How “Marketplace” creator Russell helped Brancaccio find his voice

Tyler Falk of Current writes about the legacy of Jim Russell, the creator of “Marketplace” who died earlier this week.

Falk writes, “David Brancaccio, now host and senior editor of Marketplace Morning Report, said Russell ‘took an enormous risk’ when he hired Brancaccio as host of Marketplace at age 33.

“Russell had a ‘reputation of being very intense,’ Brancaccio said. But when Brancaccio started the job in 1993, Russell assured him that he would let him find his voice as host.

“Russell told him, ‘‘I’m not going to get in your way, but I’m going to listen for the sound that you now own the show — that you’re relaxed and that the show is yours,’’ Brancaccio said.

“For the first few months, Russell didn’t give Brancaccio any feedback. ‘And then, one day after the Marketplace broadcast, he goes, ‘I can hear you own it now,’’ Brancaccio said.

“‘When you’re finding your voice, it’s hard to give you advice on how to find your own voice,’ he said. ‘I think Jim understood that. I’ve never seen anything like that before or since in my career.'”

Read more here.