Scott Pelley: ‘I’ve never anchored a television broadcast — ever — in my career’

By Chris Ariens on May 21, 2011 11:07 AM

In this season of lasts, a first. The man who is about to sit in the chair Walter Cronkite once occupied, has never anchored a newscast in his life.

Scott Pelley tells The Baltimore Sun‘s David Zurawik: “I’ve never anchored a television broadcast — ever — in my career. Not in local television. Not in network television. I have only been a field reporter. It’s the only thing I know. So when I sit down on June the 6th, that will be the first day that I have ever anchored a live television broadcast.”

Pelley says that half hour of anchoring, is going to be “the least important part of my day.”

“It’s an opportunity to speak to the audience, which I’m most grateful for. But the most important part of the day is the 10 hours before that when you go in as managing editor and you sit with the senior staff and figure out what you’re going to cover and how you’re going to cover it.”

Pelley says of his “60 Minutes” boss, Jeff Fager, who now oversees all of CBS News, “It’s Jeff’s vision that the anchorman should be a reporter.” To that end, Pelley will continue to report for the newsmagazine — he has a story tomorrow night on professional cyclists and doping — which generally has double the viewership of “Evening News.”