the TV business for nearly two decades at Broadcasting & Cable and also wrote books and contributed to the The New York Times, has died. He was 55.

Malone died Oct. 19 at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center in New York after a long illness.

Widely known in TV industry circles, especially in the local broadcasting industry given his long tenure at B&C, Malone began his career there in 2005 as a reporter and rose to editor. He eventually was promoted to content director of B&C and its corporate siblings Multichannel News and NextTV.

In online remembrances, former colleagues recalled Malone’s implacable wit and command of words. He often would draft headlines and coverlines for stories – crucial elements when print magazines ruled the media roost and could help define the personality of the trade publications landing on senior executives’ desks.

A five-time finalist for the Jesse H. Neal Award for excellence in journalism, Malone also contributed as a freelancer to The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and New York. He authored several books, both novels and non-fiction.

While local broadcasting was his initial focus at B&C, Malone broadened his focus in recent years and covered programming, becoming a member of the Television Critics Association and attending its semi-annual press tours. He also hosted two regular podcasts.

B&C, a nearly century-old trade magazine founded during the radio days, ceased publication in September along with Multichannel News and NextTV.

Malone is survived by his wife, Susan; children Gavin and Charlotte; mother Shelly Malone; sisters and brothers-in-law Nancy and Jim Dempsey, Kate and Brian Burke, Eileen and Jim Baker; and eight nieces and nephews.

A memorial visitation period for Malone will be held on November 1, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET at Hawthorne Funeral Home in Hawthorne, NY.