How MC Alumna Margee Finn Frame ’79 Became a Voice for Rural America
Special AARP Magazine cover to celebrate Finn Frame’s retirement, November 2024.
The scariest moment of MC Alumna Margee Finn Frame’s career came during her first job at ABC News. Finn Frame ran the teleprompter on World News Tonight for renowned journalist Frank Reynolds; her job was one of the most high-pressure jobs in broadcast media, particularly for someone just starting to work their way up in their career.
Finn Frame performed the job flawlessly every night for six weeks. Then, one day she forgot to turn on Reynolds’ teleprompter monitor. As the nightly news music went on, Reynolds looked at his camera, and the teleprompter wasn’t live. He then looked at Finn Frame and asked, “Where is my prompter?” That was the last night she ran the teleprompter for him on World News Tonight.
Despite her costly error that night, Finn Frame went on to build an incredibly successful career spanning more than 40 years in broadcast and digital media production. She worked as an editor at Fox 5 DC for nine years, as a network video news editor at ABC News Washington Bureau for five years, and most recently, as a former editor and senior producer at AARP for 31 years. There, she helped lead the production for Rural America Livenew window, a monthly live call-in TV show focused on educating rural America on everyday issues, from the high cost of prescription drugs to fighting fraud to planning for retirement. Through it all, Finn Frame credits Montgomery College for laying the foundation for her success.
After growing up in the Kemp Mill community and graduating from Northwood High School, Finn Frame came to Montgomery College because of its standout photography program. A classmate referred her to the College’s television production program, and from there her career was born. She learned video and audio production skills through hands-on, experience-based classes in studio, field, and post-production. Later, a professor in the television program who had a relationship with ABC News steered her toward a competitive summer internship program at the news bureau. She says the reputation of students coming out of MC was instrumental in her gaining that experience.
Finn Frame (seated, second from right) performing during the MC-TV Studios production, Open New Doors, in 1978.
“I was provided with these types of opportunities because of my foundation at Montgomery College,” Finn Frame says. “If I had not received the type of education I did, I would not have been able to venture into a network newsroom and run a studio camera for a live network news show. I learned those skills at MC’s studios because our teachers were serious, and they demanded respect in the control room. They demanded good work, and they respected us and our individual talents.”
Finn Frame quickly discovered the intensity of the broadcast and digital media production industry, as evidenced by her experience at ABC News. She needed to be precise with her camera and video skills while working in fast-paced environments under tight deadlines. However, thanks to her time at MC, she learned to be resilient and set herself apart.
“Teachers at MC give you the confidence you need to find yourself. That’s what I loved about MC the most.”
After successful stints at ABC News and Fox 5 DC as a news and video editor, Finn Frame moved to AARP, where she served as editor and producer. There, she played an instrumental role in expanding the organization’s media productions. In 2013, she became executive producer for the TV show, Rural America Live.
Finn Frame started Rural America Live on RFD-TV 12 years ago with a staff of just eight people. The show’s format features expert speakers on topics ranging from the serious—social security, preventing scams and frauds, how to save money, estate planning—to lighter lifestyle segments on topics like decluttering and brain health. Over time, the program has built a viewership of more than half a million viewers per episode.
Finn Frame working the camera for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, an annual event held on Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“Our fraud shows are super popular,” Finn Frame says. “We always have a fraud expert who comes and sits at the desk and answers questions live on-air. People call in with their heartfelt stories, especially those that involve romance scams. One woman lost $850. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but to her, that was her life savings. That’s all she had. Our show can help people like that.”
Finn Frame retired from AARP in December 2024. After her successful career, she recently reconnected with MC through her daughter, Nora, who graduated from MC in 2016 and currently works at a law firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now, her childhood friend, Connie McGuire, who is a retired MC professor and current MC Foundation Board member, inspires her to get more involved at the College.
While MC has changed a lot since she graduated in 1979, Finn Frame appreciates the tremendous impact the institution still has on students in Montgomery County and alums such as her daughter.
“MC was the most diverse group my daughter had in her education. She was with young people, old people, people who spoke English as a second language, etc. They came from all over the world and were placed on the same level at MC, being treated with an equal amount of respect. This foundation helped her tremendously beyond MC.”