Mike Daniels
“Mike was one of the most beloved teachers at USC and one of the most respected broadcast journalists in Los Angeles,” said journalism professor Joe Saltzman, who brought Daniels to USC Annenberg’s School of Journalism in 1974 to teach a class on television news production. “When I left CBS to create the broadcasting sequence at USC, one of the first persons I called was Mike to see if he would be interested in teaching. He jumped at the chance.”
A little known fact about Daniels was that he was the inspiration for one of the most popular characters in popular culture. Daniels was good friends with the brother of playwright Neil Simon and ended up being the inspiration for one of the best-known Simon characters in “The Odd Couple” – the fussy and precise Felix who was called a “CBS newswriter” in the original Broadway play and was the foil for the messy sportswriter who shared an apartment with him. The play went on to become a successful movie with Jack Lemmon playing the part and then a long-running TV series with Tony Randall as Felix.
“Daniels was Felix in the newsroom. All hell could be breaking around him, complete chaos with people screaming and running around, but Mike would sit there in the eye of the newsroom hurricane quietly and patiently putting the newscast together. He never lost his cool or his temper and was a calming force in any breaking news situation,” Saltzman said.
Daniels was born on May 27, 1936, and graduated from USC in 1958 with a degree in telecommunications. He worked as a news producer and manager at KNXT/KCBS-TV for nearly 40 years, having joined the station while a senior at USC. He worked on every news broadcast from early morning to late night, winning several Emmys and Golden Mikes for stories he wrote and/or produced on subjects as varied as medical malpractice to breaking news stories such as the Northridge earthquake and the San Bernardino pipeline explosions.
Veteran newsman Pete Noyes remembered Daniels fondly.
“Mike Daniels was a pioneer in television news, a member of the legendary Big News staff, which at one time had a bigger audience than all the other televisions stations in Los Angeles combined. He was a first-class writer, news program producer and skilled designer of video graphics. His nightly news broadcast at 11 p.m. was the standard by which other programs were judged. Mike took his skills to the classroom where he helped develop hundreds of young journalists at the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University. It was an honor to know him and work side by side with him.”
Besides teaching at USC and LMU, Daniels also ran the student internship program at KCBS. He loved students and students loved him. When news broke of his death on Facebook, students and colleagues posted their appreciation of Daniels’ kindness and professionalism.
Newswoman Terry Murphy wrote, “Mike was a sweet guy with a beautiful soul. He will be missed by everyone who ever met him.” Liz Mitchell, a colleague both at CBS and USC, added: “We worked together first when he was the producer of the 11 o'clock news back in the late ‘60s and I was a rookie writer. How he survived my last-minute stories, I'll never know, but he was always cool-headed and always great at making the stories better. Years later, when our paths crossed again at USC, he was still the gentle, kind and amazingly patient soul I had known so many years before, and still the consummate newsman."
Former student Mike Runzler summed up most of the reaction “He was a great teacher, mentor and friend. I’ve got great memories both in the classroom and on the water.” The water reference was apt since Skipper Daniels loved his boat, the Grand Cru, and spent hours on the water entertaining friends, colleagues and students.
On his Facebook page, now filled with remembrances from those who knew him, Daniels explained his philosophy of life: “I grew up at a time when it was unheard of to openly express opinions that went against the belief of your friends and families. Bite your tongue! Go along with the wisdom of your group. And don’t rock the boat. As a lifelong sailor, I know something about boats. They’re much more fun when they’re rocking.”
Daniels is survived by two brothers, Mark and Alan, and sister-in-law, Jan. A memorial service will be held at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey on Sunday, April 21 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
