Neal Shapiro
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Neal B. Shapiro (born March 9, 1958) is the president and CEO of
WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...
. He worked previously as the president of
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
and the executive producer for ''
Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...
''. Prior to this Shapiro spent 13 years as a news producer at
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
.


Early life

Shapiro was born to a practicing
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family and raised in Delmar, New York. He attended
Bethlehem Central High School Bethlehem Central High School is a public high school in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany. Located at 700 Delaware Avenue, the school serves students in grades 9–12 from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. The school was ranked 36 ...
graduating in 1976. He went on to graduate ''
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'' from
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
in 1980, with degrees in history and political science.


Career with ABC

Shapiro worked with
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
from 1980 until 1993, where he eventually became a producer for ''
PrimeTime Live ''Primetime'' was an American news magazine television program that debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title ''Primetime Live''. The program's final episode aired May 18, 2012. History ...
''. He also produced for ''
Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News (United States), ABC News' Late night television in the United States, late-night television news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC in the United States with a franchis ...
'' and spent time working in the Chicago news bureau.


Career with NBC


Executive producer of Dateline NBC

In 1993 he was named the executive producer of ''
Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...
'', and worked to address the aftermath of a series of dismissals at NBC regarding a fake news story produced by the show. According to his alma mater, "Shapiro oversaw the production of several major breaking-news stories, such as the
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, the death of Princess Diana, the Columbine tragedy, the
war in Kosovo The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...
, and the Clinton impeachment trial when he worked as the executive producer of the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
winning Dateline. He also served as the executive producer for several hour-long specials, including reports on corporate layoffs in America, migrant farm workers, and welfare reform." In 1998 Shapiro took the show from one night to five nights per week, producing about 800 news stories per year. Upon the expansion of the program, Shapiro stated that the news magazines of each of the major American networks had each pushed the genre, and helped ''Dateline'' become a nightly primetime program. That year the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said that, "Under Mr. Shapiro's guiding hand – and not always to the delight of media critics – ''Dateline'' has rewritten the rules of the news magazine show." In a later article, the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said of Shapiro's time at ''Dateline'' that he "presided over the expansion of that show to multiple nights, a trend that was later followed by newsmagazines at both ABC and CBS. Under Mr. Shapiro, "Dateline" won 25
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
19 Edward R. Murrow Awards, three Columbia-DuPont awards" and a
Gerald Loeb Award The Gerald Loeb Awards, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was e ...
.


President of NBC News

Shapiro was appointed the president of NBC News in June 2001, and was also put in charge of overseeing MSNBC. He oversaw the transition between ''
NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas'' for its weeknight broadcasts ) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NBC television network ...
'' anchors
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American author and retired network television journalist. He first served as the co-anchor of Today (American TV program), ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anch ...
and
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American journalist and television news anchor. He was a correspondent for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchorman, anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in ...
. In 2003 he was the architect of the NBC news coverage of the
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. ''TV News Check'' summarized some additional projects that Shapiro undertook, writing that, "He led the No. 1-rated news programs in every day part: ''Today'' in the morning, ''
NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas'' for its weeknight broadcasts ) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NBC television network ...
'' in the evening and ''
Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...
'' on Sunday morning ... On cable, Shapiro oversaw the news operations of
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
and developed ''
Countdown with Keith Olbermann ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' is a weekday podcast that originated as an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program hosted by Keith Olbermann that aired on MSNBC from 2003 to 2011 and on Current TV from 2011 to 2012. The show ...
'' and ''
Scarborough Country ''Scarborough Country'' was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday to Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough. ''Scarborough Country'' made its debut in April 2003. On average, ''Scarborough Count ...
'' with
Joe Scarborough Charles Joseph Scarborough (; born April 9, 1963) is an American television host and former politician who is the co-host of ''Morning Joe'' on MSNBC with his wife Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. He previously hosted '' Scarborough Country'' ...
. He also created NBC News Productions which produces programming for many cable channels, including A&E,
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,
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,
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,
History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
, and Lifetime. In the world of syndication, Shapiro developed two successful syndicated programs produced by NBC News, '' The Chris Matthews Show'' and ''Your Total Health with Hoda Kotb''. On the Web, he spearheaded a number of changes at MSNBC. He expanded NBC News Radio, and began podcasts and cell phone reports. He also helped create and launch NBC's digital weather channel, Weatherplus." In all, Shapiro won 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards, and 3 Columbia DuPont awards during his time at NBC (including those awarded during his time at ''Dateline'').


