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Walter Cronkite: the story on HearLore | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Born In Saint Joseph —
Walter Cronkite.
~7 min read · Ch. 1 of 8
Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. entered the world on the 4th of November 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. His father was a dentist named Walter Leland Cronkite, and his mother was Helen Lena Fritsche. The family lived in Kansas City until he turned ten years old. They then moved to Houston, Texas, where young Walter attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. He later went to Lanier Junior High School and San Jacinto High School. At high school, he edited the student newspaper and joined the Boy Scouts. He also became part of the DeMolay fraternal organization for boys.
Cronkite enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall term of 1933. He worked on the Daily Texan campus paper and joined the Nu chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity. During college, he appeared in a play with fellow student Eli Wallach. He dropped out in 1935 before finishing his degree. This decision allowed him to focus entirely on journalism instead of completing his education.
From Wire To War Zones
After leaving college, Cronkite took jobs covering news and sports for various newspapers. He began broadcasting as a radio announcer for WKY in Oklahoma City. In 1936, he met Mary Elizabeth Maxwell while working as a sports announcer for KCMO in Kansas City. His broadcast name was Walter Wilcox because stations did not want reporters using real names. He feared listeners would follow them if they left.
In 1937, he joined United Press International. Edward R. Murrow offered him a job at CBS News to join the war correspondent team. CBS offered him thirty dollars per week plus commercial fees. UP countered with a raise to forty-five dollars weekly. Hugh Baillie also offered an extra ten dollars to stay. Cronkite accepted the UP offer, which angered Murrow. He held a grudge against Cronkite for years.
Cronkite covered battles in North Africa and Europe during World War II. He sailed aboard the USS Texas from Norfolk, Virginia, through Operation Torch. He flew off the ship in a Vought OS2U Kingfisher aircraft to return to the US faster than rivals. This experience launched his career as a war correspondent. He later flew bombing raids over Germany in a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. During one mission, he fired a machine gun at a German fighter plane.
The Anchor Chair
On the 16th of April 1962, Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of CBS's nightly newscast. The program was renamed Walter Cronkite with the News before becoming the CBS Evening News on the 2nd of September 1963. It expanded from fifteen minutes to thirty minutes that day. This made it American network television's first nightly half-hour news program. His tenure lasted until the 6th of March 1981.
During the early part of his run, he competed against NBC's Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Their report had more viewers for much of the 1960s. A key moment came during his coverage of John F. Kennedy's assassination on the 22nd of November 1963. RCA decided not to fund NBC News at levels matching CBS funding. Consequently, CBS acquired a reputation for greater accuracy. In 1967, the CBS Evening News began surpassing The Huntley, Brinkley Report in summer months. By 1970, when Huntley retired, the CBS broadcast dominated the viewing audience.
Breaking The Bad News
Cronkite stood at the United Press International wire machine in the CBS newsroom when the bulletin about President Kennedy's shooting broke. He clamored to get on air immediately. There was no television camera in the studio because the crew was still working on it. The decision was made to dispatch Cronkite to the CBS Radio Network booth instead. They would play audio over television airwaves while waiting for the camera to become operational.
CBS was ten minutes into its live broadcast of As the World Turns when a bumper slide abruptly interrupted the program at 1:40 pm EST. Over the slide, Cronkite read three audio-only bulletins in the next twenty minutes. One mentioned the severity of Kennedy's wounds. Another noted that Texas Governor John Connally had also been shot. At 2:38 pm EST, he received a new bulletin confirming death. He took off his glasses and made the official announcement. Afterward, he paused briefly, put his glasses back on, and swallowed hard to maintain composure. His voice carried noticeable emotion as he intoned the report.
The Vietnam Editorial
In mid-February 1968, Cronkite and executive producer Ernest Leiser journeyed to Vietnam. They covered the aftermath of the Tet Offensive. General Creighton Abrams told them they could not win the war. He suggested finding a dignified way out. Upon return, Cronkite wrote an editorial report based on that trip. On the 27th of February 1968, he closed Report from Vietnam with that text.
