good evening from our CBS newsroom in
New York on this the first broadcast of
network televisions first daily
half-hour news program and that’s the
way it is welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’ll be counting down the top 10
most memorable TV news moments in the
career of Walter Cronkite Oh what
anchormen you see don’t fade away they
just keep coming back for more
Walter Cronkite was born November 4th
1916 in st. Joseph Missouri he gained
prominence as a reporter during World
War two I’m just back from the biggest
assignment that any American reporter
could have so far in this war and became
the CBS Evening News anchor on April 16
1962 by 1970 this gentle authority
figure was the top-rated news anchor and
was the most trusted man in America due
to his reliable reports on major
twentieth-century events number 10 the
Iran hostage crisis when a group of
Americans was taken hostage in Iran by
Islamist militants the country took
notice
months passed without resolution today
is confusing events were compounded by
conflicting reports from Tehran and this
prompted Cronkite to add a countdown
after his famous closing catchphrase to
emphasize how long the crisis had been
ongoing he kept this going until they
were finally released over a year later
and that’s the way it is Tuesday January
20th 1981 a day that began as the 440
fourth day of captivity and ended as the
first day of freedom for the American
hostages in Iraq number nine the Three
Mile Island incident good evening the
world has never known a day quite like
today fear from the Cold War was still
pervading the American consciousness as
was the threat of nuclear war when the
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant
experienced a partial meltdown it was no
wonder the masses were frightened as
radioactive gas leaked into Pennsylvania
cronkite offered his support to the
nation in the form of a detailed and
calm report we’ll have more on the
nuclear power accident in a moment
number 8 his retirement he had been the
face of CBS for 20 years and had
reported on the most significant events
during that time however in 1981
Cronkite announced
his retirement this is my last broadcast
as the anchorman the CBS Evening News
this father figure vacated his anchor
chair in favor of Dan Rather but not
before he gave audiences one last
memorable sign-off and that’s the way it
is Friday March 6 1981 I’ll be away on
assignment and Dan Rather will be
sitting in here for the next few years
good night
number 7 Watergate report though the
Washington Post had already broken the
Watergate story Cronkite and his CBS
News team compiled a comprehensive
report for an even wider segment of the
American public five men apparently
caught in the act of burglarizing and
bugging Democratic headquarters in
Washington Cronkite made the Watergate
caper
a national news story right before the
1972 presidential election and lent
credibility to the shocking allegations
number six MLK’s death Martin Luther
King jr. was known as one of the best
orders of all time and it was only
fitting that his death was announced by
another talented speaker Cronkite got
straight to the point when recounting
this assassination and spared no details
good evening dr. Martin Luther King the
apostle of non-violence in the civil
rights movement has been shot to death
in Memphis Tennessee though a few of his
word choices were dated this report went
down in history as one of the best
number-5 LBJ’s death in the years before
flashy breaking news graphics all
Cronkite needed was a hand gesture to
suggest something important it happened
he was first to receive word that former
President Lyndon Johnson had died and
was already in the middle of a newscast
when he did I’m talking to Tom Johnston
the press secretary for Lyndon Johnson
who was reported that the 36th president
the United States died this afternoon
Cronkite had the guts to let dead air
run while he got the whole story number
4 1968 Democratic National Convention
the witness to that Hilton violence that
it seemed to be
revolt on the part of the demonstrators
that year’s Democratic National
Convention came at a time when the
Vietnam War raged the civil rights
movement was at full steam and numerous
important leaders had been assassinated
the result was violence in Chicago where
police clashed with anti-war protesters
and security sparred with young
reporters like dan Rather I didn’t do
very well I think we’ve got a bunch of
thugs here damn though Cronkite later
said he regretted showing his anger it
was nice to see his human side number
three the moon landing another one of
history’s most significant moments is
forever linked with this veteran newsman
a 38 year old American standing on the
surface of the Moon the Apollo 11 moon
landing was not only a giant leap for
mankind it was also a highlight in
Cronkite’s career due to his love of the
space program unlike anchors who
preceded him Cronkite showed his
excitement on the news that day he was
so in awe of the event even he was
unable to speak boy number 2 the Vietnam
War 1968 was a year of Appeal in the
United States and one of the most
divisive issues was the Vietnam War
Cronkite visited the war-torn country to
witness the consequences of the Tet
Offensive firsthand and what he found
was an unwinnable war for it seems now
more certain than ever that the bloody
experience of Vietnam is to end in a
stalemate Cronkite’s unprecedented
commentary turned public opinion against
the war and weeks later President
Johnson announced he would not seek a
second term number one JFK’s death
taking the top spot on our list is a
moment that United the entire nation in
grief TV news was in its infancy and
Cronkite delivered the news of President
Kennedy’s shooting and eventual death
with characteristic poise restraint and
controlled emotion from Dallas Texas the
flash apparently official President
Kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. Central
Standard Time the figure of uncle Walter
removing his glasses to break the news
became one of many defining images from
that day the sobota Cronkite good night
direct from our newsroom in New York
this has been the CBS Evening News with
Walter Cronkite
