WXXI’s Martin Kaufman lives and breathes all things news. It’s almost impossible to imagine him in another career though he admits he dabbled with the idea of becoming a teacher in his younger years. Fortunately for Rochester and the WXXI family he ultimately chose to work in news and production.
For nearly 25 years he’s been immersed in the news and television programming at the station covering everything from politics, election debates, and the arts, to healthcare and the criminal justice system. Kaufman also helped launch Need to Know back in 1997. The program continues to be the longest running news magazine show in Rochester. While Kaufman is usually behind-the-scenes editing field packages and line-producing the show, he joins host Hélène Biandudi Hofer for a special edition of Need to Know as they both look back at their tenure with the program and say goodbye as they prepare for new adventures.