Edward R. Murrow

Before there were a godzillion number of 24/7 networks pandering dreck ranging from household appliances you neither want nor need to misnamed educational shows with invented monsters and actors standing in as non-existent talking head professors at made-up universities, there were only three national networks. The names changed a bit but one of the majors was always the Columbia Broadcasting System or CBS.

And one of the first things the networks did was to broadcast the news. After the real pioneering days of broadcasts with the newscasters who almost everyone has forgotten (like Floyd Gibbons) and those the world remembers a bit better (like Lowell Thomas), we had the next generation which began with Edward R. Murrow.

Edward made his first major impact in his broadcasts from London during the blitz. After the war and for the 1950's television viewers, Edward soon became something of an institution with his serious demeanor, resonant voice, and trademark cigarette.

Yes, his trademark cigarette. This, alas, some effect on Edward's legacy. So to learn a bit more about this legacy, just click here.