Following this editorial, President Lyndon B. Johnson is claimed by some to have said if he lost Cronkite, he lost Middle America. Johnson was attending Texas Governor John Connally's birthday gala when the broadcast aired. CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer defended the allegation years later. Bill Moyers recounted the story to Cronkite eventually. Several weeks later, Johnson announced he would not seek reelection. He sought to preserve his legacy while facing growing public criticism about declining health.
Chasing The Moon
Cronkite reported enthusiastically on American space exploration from Project Mercury through the Apollo moon landings. He received the best ratings during the Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 missions in 1969. This made CBS the most-watched television network for those events. He rubbed his hands together on camera with a smile. He uttered Whew...boy on the 20th of July 1969, when the lunar landing put men on the Moon. He participated in Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China as well.
He demonstrated the Reduced Gravity Walking Simulator used for astronaut training before the Moon landings. In 1968, he covered the first publicly transmitted live trans-Atlantic program via Telstar satellite. Pictures of the Statue of Liberty appeared alongside images of the Eiffel Tower. The broadcast included a televised major league baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. It inaugurated live intercontinental news coverage perfected later with Early Bird satellites.
Voice And Advocacy
After retiring from the anchor chair, Cronkite continued broadcasting occasionally as a special correspondent into the twenty-first century. He anchored John Glenn's second space flight in 1998. He hosted Universe until its cancellation in 1982. From the 26th of May 1986, to the 15th of August 1994, he narrated Spaceship Earth at Walt Disney World. He provided the pivotal voice of Captain Neweyes in the 1993 animated film We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story. His distinctive voice also narrated television ads for the University of Texas Austin.
Cronkite became a vocal advocate for free airtime for political candidates. He worked with Common Cause on an unsuccessful lobbying effort regarding campaign finance reform. He noted that only seven nations worldwide did not offer free airtime to candidates. This put the United States on a list with Ecuador, Honduras, Malaysia, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Trinidad and Tobago. He criticized the system allowing elections to be purchased by special interests. He argued this failure endangered democracy.
A Trusted Legacy
For many years, Cronkite was considered one of the most trusted figures in the United States. Affectionately known as Uncle Walter, his image and voice are closely associated with major events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and Watergate. USA Today wrote few TV figures ever had as much power as Cronkite did at his height. He trained himself to speak at a rate of 124 words per minute so viewers could clearly understand him. Americans average about 165 words per minute.
He received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, and an Emmy Award. Former president Jimmy Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981. In 1999, he received the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement's Corona Award. On the 1st of March 2006, he became the first non-astronaut to receive NASA's Ambassador of Exploration Award. Minor planet 6318 Cronkite is named in his honor. A street in San Antonio bears his name. The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication exists at Arizona State University.
Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. entered the world on the 4th of November 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri.
What happened when Walter Cronkite covered John F. Kennedy's assassination?
CBS was ten minutes into its live broadcast of As the World Turns when a bumper slide abruptly interrupted the program at 1:40 pm EST to deliver audio-only bulletins about the shooting. At 2:38 pm EST, he received confirmation of death and made the official announcement with noticeable emotion while maintaining composure.
How did Walter Cronkite influence the Vietnam War coverage?
In mid-February 1968, Cronkite and executive producer Ernest Leiser journeyed to Vietnam to cover the aftermath of the Tet Offensive. On the 27th of February 1968, he closed Report from Vietnam with an editorial report suggesting finding a dignified way out after General Creighton Abrams told them they could not win the war.
Which awards did Walter Cronkite receive during his career?
He received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, and an Emmy Award. Former president Jimmy Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, and on the 1st of March 2006, he became the first non-astronaut to receive NASA's Ambassador of Exploration Award.
When did Walter Cronkite anchor the CBS Evening News?
On the 16th of April 1962, Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of CBS's nightly newscast before it became the CBS Evening News on the 2nd of September 1963. His tenure lasted until the 6th of March 1981 when the program expanded from fifteen minutes to thirty minutes that day.