Ron Tindiglia
Haverford High School Yearbook
1964

Ron Tindiglia led the way in television news so that others may follow. Ron is credited throughout the industry with the developing of the “Action News” format here in Philadelphia at WFIL-TV (now WPVI) and the “Eyewitness News” format in New York City on WABC-TV.

At age 21, Tindiglia was a producer for WFIL-TV. Ron met Broadcast Pioneers member Larry Kane in 1966 when Larry was a reporter and Ron was production assistant who was still in college at Temple University. Tindiglia kept moving up the chain of command at Channel 6 and was named News Director in 1975.

Broadcast Pioneers member and Hall of Famer Dave Neal tells the story about the time he was Assistant News Director at KYW-TV. A new News Director came in and fired some people including Neal. By the time, Dave arrived home, there was a phone message from Tindiglia offering him a job as a news manager at “Action News.”

Ron’s closest friend for decades was Broadcast Pioneers member Larry Kane. Of Tindiglia, Kane told the Philadelphia Inquirer:

He is basically responsible for much of what you see that is good quality in TV news today. He really was the preeminent manager-journalist of his time.

Over the years he had many opportunities to go to the network and declined because he loved being in the newsrooms at the news desk. If you asked anybody about Ron Tindiglia they'd tell you he was responsible for more careers than almost anybody.

He stood for integrity and ethics in journalism and never wavered,'' said Kane, ``and he had an incredible devotion to his family. He did two things: he worked, and he went home.

When Ron left WPVI and went to Boston. From there, he went to WABC-TV in 1976 as News Director, and arranged for Larry to follow the next year.

A few years later, Ron went a few blocks away to be VP for News for the CBS owned and operated station. Later, he was station manager of KNXT-TV in LA and general managerWCBS-TV in the Big Apple at the age of 30.

In the late 80s, Ron created his own business and consulted for local news broadcasts in different markets. He also was a prime consultant for syndicated shows like “Hard Copy” and “Inside Edition.” He also was the prime consultant for the development of CNBC, NBC's business outlet on cable. Ron developed a syndicated series entitled, ”Today’s Business.”

When Tindiglia passed away on November 10, 1997 at United Hospital in Port Chest, NY from lung cancer, he owned “Ron Tindiglia Enterprises” that consulted for TV news broadcasts.

From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Photo originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Michael Muderick
© 2014, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
All Rights Reserved

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