I actually remember broadcaster Lowell Thomas very well - I read his autobiography a few decades ago. But he's hardly a household name today. Yet he put into place a large number of the conventions we have come to take for granted in what is now often called (and not always fondly) "the mainstream media."

This story takes a very brief look back at this news pioneer and how he influenced everything from current news media formatics to (incredibly) the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

Voice of America: Lowell Thomas and the Rise of Broadcast News