WNBC reporter John Noel has died, an NBC spokesperson confirms to TVSpy.
“Our WNBC family sends its thoughts and prayers to John’s family. He will be sincerely missed,” the NBC owned station said in a statement.
WNBC said Noel was diagnosed with “a serious illness” two years ago. TunedIn’s Jerry Barmash reports Noel was suffering from brain cancer.
Noel, a Brooklyn native, joined WNBC in 1998 as a general assignment reporter. He had previously worked at WJBK in Detroit and KSDK in St. Louis.
Noel has won a number of broadcasting awards, including the New York State Broadcasters Award in 1999 and the Tenants Council of Brooklyn Award for Excellence in Broadcast Television. During his four years in the United States Air Force, he worked as a radio programmer and announcer for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Network.
Read the full WNBC statement after the jump.
It is with great sadness that we report the loss of our beloved colleague John Noel. John had been a reporter at WNBC since 1998.
Prior to joining our New York family, he reported in Detroit and in St. Louis.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, John joined the Air Force in the 1970s. He became interested in the business while deployed in Thailand where he was a radio programmer and announcer.
Back stateside, he went to college on the GI Bill. He attended Brooklyn College, graduating summa cum laude. John went on to get a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri.
Two years ago, John had been diagnosed with a serious illness but continued to come to work until recently.
Our WNBC family sends its thoughts and prayers to John’s family. He will be sincerely missed.