The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Watch Walter Cronkite Bid Farewell To His Network Competitor On Air

**Posted by RadioActive** October 31, 2024 9:20 am

It's no secret I'm a fan of broadcast history, but nothing makes me happier than discovering things I never knew. Which brings me to July 31, 1970, the final day for the storied Huntley-Brinkley Report, the forerunner to NBC Nightly News, which is still on the air.

Chet Huntley and David Brinkley had been on the Peacock network since 1956. So when Huntley retired, it was a big deal and got tons of publicity. I still remember some of his final words on air: "At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I would say to all of you...that there will be better news one day - if we work at it."

Clearly, we never got there. But the hype surrounding his finale ensured there was a huge audience. Which means they weren't watching any other newscast that night.

What I didn't know - and I'm betting most of us didn't either - is that while he was saying his goodbyes after 14 years, CBS' Walter Cronkite was also bidding his biggest competitor an on-air farewell. Not only that, but Huntley made a very brief pre-taped appearance on CBS to say thanks.

What class acts they both were. I can't imagine anything like that ever happening in TV's cut-throat world today.

The best part is it's on YouTube and you can watch both in the video below. An amazing moment long lost to television history. (If you're asked for a completely unnecessary sign-in, you can go to the video directly here.)

**Posted by RadioActive** October 31, 2024 9:47 am

The beginning and the end:

**Posted by BowmanvilleBob** October 31, 2024 11:42 am

It's hard to overestimate how influential the anchors of the big 3 U.S. networks were in forming public opinion in the pre-internet days. CBS, NBC and, to a lesser extent, ABC, commanded large audiences each night were frequently the target of criticism for their story choices and the work of their journalists from both sides of the political spectrum. As this CNN article points out, it was only after Cronkite left the air that he felt free enough to air his liberal viewpoints on a range of issues, whereas Huntley was more conservative, particularly on economic issues.

**Posted by RadioActive** October 31, 2024 4:51 pm

Gotta love those ridiculously loud teletype sound effects over Cronkite's credits.

The actual machines did make a lot of noise, yes, but that thing would have drowned out the anchor!

I remember as late as the 70s and early 80s when then-rock formatted CFTR still used to use that SFX under their newscasts.