A native of Albion, N.Y., McKnight earned an E.E. degree at Clarkson Institute of Technology and did one year of graduate work in journalism at Syracuse University. He joined Simmons-Boardman in 1951 and remained with the company until 1972, when he left to become editor of The Signalman's Journal, a publication of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.

In 2010, Rochester, N.Y.-based public broadcast station WXXI presented McKnight with the 2010 Associate of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals making "significant contributions in support of WXXI, its broadcasts, and operations."