GMA/Hero Honors A President

On June 7, I got a call just shy of 1:00 AM from ABC’s “Good Morning America” to field produce a live segment for that morning’s show honoring former President Ronald Reagan.  Via satellite from NY, Diane Sawyer interviewed Timothy McCarthy, former Secret Service Agent for Ronald Reagan, who saved Reagan’s life by taking John Hinckley Jr.’s bullet to the chest for him in 1981.  My role was to fend off other networks so GMA would get the first interview with this very humble and charismatic hero, and obtain the same clearance for the local affiliate, WLS-TV/Channel 7’s crew.  Satellite Communication Systems provided the uplink.