See You, Higgins

November 21st, 2006

John M. Higgins, business editor at Broadcasting & Cable, died yesterday of a heart attack. He was 45. Here’s a story posted today on the B&C web site. I’ll miss him a lot.

I didn’t know him long. I worked at B&C for a year and a half, first as a copy editor and then as an online news guy, while I slogged through a part-time program at the Columbia journalism school. I learned as much or more on the job at the magazine than I learned in j-school, and Higgins was a big reason why. He was incredibly generous and kind to junior staffers like me. I asked him so, so many stupid questions about the TV business and he always had time to answer them. And he always had time to add an anecdote or some gossip about what I’d asked.

During my first two weeks as a copy editor at B&C, I was a huge pest to Higgins. The human resources department didn’t issue me an employee ID, which was required to gain entry into the men’s room. Any time that nature called, I had to find a co-worker — a male co-worker, since an employee’s ID only worked for the appropriate restroom. Since Higgins sat closest to me in our cubicle, he always got the nod. And he always graciously lent me his ID, withdrawing it from his wallet while simultaneously typing up a story for the web and talking on the phone. (Higgins was always on the phone. I learned a lot just by listening to him work the phone.)

He was the kind of guy that told you on your first day where to get a good lunch and where to avoid a bad one.

To be a great reporter, it seems, one must possess at least a few quirks. Higgins had his share. The ubiquitous dark suit. The crazy messy desk. The Cher-like use of his last name. The singsong way he’d answer the phone–high note on “Hi,” lower note on “ggins”. The awesome story about getting ambushed in an O’Reilly Factor appearance. I’ll miss all of it.

[B&C is compiling memories of Higgins here.]