Pioneering Agent Of TV News Stars Dies At 85

Richard Leibner, an accountant-turned-agent that oversaw the rise of many prominent TV news journalists over the span of his career, has reportedly died at the age of 85. He reportedly died on Tuesday.

He was born in Brooklyn and graduated from the University of Rochester. He started his professional career as an accountant, working for his father’s New York City accounting firm in 1964.

Leibner had reportedly been suffering from a long illness. He died at his home on Tuesday surrounded by his loved ones. His home was located in Manhattan, New York.

His high-powered clients included Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, Norah O’Donnell, Ed Bradley, Bill Whitaker and Charlie Rose. Leibner played a role in presenting some of the most well known journalists in the history of the American press.

His ability to shape careers and to create big names in the industry was extremely special, and something that you simply don’t see very often. Former CBS News Andrew Heyward said about Richard Leibner during a 2022 interview,

“Richard broadened the definition of talent in the television news business and increased its value enormously. Not just for the big-name stars, but for other people that may not be in the top echelon. You had this phenomenon of associate producers walking around saying, ‘I have another year in my contract’ with no irony. This was a new thing.”

Leibner was in fact so good at representing his clients that he was actually also known for wreaking havoc for news directors and other network businessmen and women during his time as an agent.

By the end of the 1970s, Leibner had started to represent some of the largest names in news. He even is credited with bringing Diane Sawyer to 60 Minutes. He later orchestrated Sawyer’s move to ABC News.

Richard Leibner is a man that many few in the public knew, but in actuality, he played a large role in shaping the face of news over latter half of the 20th Century. Rest in peace, legend!