Huntley and brinkley biography

Frank left the program in to produce documentaries Eliot Frankel replaced him but returned to the program the following year when it expanded to 30 minutes. ByNBC executives had grown dissatisfied with Swayze in his role anchoring the network's evening news program, which fell behind its main competition, CBS's Douglas Edwards with the Newsin Producer Reuven Frankwho had advocated pairing Huntley and Brinkley for the convention coverage, thought using two anchors on a regular news program "was one of the dumber ideas I had ever heard.

Huntley handled the bulk of the news most nights, with Brinkley specializing in Washington-area topics such as the White HouseU. Congressand the Pentagon. When one was on vacation the other would typically handle the full broadcast alone, leaving viewers with a familiar anchor instead of a little-known substitute such as a field reporter.

The closing credits music for the broadcast was the second movement scherzo of Beethoven's Ninth Symphonyfrom the studio recording with Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Initially, the program lost audience from Swayze's program, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower let it be known that he was displeased by the switch.

Critics considered Huntley to possess one of the best broadcast voices ever heard, and Brinkley's dry, often witty, newswriting presented viewers a contrast to the often sober output from CBS News. The program received a Peabody Award in for "Outstanding Achievement in News," the huntley and brinkley biographies committee noting that the anchors had "developed a mature and intelligent treatment of the news that has become a welcome and refreshing institution for millions of viewers.

It received eight Emmy Awards in its year run. Huntley and Brinkley conveyed a strong chemistry, and a survey for NBC later found that viewers liked that the anchors talked to each other. Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. Whatever I'm doing, I stop to watch these guys. Bythe program brought in more advertising revenue than any other on television.

The program's ratings slipped late in the decade as CBS 's Walter Cronkite gained fame for his coverage of the space program, a field in which neither Huntley nor Brinkley had much interest although Huntley and Brinkley occasionally participated in space coverage, another NBC newsman, Frank McGeewas the prime anchor of NBC's space coverage.

David Brinkley Biography. InNBC News executives were looking for their own breakout newsbiz star. In trying to determine which one of two would make the best anchor for NBC's political convention coverage, a impasse arose. According to Reuven Frank, a brainstorm happened: why not have two anchors instead of one? That insight led to Brinkley's paring with Huntley to cover the Democratic and Republican huntley and brinkley biography conventions.

The answer is neither obvious nor certain. Reference is often made to Brinkley's sardonic sense of humor or his dry wit. He did frequently offer brief comment on the paradoxical or illogical implications of a news item, but that trait in itself would not explain the pair's popularity. Huntley was often characterized as serious. That is not to say that he was a straight man for Brinkley's punch line or that Brinkley was frivolous.

Rather, it denotes that in his presentation of the news, in his writings, and in his interaction with his colleagues Huntley repeatedly indicated his awareness of the immense responsibility he felt to report the news fairly, accurately, and professionally. Neither Huntley nor Brinkley presumed that the facts would speak for themselves. Both sought to present the facts, put them in context, and suggest likely consequences.

To a greater extent than any broadcasters before them, except possibly Edward R. Murrow, the NBC co-anchors offered commentary, not merely news reports. Both broadcasters were handsome; Huntley received a legendary amount of mail from females. Both were well spoken. Those attributes no doubt contributed to Huntley and Brinkley having a greater public recognition than movie stars and heads of states.

Then Brinkley was intermittently either co-anchor or commentator on that program until Octoberafter which he devoted himself to specials and eventually to "NBC Magazine," which featured four correspondents, each of whom reported on a topical subject that varied from week to week. In addition to his weekly series, Brinkley provided political commentary for World News Tonight and national election coverage.

It was just such coverage that led to his retirement from ABC in At the end of ABC's election coverage, Brinkley declared that President Clinton was "boring" and would subject the American public to more "goddamned nonsense" during the next four years. Well, after a long election day and seven hours on the set, what I said on the election night coverage was both impolite and unfair.

I'm sorry. I regret it. The show marked the end of Brinkley's year network news career and he spoke his last commentary on the program on September 28, Huntley's off-camera activities were touched with controversy. Unlike Brinkley, he crossed picket lines during a strike against the networks. The Federal Communications Commission admonished him in for his failure to inform his audience of his financial interests in the cattle feeding industry when he criticized on the air governmental meat inspection requirements.

Subsequently he sold his New Jersey cattle farm following incidents of vandalism there. After retirement, Huntley devoted himself to the development of the Big Sky recreational complex in Montana, a project opposed by conservationists. As the facility was about to be dedicated, he died on March 20,following abdominal surgery for cancer. The two men formed an unlikely but successful team.

Huntley and brinkley biography

Huntley's resonate voice and straightforward style seemed a perfect match to Brinkley's more cryptic, somewhat cynical approach. Their balanced reporting style was perhaps best epitomized by their well known sign-off line: "Goodnight, Chet. Barnouw, Erik. New YorkOxford University Press, Bliss, Edward, Jr. New YorkColumbia University Press, Emery, Michael, and Edwin Emery.

Weaver, Pat. New York, Knopf, Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. January 8, Retrieved January 08, from Encyclopedia.