Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, were doing the news the year I was born (earlier than Walter ;) I followed Brinkley all the way to his final Sunday morning show in the late 1990's. (Brinkley died in 2003) Another favorite of mine, Howard K Smith,
was so influential to me (anchor at ABC at the time I worked for an ABC affiliate) that I actually named my Yorkie Howard K (aka Howie.) My own most memorable moment in the news biz was "scooping" both Howard K and Walter on a hot August day in 1974 when I got to announce Nixon's resignation on the noon news before them. I was 19 and was the first female and youngest TV Anchor in Iowa.
I was too young to remember Walter pulling off his glasses and wiping a tear as he announced the hour of Kennedy's death. I saw the replay many, many times in subsequent years and thought it was fabulous -- fabulous because it was a rare moment of emotion, not the norm the way anchors and reporters carry on today over everything. I do vividly recall Cronkite's reporting of the moon landing, and how we gathered around the B&W TV for that monumental event.
Watching the coverage tonight of Cronkite's passing, what feels the most tragic is how (like MJ) he had no recognition in recent years and had to die to get his much earned acknowledgement. In Walter's case after a forced retirement (28 years ago), and because of Dan Rather's insecurity, he was not even allowed to do commentaries or cover Presidential campaigns. What a waste! We could have benefited from his wisdom and journalism might have had a few more years of objectivity and credibility. But, today tabloid news rules and unfortunately "that's the way it is."
6 comments:
Long Live Walter...
and that's the way it is.
Secret "Scoop Follower"
Speaking of catch phrases, it was Edward R. Murrow who coined the "This is..." reporting style, delivered with his vocal emphasis on the word this. I think it's safe to say he invented television journalism. However, he died in 1965 so like those 30 and younger today who say WTF about Cronkite, I never really appreciated Murrow. But in J-school he was always touted.
Howard K, who was the ABC anchor when I was reporting, was a "Murrow boy", meaning recruited by the Master. I got to speak with Howard K once when he came to Ottumwa to do a report on the WWII home of Nixon. Tricky Dick was stationed in Ottumwa during the war. (yech)
Finally, I wanted to give a shout out to two other national journalists who impacted me. Frank Reynolds and Barbara Walters. I always liked Frank, who was considered a hot head. He was the anchor when I was in high school, then removed for his temper. But when things got really controversial with Harry Reasoner and WahWah (Walters), both were pulled off the air and ABC ate crow begging Frank to return. He was anchor until he died in 1983 and Peter Jennings took over. I loved him, too.
Of all these legendary anchors, only Barbara Walters is still alive. I grew up with her on the morning "Today" show. She was certainly a role model and broadcasting pioneer. She looks fantastic and still co-hosts "the View" on ABC. She will be 80 this fall!
read what one of my "regular" blogs has to say about WC. it's dated july 18:
http://voodoonotes.blogspot.com/
i especially liked her last paragraph:
I've missed Cronkite for years already. Sometimes when I’d listen to some news anchor joking around about some story, I would, instead, hear his voice, calm and measured and never silly and be taken back to all the endless evenings of my childhood, playing quietly while my parents watched the news, trusting that what they heard was what they needed to know.
the same blog (voodoonotes.blogspot.com) just posted a follow-up article, and even mentions ME! how cool.
read her entry of july 18 entitle "why journalism isn't journalism" ...
here's the comment i posted:
i WAS a journalism major, back when i was young and thin and my whole life was ahead of me. my journalism instructors, for the most part, were pretty wonderful. one in particular was very cronkite-ish. you could tell that, for him, the story was everything. let me tell you, that certainly inspired his students.
over the years, as i read newspapers, news magazines, news sites, blogs, opinion sites, i tend to just shake my head at the whole desrepair of journalism and wonder at what happened to the likes of Cronkite, Halberstam, Woodward and Berstein. i wonder if watergate would have even made headlines in the current environment. think how much honest-to-God journalism has meant to our political history and weep over its current state of affairs.
I remember when Cronkite told of Kennedy's death, it was pretty emotional, even for a 12 year old kid.
I'd like to see you get back into telecasting Jami-- You were the family pride when you were the first anchor woman for KTVO TV, located in Ottumwa, IA. The last time I was in their studio they still have a black and white picture of you hanging in the reception area.
I remember well when you came on air, the annoucer said, "And now, Jami Hagens, with the news."
Although I'm your cousin, and should know--was Hagens your TV name? :)
Doug, thanks for that VERY nice comment! I went by Hagans for "round one" when I was the "weather girl" and did the noon news. But, when I came back after some formal j-school training, and became the evening anchor, I was married and went by Morgan. I liked the sound of it better and kept it all these years.
I just realized aren't we supposed to remain anonymous on blogs and in cyber space? yikes!
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