baby_bear
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Thu Sep-11-03 11:29 PM
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Why did Walter Cronkite initially retire? Was he pushed out? |
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I seem to remember CBS pushing him out, but the person I am watching a baseball game with says I am hallucinating.
anyone remember?
s_m
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madmax
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Thu Sep-11-03 11:35 PM
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1. From what I remember he just wanted to retire. |
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He's what now about 83? He wanted to spend time with his wife and family. Your friend is right :evilgrin: :toast:
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comsymp
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Thu Sep-11-03 11:41 PM
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2. You're tickling a very fuzzy memory |
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It's been, what, 20+ years? It DOES seem (bearing in mind that the '80s were very good to CS} that there was something political reported about the retirement, although Uncle Walter had been talking about retirement prior to the event... FWIW...
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madaboutharry
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Thu Sep-11-03 11:51 PM
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3. He did not want to retire |
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CBS had a policy of mandatory retirement at age 65. His retirement was controversial at the time. It was in the early 80's and Dan Rather took his place.
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Romberry
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Thu Sep-11-03 11:53 PM
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4. I believe the decision to retire... |
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...was Cronkite's. The shoddy treatment from CBS came after he retired. They basically severed all ties and treated Cronkite as if he were a stranger.
Cronkite himself has said that he regrets his decision to retire when he did. That indicates to me that he had a choice.
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charlie
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Thu Sep-11-03 11:58 PM
Response to Reply #4 |
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but CBS did squeeze him out using the rubric of the mandatory retirement age. I recall that they were concerned about Rather jumping ship if he didn't get the anchor chair soon enough. Big mistake.
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Romberry
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Fri Sep-12-03 12:10 AM
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CBS has had older employees than Walter Cronkite.
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Alex88
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Fri Sep-12-03 12:01 AM
Response to Original message |
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Edited on Fri Sep-12-03 12:10 AM by Alex88
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baby_bear
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Fri Sep-12-03 01:13 AM
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8. "pushed out " appears to be the operative term |
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Determined to get to the truth of this, I Googled on "Walter Cronkite" CBS and "pushed out" -- and got a bunch of interesting stuff, including a review of Cronkite's bio from which I quote:
He joined CBS as a Korean War correspondent, and as CBS Evening News anchor for almost two decades (he retired in 1981, pushed out, he says, by a new management more interested in infotainment than substance), he reported on the civil rights movement, NASA's first moon walk, the John Kennedy assassination, freedom struggles in South Africa.
I think this is what I remember, that he himself said he was pushed out. That's why I used that term.
I told my friend and he left.
Oh well. There's some satisfaction in being right.
s_m
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theboss
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Fri Sep-12-03 08:03 AM
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I actually have a connection to Cronkite.
CBS had a mandatory retirement age. Cronkite reached it and the brass wanted to go with the younger Rather so they put him out to pasture.
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DU
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Fri Apr 26th 2024, 08:57 AM
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