From the control room of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw to the classrooms of Monmouth College, Joseph A. “Joe” Angotti shaped some of the most significant news coverage of the late 20th century before dedicating his later years to teaching and community service.
Angotti died Jan. 25, 2026, in Monmouth. He was 87.
A Gary, Indiana, native, Angotti earned his bachelor’s (1961) and master’s (1965) degrees from Indiana University, where he was inducted into the School of Journalism Hall of Fame in 2007.
He began his television career at WHAS-TV in Louisville in 1962, moved to WMAQ-TV in Chicago in 1966, and joined NBC as a network producer in 1968. He produced coverage of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and later served as executive producer of the NBC Nightly News weekend edition with Tom Brokaw.
Obituary: Joseph A. Angotti ~ December 14, 1938 — January 25, 2026
From 1977 to 1980 he was executive producer of the weeknight newscast with John Chancellor, and eventually rose to senior vice president of News Europe, overseeing major events including presidential conventions, space shuttle launches and landings, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Tiananmen Square massacre. His work earned numerous honors, including a national Emmy Award for a series on world hunger.
After leaving NBC in 1992, Angotti formed his own production company and created the “From Marx to Markets” series for Eastern Europe. He then transitioned to academia, chairing communication studies at the University of Miami (1993–1998) and founding its Center for Advancement of Modern Media.
From 1999 to 2005 he chaired the broadcast program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where he founded the Northwestern News Network.
In Monmouth, Angotti and his wife Karen co-founded Rainbow Riders Therapeutic Riding Center in 2005, an organization dedicated to providing healing, empowerment, and joy through equine-assisted therapy — especially for children with autism and other special needs.
Angotti is survived by his wife, Karen Angotti; his sons, Mark Angotti and Andrew (Kim) Angotti; and grandchildren Jessica Magana and Nick Sparks.
A celebration of life will be announced and held at a later date.
