Edie Magnus is a proud native of Cincinnati, OH who has been telling stories for nearly 30 years. She has interviewed heads of state and prisoners on death row, but perhaps her greatest interviewing achievement was getting the internationally acclaimed mime Marcel Marceau to talk. (OK, that’s not exactly true – he was on a press tour and would have talked to just about anyone. But it was still really cool.) She has created content ranging from painstakingly crafted documentaries to those mad, crazy “crashes” where dozens of people quickly slam together an hour of TV on a big story that has just happened.

Ms. Magnus is currently a voiceover artist and freelance television personality; she’s described as a talent “who operates with keen intelligence, discerning judgment and perfect pitch,” as well as “an intuitive sense of how to present copy.” Her clients range from companies in the healthcare industry to entertainment conglomerates to TV production companies; she can be seen and/or heard in documentaries for public television, medical information and e-learning videos, commercials, outdoor special events, and public service campaigns. On the web she hosts a series of webinars for physicians’ continuing medical education.

And she’s active in the non-profit world:  Edie is currently Chief College Relations officer for Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, where she is telling the story of the truly revolutionary ways the college is transforming the lives of its students.  If you haven’t heard of this place yet, you will.  She has also done media consulting for various NGO’s including the international women’s advocacy organization Vital Voices and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

In 2009 Edie was Executive Producer, Writer and Reporter on “Cry for Help ,” a PBS documentary about adolescents and the disturbing increase in teenage suicide and depression. “Cry For Help” received an Honorable Mention at the 2010 SAMSHA Voice Awards and was one of ten finalists for the NIHCM Health Care Television and Radio Journalism award. She has been honored many times for her coverage of science and medicine. One award-winning series of stories changed how medicine is practiced for patients with a rare brain condition. She was selected by the National Science Foundation to a panel charged with developing strategies to increase interest in science and math among America students. And at ABC Edie was the solo anchor to launch “The Health Show” among the first magazine programs of its kind devoted entirely to that topic.

Occasionally, her passionate attention to health and medical matters has, well, backfired. Like the time snarky New York Magazine outed her for smoking. No thanks to NY Mag, she does not smoke anymore.

Edie has been at the center of major world events for NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS as well as MSNBC and CNBC. During the terrorist attacks of 9/11 she reported from Pennslvania where United 93 went down. In 1987 she covered the military coup in the Philippines culminating in the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda from the country. (Yes, she saw the thousands of pairs of shoes; sadly they where not her size….)

She was also one of the founding hosts of the syndicated program “USA TODAY : The Television Show.” The show premiered in an unprecedented 157 cities but ended just months after it began — so the experience was simultaneously humbling and, well, enriching! It’s good to have one of those along the way.

And hey how about this headline ??

In the mid 90′s when Americans were introduced to the the “new” Betty Crocker, Edie’s colleagues at CBS were pretty sure she was moonlighting. It turns out this was a computerized composite of 75 different women, resulting in what one author described as “a bit of an odd news anchor/political wife style woman with slightly tan skin, freakishly white teeth, and a perpetually dazed expression.” Ouch.

Edie Magnus has received numerous awards for professional excellence : the Clarion (Association for Women in Communications); the Edward R. Murrow; the National News Emmy; the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi award; the Gracie (American Women in Radio and Television); a Gold World medal from the New York Festivals; the National Epilepsy Foundation Distinguished Journalism award; and honorable mention from the Overseas Press Club.

But the honor which has generated the most attention from friends and strangers is this :

That’s right. 77 across. You just haven’t lived until you’re a clue in the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle. Unfortunately, “Newswoman Magnus” was soon replaced by “Falco of the Sopranos.” Such is fame…..

Thankfully, she is the mother of two teenaged boys who grow more beautiful and interesting every year, and in whose lives she is delighted to maintain a meaningful presence. Ms. Magnus’ husband, the incredibly handsome, talented and funny Robert Mayer, is a producer at CNN in New York.