Word: cbs
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Buoyed by the midweek backlash in Rather's favor, CBS executives stood by their man. "There is no question that what Dan portrayed on the air was not the sort of gracious Southern gentleman that he is in person," said News President Howard Stringer. "What we got was a journalist in pursuit of a story." CBS Chairman Lawrence Tisch, who was traveling in the Far East on business when the episode occurred, was briefed on it by telephone and, according to Stringer, was "very supportive." CBS staffers, though shaken by the initial barrage of criticism, were also upbeat by week...
...West Texas pipeline worker and a waitress, Rather began his journalism career with a part-time job at the Houston Chronicle after graduating from Sam Houston State Teachers College. He moved to a local radio station, then to KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston. His intrepid coverage of Hurricane Carla, which swept over Galveston in 1961, caught the eye of CBS executives, who soon hired him as a correspondent...
Rather first gained nationwide attention when he happened to be in Dallas on the day President Kennedy was shot. His aggressiveness almost got him into trouble. Based on unconfirmed reports from the hospital, Rather told his bosses in New York City that Kennedy had died, leading CBS radio to report the news more than half an hour before the official announcement was made. The bulletin turned out to be correct, much to Rather's relief, and he covered himself with glory as coordinator of CBS's Dallas coverage during the assassination aftermath...
Nevertheless, Rather beat out Mudd for the anchor job, rankling some TV traditionalists in the process. In an effort to keep him from jumping to ABC, CBS gave Rather a record $22 million ten-year contract, a quantum leap in the pay for network journalists. The network also had to ask Cronkite politely to move up his retirement date to accommodate Rather's new contract. Cronkite agreed, but some insiders claim he was never happy about...
Once he took possession of Uncle Walter's chair, Rather experienced a rough ride. Ratings began to dip, and CBS's image makers began tinkering with Rather's dress and demeanor. Early on, they put him in sweaters in an effort to soften his intensity. For a while, Rather tried hard to be warm and homespun, his writing full of purple prose and corny puns. (Before the start of the Reykjavik summit, he announced, "Ready, set, Gorbachev.") Later he reverted, with equal strain, to a straitlaced, sober, almost glum delivery...