TVNewsCheck: A new documentary traces the popularity of local TV news to one man, Al Primo
Journalism faculty Brian Calfano receives industry praise for documentary
Brian Calfano, professor of journalism at the University of Cincinnati, is receiving kudos for his recently released documentary: "Al Primo & His Eyewitness News Revolution."
Brian Calfano, professor of journalism at the University of Cincinnati. Photo/provided.
“I highly recommend the film to everybody, especially those in the TV news business,” writes Paul Greeley of TVNewsCheck, a broadcasting trade publication. Greeley notes that the film has already won multiple film/documentary awards.
The documentary has been a passion project for Calfano, a veteran news reporter and UC faculty member since 2016, who established the Center for Local News in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2023.
The documentary focuses on Eyewitness News creator Al Primo (1935-2022). Primo was an American television news executive who is credited with creating the Eyewitness News format. Hundreds of markets took on the Eyewitness News name to label their own featured local newscasts and others continue to use Primo's concept under different names for their own formats.
Primo is also credited with discovering and mentoring Rivera, who rose to national prominence in 1975 for pushing for, and anchoring, the first public airing of “The Zapruder Film” — a 1963 home movie of the Kennedy assassination taken by bystander Abraham Zapruder — on ABC’s Good Night America.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC expands partnership with Thales for AI research
April 22, 2026
The University of Cincinnati’s interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures welcomed its first industrial partner, Thales, at the beginning of Research + Innovation week. Thales is a global aerospace, defense and digital technology firm. Headquartered in France, it employs 83,000 people in dozens of countries, according to the Business Courier.
Record-setting UC track and field star sprints toward the future
April 22, 2026
University of Cincinnati student‑athlete Juliette Laracuente‑Huebner is graduating in three years with a 4.0 GPA, UC track and field records and All‑America honors, while pursuing a Doctor of Audiology and training for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Marian Spencer Scholar Marcus Elliott graduates as a leader
April 22, 2026
Marcus Elliott, one of the first Marian Spencer Scholars at the University of Cincinnati, is graduating with a marketing degree, a sales role lined up and a powerful story of growth, mentorship, leadership and giving back.