David Bohrman, TV News Producer and Executive, Dies at Age 69

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Worked at ABC, CBS, NBC and brought the ‘Magic Wall’ to CNN

David Bohrman
David Bohrman (Image credit: CNN)

David Bohrman, an innovative TV news producer and executive, died Sunday at age 69 of complications after hip surgery.

Bohrman worked at ABC News, CBS News and NBC News before joining CNN in 1996. He became CNN’s Washington bureau chief, senior VP, and chief innovation officer, overseeing special events including presidential debates.

He is credited with bringing the touchscreen “Magic Wall,” now a staple of election night coverage, to CNN.

In a note to staffers at CNN, Bohrman was described as being “the creator of more news programming than almost any other producer working in television news today.”

The memo noted that Bohrman had been a mentor to many in the business. “Wherever he went, David was an innovator, using the latest technology to enhance storytelling,” the memo said.

Bohrman started his TV career as a producer at what is now KCBS Los Angeles. He won six Emmy awards, two Peabody Awards, four duPont Awards and a Polk Award.

After CNN, Bohrman served as president of Al Gore’s Current TV. 

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.