Douglas Edwards
Encyclopedia
Douglas Edwards was America
's first network news television anchor
, anchoring CBS
's first nightly news broadcast from 1948–1962, which was later to be titled CBS Evening News
.
in 1942, eventually becoming anchor for the regular evening newscast The World Today as well as World News Today on Sunday afternoons. Edwards came to CBS after stints as a newscaster and announcer at WSB
in Atlanta, Georgia
and WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan
.
's role in the network's political convention coverage.
By the mid-1950s, the name of the nightly 15 minute newscast through September 1963 became Douglas Edwards with the News and was watched by nearly 30 million viewers. At first, Edwards would be eclipsed by John Cameron Swayze
of NBC News
's Camel News Caravan, but he would eventually regain his ratings lead.
Among the events Edwards covered as a reporter in those years were the Miss America Pageant (five times), the attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman
in November 1950, and the coronation
of Elizabeth II
in June 1953. He also received wide praise for his coverage, on both camera and radio, of the sinking of the SS Andrea Doria
in July 1956. But by the end of the decade, viewership levels for the Edwards broadcast weakened severely as the Huntley-Brinkley Report
began to attract a larger audience.
By 1962, Edwards was replaced by Walter Cronkite
, and the newscast's name was eventually changed to CBS Evening News
.
, where he delivered the network's flagship evening newscasts The World Tonight for many years. Until his retirement on April 1, 1988, he maintained at least a small role within CBS television news, anchoring a five-minute newsbreak known successively as CBS Afternoon News with Douglas Edwards (April 1962-Feb. 1968), The CBS Midday News with Douglas Edwards (Feb. 1968-April 20, 1979) at 11:55am Eastern time and The CBS Mid-Morning News with Douglas Edwards (April 23, 1979-May 30, 1980) at 10:55am Eastern.
Beginning June 2, 1980, Douglas Edwards anchored a daily one minute fourteen second edition of Newsbreak at 11:57am Eastern time. CBS News historian Gary Paul Gates, in Air Time: The Inside Story of CBS News, recorded a conversation between veteran CBS and NBC news executives musing over the shift from Edwards and Swayze to the Huntley-Brinkley and Cronkite newscasts, and Edwards's continuation at CBS compared to Swayze's later familiarity as a pitchman for Timex
, after both men had fallen from their formerly lofty television perches. "Goddammit," Gates quoted the unnamed NBC executive, "at least your guy had the grace to stay in the business. I mean, he didn't become a (bleeping) watch salesman."
at the age of 73. Many of his early CBS radio newscasts, including his memorable broadcasts on D-Day
and his Andrea Doria
coverage, remain favorites of old-time radio collectors. Edwards was posthumously elected to the Radio Hall of Fame
in 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's first network news television anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
, anchoring CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's first nightly news broadcast from 1948–1962, which was later to be titled CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
.
Early life and career
Edwards joined CBS RadioCBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
in 1942, eventually becoming anchor for the regular evening newscast The World Today as well as World News Today on Sunday afternoons. Edwards came to CBS after stints as a newscaster and announcer at WSB
WSB (AM)
WSB — branded AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB — is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia broadcasting a news/talk format. The station transmits with 50,000 watts of nondirectional power day and night, enjoying clear-channel status on its broadcast frequency according to the U.S...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
As anchorman of Douglas Edwards with the News (The CBS Evening News)
In 1948, as CBS's top correspondents and commentators shunned the fledgling medium of television, Edwards was chosen to present regular CBS television news programs and to host CBS's television coverage of the 1948 Democratic and Republican conventions. The term "anchor" would not be used until 1952, when CBS News chief Sig Mikelson would use it to describe Walter CronkiteWalter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
's role in the network's political convention coverage.
By the mid-1950s, the name of the nightly 15 minute newscast through September 1963 became Douglas Edwards with the News and was watched by nearly 30 million viewers. At first, Edwards would be eclipsed by John Cameron Swayze
John Cameron Swayze
John Cameron Swayze was a popular news commentator and game show panelist in the United States during the 1950s.- Early life :...
of NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
's Camel News Caravan, but he would eventually regain his ratings lead.
Among the events Edwards covered as a reporter in those years were the Miss America Pageant (five times), the attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
in November 1950, and the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in June 1953. He also received wide praise for his coverage, on both camera and radio, of the sinking of the SS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria[p] was an ocean liner for the Italian Line home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for its sinking in 1956, when 46 people died. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the ship had a gross register tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and...
in July 1956. But by the end of the decade, viewership levels for the Edwards broadcast weakened severely as the Huntley-Brinkley Report
Huntley-Brinkley Report
The Huntley-Brinkley Report was the NBC television network's flagship evening news program from October 29, 1956 until July 31, 1970. It was anchored by Chet Huntley in New York City, and David Brinkley in Washington, D.C...
began to attract a larger audience.
By 1962, Edwards was replaced by Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
, and the newscast's name was eventually changed to CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
.
Return to the CBS Radio Network
Edwards subsequently moved back to CBS RadioCBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
, where he delivered the network's flagship evening newscasts The World Tonight for many years. Until his retirement on April 1, 1988, he maintained at least a small role within CBS television news, anchoring a five-minute newsbreak known successively as CBS Afternoon News with Douglas Edwards (April 1962-Feb. 1968), The CBS Midday News with Douglas Edwards (Feb. 1968-April 20, 1979) at 11:55am Eastern time and The CBS Mid-Morning News with Douglas Edwards (April 23, 1979-May 30, 1980) at 10:55am Eastern.
Beginning June 2, 1980, Douglas Edwards anchored a daily one minute fourteen second edition of Newsbreak at 11:57am Eastern time. CBS News historian Gary Paul Gates, in Air Time: The Inside Story of CBS News, recorded a conversation between veteran CBS and NBC news executives musing over the shift from Edwards and Swayze to the Huntley-Brinkley and Cronkite newscasts, and Edwards's continuation at CBS compared to Swayze's later familiarity as a pitchman for Timex
Timex Group
Timex Group B.V., or Timex Group, is a Dutch holding company headquartered in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, and the corporate parent of several watchmaking companies around the globe including Timex Group USA, Inc., TMX Philippines, Inc., and Timex Group India Ltd...
, after both men had fallen from their formerly lofty television perches. "Goddammit," Gates quoted the unnamed NBC executive, "at least your guy had the grace to stay in the business. I mean, he didn't become a (bleeping) watch salesman."
Death
Edwards died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of 73. Many of his early CBS radio newscasts, including his memorable broadcasts on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and his Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria[p] was an ocean liner for the Italian Line home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for its sinking in 1956, when 46 people died. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the ship had a gross register tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and...
coverage, remain favorites of old-time radio collectors. Edwards was posthumously elected to the Radio Hall of Fame
Radio Hall of Fame
The National Radio Hall of Fame is a project of the Museum of Broadcast Communications.Although no physical building currently exists to house it, the National Radio Hall of Fame is a project of Bruce DuMont, CEO of the currently homeless Museum of Broadcast Communications, and is purported to be a...
in 2006.
External links
- MetaCafe: "Flight of Sputnik I," CBS News (Douglas Edwards reporting), 2 October 1957
- YouTube: Douglas Edwards' farewell CBS Newsbreak newscast on April 1, 1988
- Edward's farewell World Tonight radio broadcast on April 1, 1988
- http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/archives/Edwards/Edwards_Index.html Douglas Edwards Archives at St. Bonaventure University