Former NBC News chief Reuven Frank dead

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Groundbreaking NBC News president and producer Reuven Frank has died in New Jersey of pneumonia at age 85.

Frank died Sunday at a hospital near his home, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. His funeral was planned for Wednesday.

Frank is credited with putting two anchors into a single news broadcast for NBC's "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" back in the 1956, the Times said.

He was also known for his hard-hitting news documentaries such as the 1962 report, "The Tunnel," about 59 Germans who escaped through a secret passage under the Berlin Wall.

Frank was president of NBC News from 1968 to 1972 and from 1982 to 1984.

Tom Brokaw, John Chancellor, Linda Ellerbee and Andrea Mitchell were just a few of the stars to rise during his reign, the Times said.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.