Walter Cronkite - FishbowlNY

FishbowlNY’s 2009 Lists: In Memoriam

Amanda Ernst — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Our favorite part of any award show is the memorial montage commemorating the lives of all those who passed away in the past year. While this year’s headlines were populated by the tragic deaths of celebrities and other bold-faced names — from Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett to Patrick Swayze and Senator Ted Kennedy — our industry lost quite a few of its prominent members in 2009 as well. Here, a look back at some of the media’s brightest stars we said goodbye to this year:

Former anchorman Walter Cronkite was perhaps the biggest name in the media world to pass away in 2009, and he was honored by a star-studded memorial in September.

A number of famous columnists also left us without their prolific narratives about politics, celebrities and the English language in 2009. Conservative columnist Robert Novak died in August from a brain tumor, Vanity Fair‘s Dominick Dunne passed away later that month after a battle with bladder cancer. The New York Times‘ “On Language” columnist, William Safire, died in September from pancreatic cancer. Another columnist who we had the pleasure of working with last year, men’s wear expert Stan Gellers, died suddenly last winter, just a few months after the publication he had contributed to for more than 50 years, DNR, folded.

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Welcome To FishbowlNY’s Best Of Lists Of 2009

Amanda Ernst — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:18:00 +0000

As the year comes to a close, we couldn’t resist taking a look back at all the great things that the media industry covered and produced, all the people who rose to prominence, maintained their perch atop the heap or had dramatic falls, and all the events that were covered faithfully and at length on the pages of our favorite newspapers and magazines and on computer screens across the city.

For better or worse, 2009 was a year that won’t easily be forgotten by those in the New York media world. It started with a bang: Barack Obama‘s inauguration, which gave us all hope of something better to come.

But for all that hope, we fear that for those in our industry, 2009 will be remembered for all those things lost. Popular publications like Domino and Gourmet published their last issues (and we’re still waiting to hear about what’s in store for Editor & Publisher) and thousands lost their jobs industry-wide. We also lost some big names in the industry, like Walter Cronkite and Dominick Dunne, to name just two.

As we head towards 2010, and a brand new decade, we’re cheered by the fact that our industry is started to show some signs of recovery. After a crushing 2008, 2009 became the year of “flat is the new growth.” We’ve already sunk to new lows, so any growth is promising, even if we’ll never reach the soaring heights in terms of the ad sales and employee counts of earlier this decade. Growth is our only option.

We’re happy to say goodbye and good riddance to 2009. But as we look to the future, let’s take a moment to remember all that happened this year — for better or worse. Over the next few days, we’ll be compiling what we think were the biggest moments in New York media this year. Plug in those Christmas lights, pour yourself some eggnog, and settle in for a recap of the year that was.

(Photo by Paul Mannix)

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Cronkite To Be Honored At New York Press Club Annual Conference

Amanda Ernst — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:35:00 +0000

The New York Press Club is set to convene it’s 17th annual conference at NYU’s Kimmel Center later this month.

The gathering, themed “Hard News in Hard Times,” will see late news legend Walter Cronkite inducted into the organization’s hall of fame and WCBS courts reporter Irene Cornell honored with a prize for outstanding achievement in journalism. David Faber of CNBC will provide the keynote address.

If conferences are your thing and you’re free on Saturday, September 26, you might consider forking over the $50 for non-members ($35 for members, $15 for students.) In addition to the usual fare of how-to’s, there are a number of panels focused in one way or another on the changing media landscape.

A list of panels at the conference after the jump

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Covering Today’s Cronkite Memorial

Amanda Ernst — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Right now, the public memorial for Walter Cronkite is just getting started at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

TVNewser editors Chris and Kevin are on the scene and Tweeting from the event. So far, they’ve spotted NBC News‘ Steve Capus chatting with Rick Kaplan of CBS, Liz Smith sitting next to former Foxnews.com columnist Roger Friedman along with news anchors Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Charlie Gibson and Dan Rather.

Cronkite’s longtime home CBS will is streaming live coverage of the service on CBSnews.com and TVNewser will have a full report on the memorial later today.

Will you be tuning it to the Web-cast?

TVNewser: Gathering For The Walter Cronkite Memorial Service

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“60 Minutes” Creator Don Hewitt Dies

Amanda Ernst — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:52:00 +0000

The summer of death rolls on, this time claiming the life of legendary CBS News producer and “60 Minutes” creator Don Hewitt, who reportedly died this morning.

Hewitt, who was 86, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, TVNewser reported. Despite his illness, Hewitt attended Walter Cronkite‘s funeral last month.

Cronkite, Novak, Hewitt. Some people say that these sorts of things come in threes. We think someone should start keeping a close eye on Andy Rooney.

TVNewser: Don Hewitt – 1922-2009

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The Things We (Almost) Missed This Week

Amanda Ernst — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:45:00 +0000

Before we head into the weekend, here’s a look at some big media stories we (almost) missed this week. Better late than never, right?

