Michael Quinn (news anchor)

Michael Quinn (b. 1969 in Detroit, Michigan) is considered to be one of the youngest broadcasters ever to achieve main anchor status in a major television market, and the youngest anchor to present the news in Houston, Texas. He anchored the morning and midday news on KNWS-TV from 1993 to 1998.

History

Quinn got his first break in broadcasting in his hometown of Detroit. He worked his way through college doing commercials and interned at three television stations in Detroit, including the number one station, WXYZ-TV. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1990, Quinn landed a job as a producer and reporter for WWJ-AM, the CBS owned and operated station in Detroit. There, he was recognized by CBS Radio for his coverage of both the Royal Oak and Dearborn Post Office shootings.

In late 1993, at the age of 24, Quinn moved to Houston, Texas as an anchor and reporter for KNWS-TV, the nation's first FCC-licensed 24-hour news station. To this day, he is the youngest person ever hired as a main anchor in Houston. There, Quinn anchored the morning/midday news and covered Houston City Council and NASA. He also reported for an entertainment show. He was on the air during the Northline Mall disaster and several space shuttle missions. He also announced the deaths of Gianni Versace, Princess Diana, the Oklahoma City Bombing and the TWA Flight 800 disaster, which included some Houston residents on the flight.

After Houston, Quinn moved to Tallahassee, Florida, as an executive producer and anchor/host for "Florida's News Channel", the nation’s first statewide multi-regional 24-hour news channel, with six newscasts being broadcast simultaneously. He managed the morning news and hosted an entertainment program on FNC called "Florida Entertainment Weekly". Quinn was on-the-air as the September 11, 2001 [...] attacks unfolded.

Current status

Quinn also worked in North Carolina and Alabama before returning to Houston in 1995. He works in corporate communications for a major bank and still works in broadcasting as a fill-in traffic anchor for a Houston television station.