CBS News institutionally remembers Cronkite
If you have not read or seen enough about Walter Cronkite this weekend, I urge you to tune in Sunday night at 7 for That's the Way It Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite.
CBS News has a great history, and it does this sort of TV production about that history exceptionally well.
Understand not all the history of Cronkite at CBS News will be fully explored. The bad blood between Cronkite and his successor, Dan Rather, is not going to dealt with I am told. Part of the reason for the ill will was the way Rather used his new authority when he took over as anchor to keep the newly retired Cronkite off the air. Cronkite says he had been promised an active role in special reports, documentaries, science and political coverage -- and he was not happy when the promise wasn't kept. I was able to include some of that in my obituary of the legenday anchorman. I'll save most of the rest for another time.
Cronkite told me he was made to feel unwelcome at the West 57th Street headquarters of CBS News after he retired.
Rather's crew also made Cronkite loyalists feel unwelcome within the Evening News operation that they helped build into the number one newscast on network TV. At least two journalists who were there at the time used the word "purge" to describe the way the changing of the guard from Cronkite to Rather was handled.
That likely won't be part of Sunday night's special, and I am not saying it should be, I'm just trying to give you a fuller picture of the relationship between the institution of CBS News and Cronkite during other eras. It is more complicated than the testimonials you are reading might suggest. And things have been better in recent years since Rather left, with the current management team at CBS News going out of its way to forge closer ties with Cronkite.
I'll be watching Sunday night, because I can't hear the story told enough of how someone who did journalism the right way not only brought prestige and credibility to CBS, but also made the network piles of money with first-place ratings. One moral of the story of Cronkite's professional career at CBS News: Good journalism can be good business.
And finally, Let me get one more Cronkite fact off my chest. To me, one of the most compelling bits of evidence to support the claim in my Cronkite obituary that the term anchorman was invented to describe what he did is the fact that the first TV newsreaders and presenters in Sweden were simply called Kronkiters. The paragraph with that information in it got cut out of my obituary on Cronkite Friday night -- and I didn't know about it until tonight.
Maybe you already saw that fact elsewhere today, but if not, I wanted you to know how his seminal work in the early 1950's shaped the very construction of the archetype of TV anchorman around the world. I hope that is in the CBS special Sunday night. I think it will be.
Comments
This was good on Larry King last night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B19k63B2kg
Thanks Z, I will have to watch the one tonight at 7:00. This is an interview from several years ago. Mr. Cronkite talked about NASA and the moon landing, President Kennedy's death, his emotion over it and other career highlights. I can relate to the emotion that he touched on related to the medical field,as an EMT. I enjoyed this interview. I'll be back after church.
Posted by: Sherry T. | July 19, 2009 8:58 AM
There once was a day in Baltimore, if you were so lucky to live in the right spot and had an exterior antenna, you could pickup all four Washington DC 'VHF' stations on your television.
I used to know all of the "call letters". The Senators & Redskins played on channel 9 (WTOP?) which was the CBS affiliate where Walter began his career ... WRC = Channel 4 = NBC ... WTTG = Channel 5 = independent (now FOX) ... WMAL = Channel 7 = ABC and WTOP = Channel 9 = CBS.
Extra credit = W??? = Channel 8 = Lancaster, PA = ??? affiliation.
Posted by: Jim Considine | July 19, 2009 12:05 PM
I don't watch television, but I wouldn't miss CBS tonight at 7pm for the world. Thank you the wonderful words in your obituary of this great broadcaster. I am probably not the only American who feels as if a member of his family has passed away.
Hi David. I'll be watching, too. And thanks for your kind words. Please let me know what you think of the special. Z
Posted by: David Tate | July 19, 2009 6:05 PM
The CBS tribute to Walter Cronkite tonight was top-notch, from the classic footage to the tasteful "sailing into the sunset" ending. Thank you, CBS, for the silent credits at the end.
I agree for the most part. I loved the bite of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" near the end as Cronkite was aboard his boat. I was disappointed to see the Dan Rather stuff, though, because I believe there was a deep divide bewteen the two. Thanks. Z
Posted by: M Powers | July 19, 2009 8:02 PM
That was amazing. Really glad I watched. Even though I had to watch it on a small TV, the big one was being used. "He was our Priest, our minister, and our Rabbi". That was the best statement. I can't think of a news anchor today that could come close to that. Maybe Katie Couric would be a close second, I have always felt that she is an honest person. It was neat to hear from George Clooney, and Robin Williams. At the end of it I really felt like Mr. Cronkite stood for democracy. I also like the part where his girls were at Woodstock and he did'nt have a clue. I think parent's of teenagers always feel a little in the dark sometimes. It was great. I loved the sailboat.
Posted by: Sherry T. | July 19, 2009 8:13 PM
Wow I keep getting a stack overload message, I don't think my computer is working right. See if you get this.
I did. Thanks. Is the message coming from the Sun blog software or your computer? Z
Posted by: Sherry T. | July 19, 2009 8:29 PM
I loved and respected Walter Cronkite, he was simply the best Network New Anchor Ever!! I am sad to see the new management at CBS shelved any references by Dan Rather. Many times Dan took more than his fair share when things went wrong at CBS and recieved less than his fair share when things went right.
I think they both defined CBS and Network News during their years as anchors.
TDB
Posted by: Timbo | July 19, 2009 10:14 PM