Tom Cassidy

Tom Cassidy (August 12, 1949 – May 26, 1991) was the television business anchor for Cable News Network (CNN), an American cable news television station, and the founder of the weekend show Pinnacle in 1982. Significantly, he was the CNN business news anchor during Black Monday, 19 October 1987. This was a famous day on Wall Street when the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 508 points to 1739, a frightening drop during which time Cassidy's ongoing reporting during the afternoon and evening provided both credible information and a significant calmness to the American public.

Early life and education Cassidy was born in Boston on 12 August 1949. He majored in history at Bowdoin College in Maine. He went to Columbia University in New York City, where he received master's degrees in economics and journalism.

Career In 1978 he began his career in broadcasting for KEZI-TV in Eugene, Oregon, as a reporter and anchor. Cassidy then moved over to KGO-TV in San Francisco. After that Cassidy was the business editor for Mutual Radio in Chicago. In 1982 he founded CNN's weekend show about business leaders, Pinnacle. In 1984 he became the host of Pinnacle, a position he held until 1988.

Podcast Season 2, episode 11 of the podcast “Making Gay History” is about him.

Death Cassidy died on 26 May 1991 in Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City from complications of HIV/AIDS.