Randall Pinkston
Encyclopedia
Randall Pinkston has been a correspondent for CBS News
since December, 1990. After a stint as a White House Correspondent in CBS's Washington Bureau, Pinkston became a general assignment reporter, contributing to CBS broadcasts, including CBS Evening News
with Dan Rather
, CBS News Sunday Morning
and 48 Hours
. Pinkston also contributed to the CBS Reports
documentary, Legacy of Shame with Correspondent Dan Rather. Pinkston has filled in as anchor on CBS NEWS-WEEKEND EDITION,[UP TO THE MINUTE and CBS MORNING NEWS.
, as Willie Randall Pinkston. He attended Wesleyan University
in Middletown, Connecticut
, originally intending to pursue a career in law. However, after his father died, he moved back to Mississippi and earned a bachelor's degree in 1973 from Millsaps College
in Jackson, Mississippi
. He also earned a law degree from University of Connecticut
in 1980.
-TV in Jackson, Mississippi
, where he worked as an anchor and reported from 1971 until 1974. He then worked for WJXT
-TV from 1974 until 1976, as urban affairs director, a general assignment reporter and the producer of a daily public affairs program. From 1976 until 1980, Pinkston worked for WFSB
-TV in Hartford, where he served as a reporter, an anchor and the producer of several public affairs programs and specials.
From 1980 until 1990, Pinkston worked for WCBS-TV
in New York, where he served as a reporter and as the station's New Jersey correspondent from 1989 until 1990.
In 1990, Pinkston joined CBS News
as its White House correspondent. He spent two years covering President George H. W. Bush
, including breaking the news in January 1992 of the president falling ill while dining with Japan's prime minister, Kiichi Miyazawa
. From 1992 until 1994, Pinkston remained in CBS's Washington bureau.
In 1994, Pinkston wa moved to CBS's New York bureau. He reports today for the CBS Evening News
and also for other CBS news broadcasts. He has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the U.S. intervention in Haiti, the Unabomber story, the standoff involving the Montana Freemen
and the trial of Susan Smith
.
In November 2000, Pinkston was a leading candidate for the top job anchoring at WBBM-TV
in Chicago. He taped an audition in November 2000 with longtime WBBM news anchor Linda MacLennan
, according to an article in the November 15, 2000, edition of the Chicago Sun-Times
. Ultimately, however, the station gave the job to insider David Kerley
.
, in Bergen County
.
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
since December, 1990. After a stint as a White House Correspondent in CBS's Washington Bureau, Pinkston became a general assignment reporter, contributing to CBS broadcasts, including 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....
with Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
, CBS News Sunday Morning
CBS News Sunday Morning
CBS News Sunday Morning is an American television news magazine program created by Robert Northshield and original host Charles Kuralt. The program has aired continuously since January 28, 1979 on the CBS Television Network, airing in the Eastern US on Sunday from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m...
and 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
. Pinkston also contributed to the CBS Reports
CBS Reports
CBS Reports is the umbrella title used for documentaries by CBS News which aired starting in 1959 through the 1990s. The series sometimes aired as a wheel series rotating with 60 Minutes , as a series of its own or as specials. The program aired as a constant series from 1959 to 1971...
documentary, Legacy of Shame with Correspondent Dan Rather. Pinkston has filled in as anchor on CBS NEWS-WEEKEND EDITION,[UP TO THE MINUTE and CBS MORNING NEWS.
Early life and education
Born in Yazoo County, MississippiYazoo County, Mississippi
-National protected area:*Hillside National Wildlife Refuge *Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge-History:The area which is now Yazoo County was acquired by the State of Mississippi from the Choctaw Indians in 1820. Yazoo County was established on January 21, 1823. It was the 19th county...
, as Willie Randall Pinkston. He attended Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, originally intending to pursue a career in law. However, after his father died, he moved back to Mississippi and earned a bachelor's degree in 1973 from Millsaps College
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1890, the college is recognized as one of the country's best private colleges dedicated to undergraduate teaching and educating the whole individual. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Millsaps...
in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He also earned a law degree from University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in 1980.
Professional career
Pinkston began his career at WLBTWLBT
WLBT, virtual channel 3 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Jackson, Mississippi, and it is owned by Raycom Media. WLBT transmits its signal from an antenna, 624 meters in height, located near Raymond.-History:...
-TV in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, where he worked as an anchor and reported from 1971 until 1974. He then worked for WJXT
WJXT
WJXT, channel 4 , is an independent television station serving Jacksonville, Florida, and surrounding communities. Its transmitter is in the Kilarney Shores section of Jacksonville, with the WTLV transmitter. The station originally broadcast an analog signal on VHF channel 4 and a digital signal...
-TV from 1974 until 1976, as urban affairs director, a general assignment reporter and the producer of a daily public affairs program. From 1976 until 1980, Pinkston worked for WFSB
WFSB
'WFSB, channel 3, is a CBS-affiliated television station located in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, owned by the Meredith Corporation. WFSB's studios and offices are located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and its broadcast transmitter is based on Talcott Mountain in Avon, Connecticut. Syndicated...
-TV in Hartford, where he served as a reporter, an anchor and the producer of several public affairs programs and specials.
From 1980 until 1990, Pinkston worked for WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
in New York, where he served as a reporter and as the station's New Jersey correspondent from 1989 until 1990.
In 1990, Pinkston joined CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
as its White House correspondent. He spent two years covering President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, including breaking the news in January 1992 of the president falling ill while dining with Japan's prime minister, Kiichi Miyazawa
Kiichi Miyazawa
was a Japanese politician and the 78th Prime Minister from November 5, 1991 to August 9, 1993.-Early life and career:Miyazawa was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University with a degree in law. In 1942 he joined the Ministry of Finance...
. From 1992 until 1994, Pinkston remained in CBS's Washington bureau.
In 1994, Pinkston wa moved to CBS's New York bureau. He reports today for the 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....
and also for other CBS news broadcasts. He has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the U.S. intervention in Haiti, the Unabomber story, the standoff involving the Montana Freemen
Montana Freemen
The Montana Freemen were a Christian Patriot movement based outside the town of Jordan, Montana. The members of the group referred to their land as "Justus Township" and had declared themselves no longer under the authority of any outside government...
and the trial of Susan Smith
Susan Smith
Susan Leigh Vaughan Smith is an American woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering her children. Born in Union, South Carolina, and a former student of the University of South Carolina Union, she was convicted on July 22, 1995 of murdering her two sons, 3-year-old Michael Daniel Smith, born...
.
In November 2000, Pinkston was a leading candidate for the top job anchoring at WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
in Chicago. He taped an audition in November 2000 with longtime WBBM news anchor Linda MacLennan
Linda MacLennan
Linda S. MacLennan Rammelt , known professionally as Linda MacLennan, is a former television news anchor and reporter who spent the majority of her career with WBBM-TV in Chicago, Illinois.- Early life and education :...
, according to an article in the November 15, 2000, edition of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
. Ultimately, however, the station gave the job to insider David Kerley
David Kerley
Paul David Kerley III , known professionally as David Kerley, is a correspondent for ABC News who is based in Washington, D.C..- Early life and education :...
.
Awards
Pinkston has won three national Emmy awards (1996, 1997, 1998) and one RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award (1996).Personal
Pinkston and his wife, Patricia McLain, live in Teaneck, New JerseyTeaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
.