news is just coming out that former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite has passed away at the age of 92.
update: WTVJ report on Cronkite’s death /hat tip to reader bgmiami87 for uploading/
news is just coming out that former CBS newsman Walter Cronkite has passed away at the age of 92.
update: WTVJ report on Cronkite’s death /hat tip to reader bgmiami87 for uploading/
That was the lead story on “The Channel 4 News at 6pm” here on KNBC in LA.
Just missed the anniversary of Apollo 11. Sad. We’ll not see his kind again soon.
Yep, my unqualified generation is moving in to take over your world Chuck.
Snipet from a news story about his death:
CBS has scheduled a prime-time special, “That’s the Way it Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite,” for 7 p.m. Sunday.
That’s what I tweeted, basically: “And that’s the way it was.”
RIP.
AWWWWWWWWWWWW
What a loss
My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Cronkite family.
Thank you Mr. Cronkite for bringing us the news the way it was for years
may you go in peace
I was so hoping Mr. Cronkite would get better.
gb, there are members of your generation who possess skills you are not equipped to appreciate. In Mr. Cronkite’s day, he was the norm, not the exception–he competed with Huntley and Brinkley, Harry Reasoner, just to name a few, and they were all surrounded with literate reporters who could all write their own stuff. I don’t expect a devotee of WSVN to appreciate the difference, but once the networks get past Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Bob Schieffer, let’s just say the benches are pretty thin. Again, I just don’t think you possess the intellect nor maturity to appreciate just what a huge loss this is. So stick with Fox and the dumbed-down product from 7. Don’t strain.
But many of them obviously didnt realize the dangers of smoking.
Are you for real? Hardly anybody did. The tobacco companies conned everyone. Hence the payouts!
Chuckie,
Brian Williams sucks please don’t mention that mess with the other journalist. However everyone has there prefence in who they choose to watch news. I think just because you like Gibson, Schieffer etc etc etc makes you no better than someone who likes Jackie Nespral. LOL LOL
I mean I think Katie Couric is doing great on the CBS Evening News.
HOW YOU DOIN !!!!!!!!!
say it like you mean it
OK Diego, it pains me to say it but Katie doesn’t suck. She’s easier to take at 6:30 pm than 7 am, and I find I watch her more than I thought I would. And I hope CBS keeps the Cronkite voiceover for her intro. I suppose if she was good enough for Uncle Walter, who am I to complain? Cronkite wasn’t honestly my favorite for the nightly report–I preferred Brinkley, Frank Reynolds, Reasoner and Howard K. Smith, then Brokaw and Jennings–but for events, hard to beat Uncle Walter, especially space stuff. I’m in far too much of a Kumbaya mood to start up about Nespral. Maybe someone can open the tanning bed and explain to her who Walter Cronkite was.
The irony he would die in the midst of the 4 decade anniversary of Man on the Moon is ridiculous. Nobody defined this moment in American history like uncle Walter did for so much of america.
He turned like a litle boy with excitement when it happened, it was really something to watch. He knew when to let emotion and passion show on screen. Announcing to the world the death of JFK with tears in his eyes, pronouncing the ideacrocy of Vietnam and getting gitty with excitement when America lead the world in reaching the moon.
We will never see an anchorman or woman for that matter that will reach the level of respect Walter Cronkite recieved from an entire country. No matter how good current and future news people get, the mix to create a profile like Walter’s will never happen again.
I actually had the pleasure to meet Walter when he came to Miami a couple years ago and he was ambiguously walking out of a restaurant in Miami Beach. Will never forget it.
R.I.P
Chuckie,
I watch Katie to all the time. I also so agree with you couldn’t stand her on today show. I also hope they keep the opening with Mr. Cronkite.
LoL about Nespral
Chuck….I sometimes wonder if you and me are clones of each other. When you turned him on at 6:30 , you knew you were hearing “the news” , not just someone’s opinion. When I was in high school, Walter was appearing at ch2 in North Miami on a show where high school students were gonna interview him liv on the air. My journalism teacher asked who had transportation to get to the station and I , having my own car raised my hand. My teacher said to me in a raised voice ” oh no, not you…..I can’t trust you interviewing Walter Cronkite on live tv”. Who me?????????????? Sitting next to me in class was Andy Cohen who went on to become the editor for The Dolphin Digest.
Rating the top anchors today, I would say Brian Williams is the best of the bunch. Brian doesn’t read you the news, he “talks to you as a friend”. Charlie Gibson is also quite good, then I would have to put Rick Sanchez third ( that was for Diego and GBMiami only, lol). Geeze, next I’d be putting Sally Fitaz up there too…..Time for my meds.
I mean Sally Fitz ( type O , dont attack me please!)
Kudos to you Mitch. Now, two things to remind us how even Uncle Walter had to put up with knuckleheads at the corporate level. First, he was not always the king of the ratings. Huntley and Brinkley at NBC were still out front in the early’60’s, so much that CBS used Roger Mudd and Robert Trout to anchor the ’64 Conventions. Over time, he closed the gap and passed them. I strongly recommend for everyone who is a devotee of this site-get a copy of “The Powers That Be,” by David Halberstam. It will knock your socks off, and a fourth of the book is about CBS News.
Second, when I think of the space race, I always think of Cronkite and Wally Schirra, who were to space coverage what Michaels and Madden were to NFL Football. Cronkite left the anchor desk in 1981, but remained under contract to CBS. When the movie “The Right Stuff” was made, they tried to sign Walter for authenticity, but the weenies at CBS refused to allow it. That is why Eric Sevareid (who never had a thing to do with CBS’ space coverage) is in the movie. I also vigorously recommend “The Right Stuff” in movie and book form.
I will be curious to see if Dan Rather has a comment. Not much love lost there…
Update…Dan Rather appeared on Rachel Maddow last night, and was as gracious as you’d expect a Texan to be. That might be more touching than any other accolade you will hear in the next few days, at least in my mind. The video is on MSN’s home page and Rachel’s website.
They interviewed Dan Rather last night on the street and he seemed very touched and sincere talking about Walter. CNN at 10 pm did a full hour interviewing people in the business about Walter, including Don Hewitt. Walter was one guy that always looked old, much like Andy Devine, Walter Brennan, etc……….
that’s really something considering that he and Cronkite did not have the best of relationships.
Talking about network news, I just turned in FOX News, only to hear everyone yelling and screaming the news and out of 5 people on the panel, not one gave the other side. Within a few minutes, I turned it off. How can anyone with any brains believe this is “Fair & Balanced”? It just amazes me how anyone can watch them unless they just refuse to listen to the other side. I enjoy watching Campbell Brown on CNN , she always has opposing views. Ed Rollins( a regular on her show ), a conservative is quite good and very insightful. I may not always aggree with him, but he presents his side with logic and without the hype they have on FOX !
Walter was a true journalist, by re-defining the news industry back in the old days.
I do believe Katie’s CBS Evening News opening is truly one of a kind. I hope CBS will keep the Walter Cronkite voice-over… in an effort to perserve the legacy of this American news anchor legend.
I heard on CBS2 News New York today that CBS was planning to drop Walter Cronkite’s intro on the CBS Evening News upon his death. The Cronkite family asked them to continue it and so they are. And that’s the way it is.