New York on this the first broadcast of
network televisions first daily
half-hour news program and that’s the
way it is welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’ll be counting down the top 10
most memorable TV news moments in the
career of Walter Cronkite Oh what
anchormen you see don’t fade away they
just keep coming back for more
Walter Cronkite was born November 4th
1916 in st. Joseph Missouri he gained
prominence as a reporter during World
War two I’m just back from the biggest
assignment that any American reporter
could have so far in this war and became
the CBS Evening News anchor on April 16
1962 by 1970 this gentle authority
figure was the top-rated news anchor and
was the most trusted man in America due
to his reliable reports on major
twentieth-century events number 10 the
Iran hostage crisis when a group of
Americans was taken hostage in Iran by
Islamist militants the country took
notice
months passed without resolution today
is confusing events were compounded by
conflicting reports from Tehran and this
prompted Cronkite to add a countdown
after his famous closing catchphrase to
emphasize how long the crisis had been
ongoing he kept this going until they
were finally released over a year later
and that’s the way it is Tuesday January
20th 1981 a day that began as the 440
fourth day of captivity and ended as the
first day of freedom for the American
hostages in Iraq number nine the Three
Mile Island incident good evening the
world has never known a day quite like
today fear from the Cold War was still
pervading the American consciousness as
was the threat of nuclear war when the
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant
experienced a partial meltdown it was no
wonder the masses were frightened as
radioactive gas leaked into Pennsylvania
cronkite offered his support to the
nation in the form of a detailed and
calm report we’ll have more on the
nuclear power accident in a moment
number 8 his retirement he had been the
face of CBS for 20 years and had
reported on the most significant events
during that time however in 1981
Cronkite announced
his retirement this is my last broadcast
as the anchorman the CBS Evening News
this father figure vacated his anchor
chair in favor of Dan Rather but not
before he gave audiences one last
memorable sign-off and that’s the way it
is Friday March 6 1981 I’ll be away on
assignment and Dan Rather will be
sitting in here for the next few years
good night
number 7 Watergate report though the
Washington Post had already broken the
Watergate story Cronkite and his CBS
News team compiled a comprehensive
report for an even wider segment of the
American public five men apparently
caught in the act of burglarizing and
bugging Democratic headquarters in
Washington Cronkite made the Watergate
caper
a national news story right before the
1972 presidential election and lent
credibility to the shocking allegations
number six MLK’s death Martin Luther
King jr. was known as one of the best
orders of all time and it was only
fitting that his death was announced by
another talented speaker Cronkite got
straight to the point when recounting
this assassination and spared no details
good evening dr. Martin Luther King the
apostle of non-violence in the civil
rights movement has been shot to death
in Memphis Tennessee though a few of his
word choices were dated this report went
down in history as one of the best
number-5 LBJ’s death in the years before
flashy breaking news graphics all
Cronkite needed was a hand gesture to
suggest something important it happened
he was first to receive word that former
President Lyndon Johnson had died and
was already in the middle of a newscast
when he did I’m talking to Tom Johnston
the press secretary for Lyndon Johnson
who was reported that the 36th president
the United States died this afternoon
Cronkite had the guts to let dead air
run while he got the whole story number
4 1968 Democratic National Convention
the witness to that Hilton violence that
it seemed to be
revolt on the part of the demonstrators
that year’s Democratic National
Convention came at a time when the
Vietnam War raged the civil rights
movement was at full steam and numerous
important leaders had been assassinated
the result was violence in Chicago where
police clashed with anti-war protesters
and security sparred with young
reporters like dan Rather I didn’t do
very well I think we’ve got a bunch of
thugs here damn though Cronkite later
said he regretted showing his anger it
was nice to see his human side number
three the moon landing another one of
history’s most significant moments is
forever linked with this veteran newsman
a 38 year old American standing on the
surface of the Moon the Apollo 11 moon
landing was not only a giant leap for
mankind it was also a highlight in
Cronkite’s career due to his love of the
space program unlike anchors who
preceded him Cronkite showed his
excitement on the news that day he was
so in awe of the event even he was
unable to speak boy number 2 the Vietnam
War 1968 was a year of Appeal in the
United States and one of the most
divisive issues was the Vietnam War
Cronkite visited the war-torn country to
witness the consequences of the Tet
Offensive firsthand and what he found
was an unwinnable war for it seems now
more certain than ever that the bloody
experience of Vietnam is to end in a
stalemate Cronkite’s unprecedented
commentary turned public opinion against
the war and weeks later President
Johnson announced he would not seek a
second term number one JFK’s death
taking the top spot on our list is a
moment that United the entire nation in
grief TV news was in its infancy and
Cronkite delivered the news of President
Kennedy’s shooting and eventual death
with characteristic poise restraint and
controlled emotion from Dallas Texas the
flash apparently official President
Kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. Central
Standard Time the figure of uncle Walter
removing his glasses to break the news
became one of many defining images from
that day the sobota Cronkite good night
direct from our newsroom in New York
this has been the CBS Evening News with
Walter Cronkite
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