Posts Tagged ‘Walter Cronkite’

CBS legend Hewitt dies at 86

The fellow that made the way for Kevin and Amanda, Sean and Selena, and Scott and Jacqueline died this morning. Executive Producer of CBS News, and creator of “60 Minutes” Don Hewitt succumbed to pancreatic cancer Wednesday. He was 86.

He is considered the father of modern television news, the force behind front men Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, covering all of the major news events in the post-war era. He created the TV news magazine “60 Minutes” in 1968 which set the standard for every long-form news show to come after. He stepped down from his role as Executive Producer in 2004.

He also pioneered TV news staples such as cue-cards, now the Teleprompter, as well as the use of the character generator during a newscast.


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Poll: who are your favorite former Erie anchors?

Last week we waxed nostalgic for the bygone days of television news, before the segmentation of 24-hour cable news and advocacy anchors. When P&T readers were asked who was their favorite former anchor, the late Peter Jennings won a plurality of the vote, followed closely by Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw. Jennings and Brokaw contemporary Dan Rather on the other hand received just one vote.

Let’s take this look back local: who are your favorite anchors on local TV? I have to admit that this is a partial list of the bigger names that I can remember. If you have a favorite that’s not on here, let me know in the comments and I’ll add their name to the poll. You can pick up to three on this one, so you may want to vote for just 1 or 2 early and wait til later in the week for your final vote. Of course, our votes will add up to more than 100%.

Who are your favorite former Erie TV anchors? (choose up to 3)

  • Lisa Zompa (27%, 24 Votes)
  • Ned McGrath (27%, 24 Votes)
  • Hyle Richmond (25%, 22 Votes)
  • Don Shriver (22%, 19 Votes)
  • Karla Mullenax (22%, 19 Votes)
  • Bob Sutherland (18%, 16 Votes)
  • Scott Baker (15%, 13 Votes)
  • Kelly Gaughan (14%, 12 Votes)
  • Bill Knupp (10%, 9 Votes)
  • Trina Orlando (10%, 9 Votes)
  • Frank Rizzone (9%, 8 Votes)
  • Kiren Chetry (9%, 8 Votes)
  • Tony Victor (7%, 6 Votes)
  • Raychel Vendetti (7%, 6 Votes)
  • Paul Wagner (5%, 4 Votes)
  • Carol Pella (5%, 4 Votes)
  • Al Benedict (3%, 3 Votes)
  • Angie Dickson (2%, 2 Votes)
  • Nerissa Sugars (1%, 1 Votes)
  • Jim DeSantis (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Lisa Guyton (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Drew Sugars (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Evan Lovett (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 88

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Deep Background for July 26-August 1, 2009

The death of Walter Cronkite generated a muted response in this space, even as the national media provided widespread coverage of his life and the funeral this week in New York. Meanwhile, what doesn’t seem muted is the Erie public’s growing concern that they are going to lose this summer due to the cold and rainy conditions. Because so much of our ability to endure 6 months of snowfall depends on 3-4 glorious months of warmth and sunshine, Erieites are getting at a minimum frazzled, all the way to the point of an ill-timed outbreak of Seasonal Affect Disorder.

Whether you are SAD about the weather, or want to celebrate the weather forecaster, you can talk about it here on our open forum. Your personal connections can be e-mailed at joel@nataliemedia.com, or via Twitter @pressandtower.

Embrace the clouds, I mean chaos!

Poll: favorite former TV anchor?

Over half of P&T poll respondents think that Erie Police Chief Steve Franklin’s withholding of information from the media and public is an actionable offense. 57% who answered the poll thought the chief should go.

The airwaves are full of history as television news celebrates the life of former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, and the 40 year anniversary of the event that was at the center of Cronkite’s passion, the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.

Cronkite was the originator of the anchorman role, and many in the decades since have filled that role at the three major broadcast networks with varying success. But everyone has a favorite.

Who was your favorite former TV anchor?

  • Peter Jennings (27%, 18 Votes)
  • Walter Cronkite (24%, 16 Votes)
  • Tom Brokaw (23%, 15 Votes)
  • David Brinkley (9%, 6 Votes)
  • John Chancellor (5%, 3 Votes)
  • Connie Chung (5%, 3 Votes)
  • Bob Schieffer (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Frank Reynolds (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Harry Reasoner (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Dan Rather (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Chet Huntley (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Max Robinson (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Howard K. Smith (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Barbara Walters (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 66

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The way it was: Cronkite dies at 92

The man that guided a nation through some of the most tumultuous decades of the 20th century has died. Longtime CBS reporter and anchor of the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite, died Friday evening in Manhattan. He was 92.

Tweets about his failing condition had been reported over the last few weeks, as the man referred to as “the most trusted man in America” finally succumbed to cerebral vascular disease.

As Katie Couric broke into regular programming last night to announce the news about her predecessor, she reminded viewers that Cronkite chronicled American history as it happened, from North Africa in WWII as a wire service reporter, to the Nuremberg trials, through the 1950′s as a reporter then as CBS’s anchor in 1962. Video that is indelible in the mind of Americans is one of sheer grief as Cronkite announced the wire flash that President Kennedy had died, along with the glee he showed at the landing of the Apollo 11 lunar module 40 years ago Sunday. He held the anchor chair until 1981, when he went on to do special projects and documentaries well into his 80′s.


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I don’t recall ever having occasion to hear him speak in person, but perhaps our local CBS veterans can share any Cronkite encounters they had.