Times Public Editor Takes On Stanley: New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt tried to explain how an “especially embarrassing” number of corrections appeared in Alessandra Stanley‘s appraisal of Walter Cronkite‘s career. Although Hoyt called Stanley “a prolific writer much admired by editors for the intellectual heft of her coverage of television,” she has a history of making mistakes. As Hoyt explained:

“For all her skills as a critic, Stanley was the cause of so many corrections in 2005 that she was assigned a single copy editor responsible for checking her facts. Her error rate dropped precipitously and stayed down after the editor was promoted and the arrangement was discontinued. Until the Cronkite errors, she was not even in the top 20 among reporters and editors most responsible for corrections this year. Now, she has jumped to No. 4 and will again get special editing attention.”

We reached out to Hoyt and a Times rep to see if we could find out who the three reporters and editors with the most errors are, but we haven’t received any response. For now, it looks like Stanley’s job is safe, but who knows what will happen once the paper appoints a new culture editor, now that current editor Sam Sifton has been named restaurant critic.

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Olbermann Names Stelter, O’Reilly & Murdoch The Worst|Andersen Blogs At Time.com|The Cheapest & Most Expensive Mags|Time Warner Gets Ready To Dump AOL|Cronkite Myths: Debunked

Amanda Ernst — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

TVNewser: Keith Olbermann targetted Brian Stelter of The New York Times, Bill O’Reilly and News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch on his “World’s Worst” segment last night.

Time.com Kurt Andersen is blogging over at Time.com this week, where he’s writing about Cash for Clunkers, China and his new book “Reset.”

Ad Age: A look at the cheapest and most expensive magazine subscription prices. Cheapest? Parents magazine at 33 cents an issue. Science Illustrated tops the most expensive list at $3.33 per issue.

Washington Post: Time Warner is getting ready to shed AOL. Now it can focus its attention on saving its ailing magazines.

NPR: Walter Cronkite myths debunked.

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NY Media Gather For Cronkite|Which Journos Were Called On At Last Night’s Presser?|Tribune Seeks Millions For Bonuses|National Geographic Publishes Readers Photos|Everyone Trusts Jon Stewart

Amanda Ernst — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:15:00 +0000

TVNewser: Walter Cronkite‘s funeral was today, and here’s a peek at some of the people in attendance. The crowd included Bob Schieffer, Les Moonves, Katie Couric, Connie Chung, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Brian Williams, Barbara Walters, Charlie Gibson, Tom Brokaw, Andy Rooney, Dan Rather and Meredith Vieira.

FishbowlDC: A run-down of who was called on to ask questions at the president’s press conference last night.

Chicago Tribune: The Chicago Tribune asked the bankruptcy court to allow millions of dollars in bonus payments to more than 700 employees.

Folio: National Geographic magazine is planning to publish a special edition “Your Shot” issue featuring photos submitted by readers.

Time/All Things Digital: It’s a big news day for Jon Stewart. A Time online poll found Stewart was the most trusted newscaster in America, but a segment from his show making fun of President Barack Obama‘s opening pitch of the MLB All Star game has been blocked by the league.

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Cronkite Tells It Like It Is

Amanda Ernst — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Since learning of the death of broadcasting legend Walter Cronkite last week, we have been trying to find the right way to pay tribute to him here. Unfortunately, Cronkite’s heyday was a bit before our time — we grew up in a Peter Jennings world — so we don’t have any personal stories or anecdotes to share.

That doesn’t mean we haven’t enjoyed all the stirring tributes that have been everywhere (TVNewser columnist Gail Shister wrote one of our favorites.) It is true — journalists like to honor our own.

But while it’s easy for critics and fans to heap praise on a legend after his death, we have been most moved by Cronkite’s own words, the video clips of him announcing John F. Kennedy’s death or interviews with him after his retirement. And we were exceptionally happy to see this Proust interview Cronkite did for Vanity Fair in 1997. It’s a true look into the man himself, told through his own words. And guess what? He wasn’t perfect. Nor was he humble. But, he was pretty funny. Here are some of our favorite answers:

When and where were you happiest?
Behind the newsdesk on a fast-breaking story.

Which living person do you most admire?
Me.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Humility.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
I’m strongly urged by advisers not to say “moral laxity,” so let’s say “sense of humor.”

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Stableford Finds Work After Folio

Amanda Ernst — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:20:00 +0000

Here’s some proof that there is work out there for talented journos: just a few weeks after being let go from Folio former FishbowlNY-er Dylan Stableford has started covering New York media for TheWrap.com.

His first three posts are all Walter Cronkite-related, and we’re happy to read Stableford’s take on the many tributes to the broadcasting legend, as well as his memories of meeting the man himself.

Looking forward for more to come.

