Grzegorz Miecugow, our fellow journalist and colleague, has passed away at the age of 61. He worked for TVN since it was first established. He was the co-editor of the "Fakty" news service, and since 2005 he hosted "Szkło kontaktowe" on TVN24.
Grzegorz Miecugow graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Warsaw. He joked that he had never wanted to become a journalist and that that particular career choice was just coincidence.
He started working in the media in 1980, starting out at a local Warsaw radio station. He first appeared live on Polish Radio in 1981 alongside Jerzy Rosołowski. He was the editor of broadcasts for children on Polish Radio channel four. In 1987 he joined the team behind the "Zapraszamy do Trójki" show. He went on to become the head of the team and director of the entire radio station.
After leaving the radio, he was hired by Polish Television. He became the host and publisher of the "Wiadomości" news service on TVP1
In 1997 he joined TVN. He co-created the station’s "Fakty" news service, presenting its weekend edition.
In 2001 he hosted the first series of the hugely popular "Big Brother" reality show on TVN, whose finale was watched by an audience of nine million people.
He actively participated in the creation of TVN24 – a pioneering news station on the Polish market, where he remained until the end. He first headed the publishers’ team and recently became Head of the News and Editorial Comment Department at TVN24.
He hosted shows such as "Inny punkt widzenia" and "Szkło kontaktowe". He was also the moderator in a series of "Arena Idei" debates. Over the last few years, Miecugow taught journalism as a faculty member of Collegium Civitas.
Fight against cancer
Grzegorz Miecugow had struggled with cancer for several years before he died in hospital on Saturday at 2.55 p.m.
During his author’s meeting in Darłowo this March he said he "might be very seriously ill".
"Anyhow, I will be operated on. The question remains whether it will be a trivial procedure involving the removal of a bulge which might someday turn out to be dangerous, or a procedure which will mark the beginning of my fight to stay alive," he said.
When asked by the local website naszemiasto.pl whether admitting publicly to having health problems was a way for him to cope with the difficult situation, he said: "I know that I am going to die someday, it’s only a matter of sooner or later. I still have plenty to do. That is how I feel. I will not be dramatic about it, but I will fight."
"We need you – pull yourself together and come back."
"He was a hard worker and a journalist of the kind that is now almost impossible to find. We have this story about him from TVN24’s early days when he hosted a live studio broadcast for several hours because all technology in the station was down. Several hours of talking live. Non-stop. When there were no other people to talk to, he invited his colleagues to join him at the table and interviewed them," says Adam Pieczyński, Editor in Chief at TVN24.
"Fate and a dreadful disease are taking him away just when we need him so much," he adds. "When I last talked to him – when he was in hospital – that is exactly what I told him: we need you, pull yourself together and come back. He cheered up. He promised. But he is not coming back. He is leaving us saddened, in mourning and finding it hard to accept the cruel outcome of the disease."
Colleagues remember Grzegorz Miecugow
TVN Program Director Edward Miszczak said on TVN24 that he had met Grzegorz Miecugow when he was still working for the Polish Radio channel three.
"He was the pillar on which "Fakty" was built. Of course the show had its anchors and reporters, but Grzegorz Miecugow was the glue that kept the team together in the early days," Miszczak emphasized. He remembered that in his professional life Grzegorz was able to find "room for irony, witty humor, far-sightedness and for presenting a different perspective on things." He emphasized that Miecugow knew how to act under any circumstances.
"He was a journalist. He did not dabble in politics, as our fellow journalists sometimes do. He was simply in the business of pure journalism," said Tomasz Sianecki, a journalist at TVN24 and one of the people behind "Szkło kontaktowe".
"Miecugow received numerous tokens of respect and sheer admiration from his audience and signs that people were simply interested in what he had to say," he said. "Many of his viewpoints were far from straightforward. He often surprised people with his attitude towards certain events. He had a sharp, reflective mind, he could draw conclusions and somehow influenced the reality around us."
Źródło: tvn24