ULTRA RARE EXCLUSIVE! View From Behind Walter Cronkite’s Desk!
On September 20, 2013
- Archives, TV History
If you have ever wondered what Walter Cronkite saw from his desk, wonder no more. Thanks to Glenn Mack, here is a shot from behind that famous desk in the newsroom at the CBS Broadcast Center from around 1974. It appears that the two Norelco PC70s are in the process of having their teleprompters changed to newer models. It looks like both cameras are mounted on height adjustable tripods that were usually found only on movie sets, perhaps made by Movieola. Anyone know?
I worked in the network newsroom next door to this scene for two years.
PC 70s were the best. We had two at UTMB. Pushed them all over campus.
Whwen I worked at the Broadcast Center [19080 through 1983] Cronkite was still anchoring until the April of 1981. The cameras for the Evening News were moved into the studio at around 3:30PM every day. Because of “unauthorized” people gaining access to the broadcast on at least once occasion, secuurity was posted on at least three doors which led into that newsroom.
Check out the “studio monitor.” Looks right off the shelf from Sears!
This is the coolest thing I have seen all day!
Is that Elvis mounting the monitor?
Amazing, huh?
Those 2 PC70s reached into 12 million homes every night!
I worked on Noreleco PC70 cameras… soldered up home brew Nuvistor preamps… golly that was back in 1970 at WFRV TV Green Bay…seems only like last year! Time sure does fly when you are having fun…
Wow, I didn’t know he broadcast from the janitors closet.
I wonder Craig if they had an old Telewagon 10 out back o whisk Walt back to his sailboat
this is awesome
And I think those were true TelePrompTers, operated by people from their company. Years later I worked with one of Uncle Walter’s prompter ops.
Absolutely captures TV at the time. It wasn’t a big showcase studio set designed to satisfy the gawkers. It was purely functional. Great picture. Even the geeks look like geeks … as they should. 😉
…and that’s the way it was….
I remember Walter Cronkite speaking about the art of using a teleprompter. He said that a person should not continually stare into the camera but should occasionally look down at the copy. Otherwise the person’s stare can make the home viewer feel uncomfortable. At least that was Uncle Walter’s take on it.
Amazing to see this. Looks like they are in closet with the shelves. Looks so simple as compared today..
We did visit this set in 1971 or 72 when our Explorer Post 12 had a tour of W 57th…