Career with WNET

In January 2008 Shapiro was named CEO of
WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...
public television. According to ''
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'' magazine, one of his first moves was to start the programs "''Sunday Arts'', which features the great museum exhibits, films, galleries and performances going on in New York City, and ... ''Reel 13'', which air don Saturday nights and pair da classic movie with an indie film and a short film created by
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
viewers". Shapiro created the news program '' Worldfocus'' as a public television owned news broadcast in lieu of the prior practice of airing foreign news programs on American public television, saying that, "it’s good for public television to have a show that belongs to public television ... Are we taking a chance? Absolutely; that’s what innovation is about." The show ran from 2009 to 2010, receiving internal financing as well as funding from The Peter G. Peterson Foundation. He also oversaw the sale of the public television news coverage paper ''Current'', a public media-focused trade publication, to the American University School of Communication, saying, according to the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' that "he found it odd for his organization to publish a paper" about its own industry. In 2011 Shapiro led the bid to manage New Jersey’s public television station that was then renamed
NJTV NJ PBS (known as NJTV prior to 2021) is a public television network serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. The network is owned by the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (NJPBA), an agency of the New Jersey state government which owns the ...
, which brought New Jersey public television under the same umbrella. Other programs Shapiro commissioned include ''New York War Stories'', ''New York Goes to War'', ''Need to Know'', and ''A Cry for Help: A Generation at Risk?'', in addition to the expansion of the network's classic movie slots to include more recent independent pictures that appeal to a younger audience.


Other positions and recognition

Shapiro has taught at both the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sch ...
and his alma mater, Tufts University. He has also lectured at schools including
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
and
Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
. In 2002 he was awarded the Light on the Hill award by Tufts, and spoke on his method of reporting the news following 9/11. In 2008, Shapiro received the P.T. Barnum Award from Tufts for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment. He has also been the recipient of
Sigma Delta Chi Award The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) (formerly Sigma Delta Chi) for excellence in journalism. The SPJ states the purpose of the award is to promote "the free flow of information vital ...
s, Chris Awards, the
George Polk Award The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States. A writer for Idea Lab, a group blog hosted on the website of PBS, described the awar ...
, and the Investigative Reporter and Editor Award. In 2007 Shapiro was elected to the board of directors of the
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for his "diverse experience with network news and public television" according to chairman Craig A. Dubow. On October 6, 2008, Shapiro was chosen to ring the closing bell of the
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exchange in New York City. He has served as chairman of the Communications and Media Studies Alumni Advisory Board for his alma mater Tufts University. He is also a member of the
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
s board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's
Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is a constituent college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. Established in 1915, Grady College offers undergraduate degrees in journalism, advertising, public re ...
.


Personal life

In 1995, Shapiro married
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
correspondent
Juju Chang Hyunju "Juju" Chang (born September 17, 1965) is an American television journalist for ABC News, and an anchor of ''Nightline''. She has previously worked as a special correspondent and fill-in anchor for ''Nightline,'' and was also the news anc ...
.New York Times: "WEDDINGS;Neal Shapiro and Juju Chang"
December 03, 1995
"Juju Chang's Biography"
''ABC News'', Dec. 10, 2009
Chang converted to
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
upon their marriage. They have three sons: Jared (born 2000), Travis (born 2003), and Mason (born 2007).


References


External links


"Biography: Neal Shapiro"
WNET. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Neal American television executives Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni Tufts University faculty Columbia University faculty 20th-century American Jews Living people Place of birth missing (living people) People from Bethlehem, New York NBCUniversal people NBC executives Presidents of NBC News 1958 births American chief executives News & Documentary Emmy Award winners Gerald Loeb Award winners for Television 21st-century American Jews