It grieved us to hear that former Managing Editor of Weekly Variety, Frank Meyer, passed away last Monday (Jan. 29) at the Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital due to fluid in his lungs and blood clots. He had been hospitalized since shortly before Syd Silverman’s birthday party on Jan. 13th.
Frank was born in Port Chester, N.Y. on New Year’s Day, 1936. He moved to Miami in 1952 where he graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in philosophy. Meyer was introduced to journalism during his three-year army srvice when he was named editor of the Chinon (France) Engineer Depot paper in 1957, specializing in sports writing, also contributing to the Army’s “Stars and Stripes” paper. Back in Miami in June 1959 he joined the now-defunct “Miami News” as a sports writer. For the next five years he moved between journalism and public relations, including a period as assistant to producer Zev Bufman at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, then as producer of “The Larry King Show” on WIOD, Miami.
In February 1964 he joined the “Miami Beach Sun” as chief copy editor and then became entertainment editor. In addition, he became Florida correspondent for Variety and added radio and television on-air interviews, reviews and entertainment news programs to his schedule.
Meyer changed direction in 1969, becoming a theatrical agent with the Miami office of the Agency for the Performing Arts, a job which lasted three weeks. He returned to PR and journalism, later moving to Israel for 19 months in 1970, during which time he aired a weekly radio program on WIOD Miami, wrote a column for the “Sun”, later the “Sun-Reporter”, was a Variety correspondent, did hometown radio and tv reports for the Combined Jewish Appeal and, in addition to myriad freelance work, became a reporter for and then acting department head of the English Section of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
He moved to New York in 1974 to work as a general assignment reporter for Variety. After a brief period, he joined the music department and became music editor in 1975, a position he held until resigning in 1980 to return to Florida. After marriage, when he adopted his wife’s son and daughter, he worked in PR for another two years. Meyer rejoined Variety as the first editor of Special Sections, a post he held until replacing Robert J. Landry as managing editor in September 1983. When Cahners Publications decided to separate the Special Projects Unit for the Weekly at the beginning of 1989, Meyer was named its first editor, where he remained until March 1990.
He spent eight months in 1991 as managing editor of “Agent & Manager” magazine. In July 1992 he and his wife moved to Stonewall Farm in Highland, N.Y. While living there he was at various times executive director of the Hudson Valley Film & Video Office and broadcast a morning show for WKIP Poughkeepsie and WGHQ Kingston.
He is surived by his wife Mikki of Highland, daughter Jana (Bennett), Abel of Maryland, son Ryan of Los Angeles, grandson Jack Abel, granddaughter Lily Abel and brother Michael of Orlando.
Meyer donated his body for transplant and research. His wife, Miki, wrote us: “We will be sitting shiva at our home this week in Highland and will plan a memorial service in New York City in a couple of months to honor him”.
Those wishing to write, can address their condolences to:
Mrs Frank Meyer
668 N. Chodikee Lake Rd.
Highland, NY 12520
Or by e-mail to: frankmeyer2@aol.com.