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FishbowlNY’s Amanda Ernst Talks Cronkite, McCourt & Kindle On The Menu

Amanda Ernst — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:15:00 +0000

Today on the media- bistro.com Morning Media Menu podcast, hosts Jason Boog of GalleyCat and AgencySpy‘s Matt Van Hoven welcomed FishbowlNY editor Amanda Ernst to discuss today’s big media headlines.

The trio talked about two media personalities who died over the weekend: Walter Cronkite and author Frank McCourt. They discussed their work and their legacies, particularly Cronkite’s contribution to broadcast journalism and whether anyone has taken up his mantle. Amanda, Matt and Jason agreed that no current broadcaster has the same kind of authority that Cronkite brought to his work.

They also discussed the news that Amazon.com had deleted unauthorized copies of George Orwell books from Kindle e-readers over the weekend. The news exposes a weakness in the Kindle’s network, and brings up worrisome questions about what sort of information Amazon can access through the devices, including personal and private information about the users. Jason discussed some other devices that rival the Kindle, and promised to provide updates as they become available.

You can listen to all the past podcasts at BlogTalkRadio.com/mediabistro and call in at 646-929-0321.

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Author & Famous New Yorker Frank McCourt Dies

Amanda Ernst — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:45:00 +0000

As we were watching the Walter Cronkite tribute on CBS this evening, we learned that Frank McCourt, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of best-selling autobiography “Angela’s Ashes,” had died at the age of 78.

Reports say the McCourt, who was previously diagnosed with melanoma, died of meningitis.

McCourt was born in Brooklyn and returned to Ireland with his family when he was four years old, a story he retold with humor and ruefulness in “Angela’s Ashes.” McCourt was a former writing teacher (which he chronicled in his two other books “‘Tis” and “Teacher Man”) but didn’t get into book writing until later in his life.

Inspired, we pulled out our copy of “Ashes.” Our favorite part will always be the very beginning:

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.

People everywhere brag and whine about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years.

Above all — we were wet.”

(Photo by David Shankbone)

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Walter Cronkite Dies At 92

Amanda Ernst — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:30:00 +0000

Legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite died earlier tonight. He was 92.

Our colleagues at TVNewser have the full report of Cronkite’s death, including statements from staffers at CBS News where Cronkite anchored the Evening News for 19 years, statements from ABC News and NBC’s Brian Williams and a rundown of how cable news covered the news.

When one of our own passes away journalists pay their respects, with lengthy obituaries in print, moments of silence on air and tribute specials. Expect lots of tributes to Cronkite over the next few days.

Cronkite was first reported to be ill in mid-June. He was suffering from cerebrovascular disease and his son Chip told The New York Times that the cause of death was complications of dementia.

Tonight, the New York Press Club honored their former member by urging journalists to “rededicate themselves to the high standards he set.”

Cronkite was best known for his work on the day of President John F. Kennedy‘s assassination and his famous sign off, “And that’s the way it is.” He was a powerful presence in the broadcasting world and, although he will be missed, his contribution to the industry can be felt in every evening network newscast. Now let’s have a moment of silence for Walter Cronkite.

After the jump, a clip of Cronkite announcing JFK’s death.

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Cronkite “Resting Comfortably”|WaPo Gets Swing Flu|Elle Beats Vogue In Ad Pages|Boston Mag Honcho Drops Axe, Eats Steak|Medical Mag Publisher Lays Off 30

Amanda Ernst — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:00:00 +0000

TVNewser: Walter Cronkite‘s family set the record straight today with a statement about his health: “In order to dispel false rumors, Walter Cronkite’s family wants it known that he has apparently suffered for some years with cerebrovascular disease and he is not expected to recuperate. He is resting comfortably at home with family, friends, and a wonderful medical team. We thank you for your prayers and good wishes.”

FishbowlDC: Swine flu hits The Washington Post.

Forbes: Fashion mag Elle booked more ad pages than style bible Vogue for the first time in the magazine’s 24-year history.

Boston Herald: More details emerge about at Boston magazine, including the fact that the mag’s execs went out for steak after axing several top staffers.

Folio: CMPMedica U.S. ceased print production of monthly magazines Infections in Medicine and the AIDS Reader this week, resulting in the loss of about 30 jobs.

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Sad News: Legendary Broadcaster Walter Cronkite Ill

Amanda Ernst — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Our sister blog TVNewser has some sad news about 92-year-old former broadcaster Walter Cronkite. According to an unnamed source at Cronkite’s longtime network CBS, Cronkite is “gravely ill” and “the network began updating his obituary more than a week ago.”

Cronkite anchored “CBS Evening News” for 19 years. In 1981 he was forced to retire and Dan Rather was named his successor. Yet Cronkite remained a special correspondent and kept an office at the network.

Cronkite is perhaps most well-known for his sign-off — “And that’s the way it is…”

Update: Boston.com has talked to Cronkite’s assistant Cynthia Dicrocco who said TVNewser’s report is “grossly exaggerated.”

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