John M. Higgins: On the Air

As an expert reporter on the television industry, my brother John was often interviewed by other journalists. He was particularly good at giving a pithy quote, probably because he'd been an interviewer so often.

Here are pointers to some on-line audio of John's appearances on a couple of National Public Radio programs.

On the Media for 27 October 2006, discussing layoffs at NBC (MP3).


On the Media for 18 November 2005, discussing Apple offering downloadable TV episodes on Itunes (MP3).

Marketplace on 21 November, where John speaks a single sentence about the O.J. Simpson controversy. (It was typical for TV or radio news stories to use only one-line quotes from him.) This piece actually aired after John died (Realaudio).

I've come to Hoboken to be with family and friends. John's funeral is Saturday at Saints Peter and Paul, the parish where John and Debbie got married in 2000. It's notable because it appears in On the Waterfront. However, Karl Malden is no longer the pastor there.

Also, becuase the venerable and picturesque church is being renovated, the funeral Mass will take place in the Parish Center, where we will sit on steel folding chairs on linoleum floors. Father Frank says some parishoners are reminded to the Baby Boom era of expanding dioceses and fissioning parishes, when many a Catholic attended services in a school cafeteria or gymnasium during construction of a new church.

I find it strangely comforting. When Good Shepherd split back in East Henrietta, those of us now in Guardian Angels went to church at the local farmers' market for a while, and the altar was on a loading dock. John was about one, but I was old enough at the time to remember.

Continuing All-Higgins-All-The-Time Coverage

Over at The Pop View, Paul Rodriguez continues to gather links about my brother John. He relates the story of the legendary bumper sticker prank.

Paul turned up here yesterday, and his presence is a great comfort. He and John would conduct machine-gun-paced conversations about music, movies, and the whole media landscape. They loved to hunt for CDs and they were both experts on Bands You Never Heard Of.