John Eggerton Retires As B+C, MCN Senior D.C. Editor

John Eggerton
(Image credit: Future)

John Eggerton has retired as senior content producer, Washington, for Multichannel News, Broadcasting+Cable and NextTV.com but will remain a contributing editor, the Future-owned publications said.

Eggerton joined B+C in January 1981 as an editorial assistant before taking over the job-changes and obituaries column for the magazine as well as compiling a weekly stock index. He moved to a position on the editorial desk two years later, where he was assistant editor, associate editor and assistant managing editor before being named Washington Bureau Chief, overseeing three reporters, when the magazine's production moved to New York in 1999.

Michael Powell, John Eggerton and Gordon Smith at a B+C Hall of Fame event.

Michael Powell, John Eggerton and Gordon Smith at a B+C Hall of Fame related event. (Image credit: Future)

He was also an editorial writer for most of his tenure at B+C and editor of its TV Fax newsletter for two decades.

Eggerton started covering Washington full time for B+C in 2005 and later added Washington coverage for sister magazine Multichannel News.

Kent Gibbons, the content director for MCN and B+C, said Eggerton has wanted to step back and pursue other interests and spend more time with his family for the last couple of years but put off the move out of dedication to readers and to the publications. “John devoted incredible amounts of time and energy keeping the B+C readers informed in every way possible, in print and online, and we know readers will miss his coverage -- but they’ll be happy to know he isn’t getting out of the game completely,” Gibbons said. “He is a tremendous colleague as well as a smart reporter.” 

"John leaves behind a remarkable journalistic legacy," said Bill Gannon, Global Editor in Chief of Broadcasting+Cable. "His four decades of deadline reporting and in-depth analysis not only accurately reported the news but actually helped shape regulatory policy by providing invaluable context the television industry and Washington D.C. insiders came to rely upon."

At various times, Eggerton has also written for present and past co-owned publications B&C International, Radio World, TV Technology, TWICE and Variety (under previous ownership).

Eggerton has been an online journalist for over 25 years, initially (in the early 1990s) compiling Dow Alerts, which were early computer-to-computer news feeds back when it was DOS prompts, orange type, and the sound of modems buzzing, as well as contributing to the NATPEnet online newsletter. He was also web editor for B+C.

Eggerton is a 1979 graduate of William & Mary.

His contact information as contributing editor continues to be john.eggerton@futurenet.com.