#texasmonthlytalks

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Journalist Helen Thomas interveiw

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Broadcast Journalist Walter Cronkite

“How can you possibility do justice to introducing, or interviewing, Walter Cronkite? Well, when the legendary 89-year-old journalist returned to Austin and the University of Texas campus in late February to be honored by NASA, I found myself sitting across from the man once widely though to be the most trusted figure in America — try finding anyone in the media described that way today. All these years later, the image of him announcing President Kennedy’s death, of him narrating the signature public moments in all of our lives, is seared into my consciousness and probably yours too, along with the six words that began his trademark exit line: And that’s the way it is. But the way it was when Cronkite was the gold standard of broadcast news isn’t the way it is. The bean counters and budget cutters at the big conglomerates that now own the networks have said, to coin a phrase, good night and good luck to a time when anchors mattered and nightly news mattered. Cable TV and TIVO and the internet and other technological advances have made the Bob Schieffers and Brian Williamses of the world more irrevelant than ever, if not outright obsolete. Never again will a generation be reared on over-the-air offerings at the dinner hour. It’s entirely possible that most kids will grow up never even knowing there’s such a thing as network news. Perhaps, at some point, there won’t be. Cronkite has an opinion on this, not suprisingly, as he has an opinion on just about everything — and he’s earned the right to offer it. The Missouri native, who attended UT in the early thirties but never graduated, not only talked the talk but walked the walk in a career that began before World War II, reached its heights during nearly twenty years at the anchor of the CBS Evening News, and continues today through his commentaries and assorted public appearances. He is not, in any sense of the word, the retiring type. How lucky we are to have a half-hour of his time this week!” - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 03.23.06

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Broadcast Journalist Dan Rather “Dan Rather talks with Evan Smith about leading – and leaving – the CBS Evening News, watching broadcast journalism evolve and staying true to his Texas roots.” - Evan Smith, Texas Monthly Talks, Broadcast 10.6.05

Journalist Daniel Irving Rather was born on October 31, 1931, in Houston, Texas. His mother, Veda, cared for Rather and his two younger siblings. His father, Daniel Sr., laid pipeline for Texas oil fields. The family moved to Houston about a year after Daniel, Jr. was born and settled into a working-class neighborhood there. Although neither of his parents had been to college, and his father had never finished high school, his family was determined to see Dan graduate and go to college.

Rather’s own interest in journalism was sparked partly by his parents’ voracious reading habits, and by a bout of rheumatic fever that left Dan bedridden for weeks. During his rest, he listened to radio broadcasts to pass the time, and developed an interest in the reports delivered by war correspondents such as Eric Sevareid and Edward R. Murrow. By the time he was a teenager, Rather had decided to become a newspaper journalist.

After high school, Rather entered Sam Houston State College in Huntsville, Texas. At Houston State he edited the school’s paper, interned as a reporter for the Associated Press and United Press International, and worked part time at a small radio station. In 1953, earned his bachelor’s in journalism and became the first member of his family to earn a college degree.

Rather attempted to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps after finishing school, but when his superior officers learned about his childhood bout with rheumatic fever he was disqualified from military service. In 1954, he went to work at KTRH—a radio station owned by the Houston Chronicle newspaper. He came to work at 4 AM every morning to read the news and, eager to prove himself, he eventually persuaded his boss to give him his own show on his only day off. His hard work and dedication earned Rather the position of station news director in 1956. Over the next three years, he climbed his way up the ladder to television reporter for Houston station KTRK-TV.

By 1961, he had made it to news director for KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston. His coverage of Hurricane Carla brought him to the attention of network executives, and he was promoted to the position of CBS network correspondent. It was in this position that Rather became the first journalist to report the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. His demeanor and reporting style throughout the tragedy again garnered attention from network executives, who promoted Rather to the White House beat in 1964.

CBS Evening News

After serving as a foreign correspondent for CBS News, Rather drew the assignment as primary anchor for the CBS Weekend News, while also serving as White House correspondent during the Richard Nixon presidency. Rather became one of the most recognizable figures in the national news media during this time, with his coverage of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.

An assignment in 1975 as correspondent for the Sunday evening news show, 60 Minutes, put Rather in the spotlight again. He soon relinquished the prestigious position, however, when he was named to be the successor to anchor Walter Cronkite, who was then the main anchor of the CBS Evening News. Rather assumed the position upon Cronkite’s retirement in March 1981. In 1988 he also began hosting the CBS news show, 48 Hours.

Rather earned the title of “the hardest working man in broadcast journalism,” after holding down the top job at three national news programs simultaneously: CBS Evening News, 48 Hours and 60 Minutes II. In addition to his three anchoring positions, he writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column and hosts the radio program Dan Rather Reporting, which is heard on more than 300 radio stations nationwide.

In 2005, Rather stepped down after 24 years as anchor of the CBS Evening News—24 years to the day after he took over for Cronkite. But by the end of 2006, Rather was back on television again, this time reporting on his own show, Dan Rather Reports, for the HDNet cable network. He also formed an independent company called News and Guts Media, and is currently working on a book.

Rather has received numerous Emmy Awards for his broadcast journalism work, as well as the coveted Peabody Award. He and his wife Jean Goebel, whom he met when she was hired as a secretary at KTRH, currently reside in New York City.

http://www.biography.com/people/dan-rather-9452277#cbs-evening-news&awesm=~oCtR8RQGpaASbO

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Columnist Linda Ellerbee Linda Ellerbee is an American journalist who is most known for several jobs at NBC News, including Washington, D.C. correspondent, and also as host of the Nickelodeon network’s Nick News with Linda Ellerbee.

She’s been a role model for a generation or more of women coming up through the journalism business. There is a Peabody, a CableAce , a DuPont, and an Emmy on her shelf, along with three books about her life and times — the most recent, Take Big Bites.