Magers originally planned to pursue a career in Law, but became interested in television because of his brother Ron Magers, who worked in the TV industry. His first television job was at KSTP in St. Paul, Minnesota where he worked as a technician, dispatcher, and producer. He moved on to be a reporter at KATU in Portland, Oregon in 1979. In 1981, he moved to San Diego, California to work as a reporter and anchor at KGTV. He returned to the Twin Cities in 1983 to work at KARE, and had his last night on the air there on December 12, 2003. Magers is scheduled to return to the air at KCBS on January 5, 2004.
While working for KATU, Magers reported on the aftermath of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. In 1986, he anchored live coverage of a tornado being photographed by a KARE helicopter. In 2002, Magers co-moderated a memorable debate between United States Senate candidates Walter Mondale and Norm Coleman.
He appeared as himself in the 1998 movie A Simple Plan, and has held the national anchordesk with guest positions on NBC Nightly News and The Today Show.Career
Notable stories and appearances