— Ch. 1 · Foundations Of Broadcast News —
CBS News.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In 1929, the Columbia Broadcasting System began making regular radio news broadcasts. These were five-minute summaries taken from reports supplied by United Press. One of three wire services that fed newspapers with national and international news, United Press provided the raw material for CBS's early efforts. In December 1930, CBS chief William S. Paley hired journalist Paul W. White away from United Press as CBS's news editor. Paley put the radio network's news operation at the same level as entertainment. He authorized White to interrupt programming if events warranted. This decision broke a long-standing embargo imposed upon radio by the wire services. The embargo prevented networks from using bulletins until they first appeared in print. CBS disregarded this rule when it broke the story of the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932. They used live on-the-air reporting to scoop print outlets. Radio networks scooped print outlets with news of the 1932 presidential election. In March 1933, White was named vice president and general manager in charge of news at CBS. As the first head of CBS News, he began to build an organization that soon established a legendary reputation.
The Murrow Era And World War Ii
In 1935, White hired Edward R. Murrow and sent him to London in 1937 to run CBS Radio's European operation. White led a staff that would come to include Richard C. Hottelet, Charles Collingwood, William L. Shirer, Eric Sevareid, Bill Downs, John Charles Daly, Joseph C. Harsch, Cecil Brown, Elmer Davis, Quincy Howe, H. V. Kaltenborn, Robert Trout, and Lewis Shollenberger. CBS was getting its ducks in a row for the biggest news story in history, World War II. In 1940, William S. Paley recruited Edmund A. Chester from his position as Bureau Chief for Latin America at the Associated Press. He coordinated the development of the international shortwave radio Network of the Americas, called La Cadena de las Américas, in 1942. Broadcasting in concert with the assistance of the Department of State, the Office for Inter-American Affairs chaired by Nelson Rockefeller and Voice of America provided vital news and cultural programming throughout South America and Central America during the World War II era. Through its operations in 20 nations, it fostered benevolent diplomatic relations between the United States and other nations in the region while providing an alternative to Nazi propaganda.