Jerry Nachman, the MSNBC VP and editor -in chief who was one of the most well-known, outside-the-box and colorful characters in his generation of television newsmen, died Jan. 19 at his home in Hoboken, N.J. He was 57 and had been battling cancer for the past year. “Jerry was well-informed, candid, witty and charming. He was also a gifted newsman and executive, and his passing is a loss not just to NBC but to the entire profession,” said Bob Wright, GE vice chairman and NBC chairman and CEO. Mr. Nachman put his stamp on radio, television and print news, working on and off camera (and off-microphone) in newsrooms and front offices from Washington, where he was VP and general manager of NBC-owned WRC-TV and worked at WRC radio, to New York, where he worked for WCBS-TV and WCBS radio. In the late ’80s he served as a columnist and editor of the New York Post. After leaving the Post, he headed West, where his credits included working as staff writer and executive producer on “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher.” Mr. Nachman was a staff writer on “UC: Undercover” before heading back East to take the job at MSNBC. A memorial service will be held Jan. 29 at Riverside Chapel in New York. In lieu of flowers, his family has requested that donations be made in Mr. Nachman’s name to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.