If there was a Mount Rushmore of local television news directors, just whose faces would be on it?

A few names immediately come to our minds. From the nascent early years of local news on television, a notable figure might be Miami legend Ralph Renick, who served as both the news director and main anchor at the original WTVJ (then on Channel 4). From the 1960s, legendary news director Al Primo, who invented the “Eyewitness News” format, first introduced it in Philadelphia and then achieved long-term dominance at New York’s WABC-TV. The groundbreaking Jill Geisler, at Milwaukee’s WITI, is certainly deserving of being in this group. Perhaps also Joel Cheatwood, for his innovations and success at Miami’s WSVN in the 1990s and later at co-owned station WHDH in Boston.

Another name that might be on the list for “the giants” of the local TV news business was also occupant of the news director’s office at WABC-TV, arriving there in the mid-1980s. Bill Applegate passed away a week ago while we were out on vacation. Still, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge his career and contributions to local television in this space.

William Joseph Applegate, born in 1946 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, would cut a wide swath through the many local television stations where he worked. After serving in the Army in Korea in the early 1960s, he entered television news, first as a reporter in Detroit, and he first became a News Director in Eugene, Oregon, at KEZI, where he also anchored the news. That would be followed by news director roles in Buffalo, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and finally, in New York City. He would then move into the General Manager ranks, making his way back to Chicago, then to Los Angeles, and finally arriving at his final post as VP and GM of then Raycom Media’s Cleveland duopoly of WOIO and WUAB, where he worked for some 13 years before retiring from the business in 2014.

Bill, as he was known, was often referred to by only his last name during his career. Usually revered, sometimes feared, but always a force in any market he worked in. He would make every newsroom where he practiced his trade a competitive force, never being afraid to shake things up or push his troops to do even more in the quest to move each station he led up in the ratings and revenue.

He was usually successful in that quest, each time he undertook it over the years.

The admiration for the man was evident in the many professional remembrances posted online since his passing. One common theme we observed was that each person who spoke about Bill Applegate would do so in terms of how much they had learned during their time working with him.

But he was not always respected by everyone. Those who shake things up as much as he did will always have their share of detractors. Legendary Chicago anchorman Walter Jacobson would call Applegate “a purveyor of garbage.”

He would be criticized often for embracing a more “tabloid” style of news on his stations. Chicago television critic Robert Feder said that Applegate was “willing to try almost anything to draw a crowd.” Newscasts that Applegate oversaw were never dull and usually had an emphasis on stories “about crime, sex and celebrities.” In other words, stories that television viewers seemed to care about and watch. He would emphasize on-air style for his anchors and their newscasts, bringing the production values of fast-paced formats, accentuated with flashy graphics and high-energy music. Applegate would not apologize for embracing these values, once telling critic Feder: “We have to push on to find an information form that is interesting enough and compelling enough to attract news audiences. We have to take risks, and we have to accept the slings and arrows of our critics.”

Funny how that quote is still as accurate about local television news in 2025 as it was when Bill Applegate said it in the early 1990s.

What critics may have missed about the newscasts that he put on the air is that they covered the news. Yes, perhaps more aggressively than others. They would typically be first on the air with breaking news and usually the last to go off. They reflected an understanding of the unique qualities of the cities they covered and worked to be part of those communities. Bill Applegate, the reporter, understood that being a good reporter meant being embedded in the community —and, dare we say it, fearless.

Applegate, the news director, was fearless himself. Stories of him jumping up on a desk in the middle of his newsroom and using his booming voice to get everyone’s attention are legendary. Later, as a general manager, he would use the same voice to deliver on-camera editorials that were never afraid to take a strong position on issues of the day, big and small.

To quote Robert Feder again, “But Damn if it didn’t work.” Much like in Chicago, where he was able to take WBBM-TV from being an also-ran in the ratings to being tied for first place at 10 pm, albeit briefly. Applegate would move Cleveland’s WOIO into its era as “19 Action News” and make the once home of reruns (as an independent station identified as “Nineteen”) a true competitor in the market.

His son, William Applegate, Jr., wrote of his father last week: “In the end, he hired, fired, and mentored some of the giants in local and national TV. He was loved, feared, hated, and every past participle of a verb you can think of. But undeniably, unquestionably…admired.”

Married to his wife, Kathy, in 1971, the couple had four children: William Jr., Brian, Elizabeth, and Matthew, as well as nine grandchildren.

Bill Applegate was 79 years old. He definitely left his mark on this business.