(CBS Evenings, 1948 - Present) [aka: "Douglas Edwards With The News" (1948 - 1962); aka: "CBS News with Walter Cronkite" (1962 - March 9, 1981); aka: "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" (March 9, 1981 - March 9, 2005); Although Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly were responsible for creating the well-deserved CBS reputation for excellence in radio broadcast journalism, the Murrow years were in decline during the ascent of television -- which was not a particularly welcome development; Murrow did have his "high Murrow" series -- documentaries and "See It Now", and "low Murrow" series like the magazine "Person To Person", but did not embrace the daily reporting of news on the new medium; perhaps it was because TV news began more in the style of a motion picture newsreel with narration; Murrow was not a narrator; but due to his untimely death from lung cancer, we will never know how he might have felt about TV news as it matured; Nightly news broadcasts on CBS-TV began with Douglas Edwards who actually did two live broadcasts -- one for the East Coast and then repeated it three hours later for the West Coast (this was in the pre-videotape years when everything was live, and CBS News producer Don Hewitt revealed in his memoir that he and Edwards often went to bars and even strip clubs between shows); In April of 1962 Edwards retired and Walter Cronkite began his legendary run which led to him being called "avuncular" (like an uncle), and "Uncle Walter" and "the most trusted man in America"; On March 9, 1981 Walter Cronkite was retired by corporate policy when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65; a few weeks later, when he paid an unannounced visit to the network studio he said he detected an attitude that he was no longer welcome; By then, the anchor desk had been handed over to Dan Rather a long-time CBS correspondent originally from Texas who put in many years as a White-house correspondent and 60 Minutes magazine reporter; Rather has a liberal reputation because he publically challenged Republican presidents Nixon and George Bush, Sr.; Although Rather also was not too easy on Democratic President Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War era, reporting the battleground casualties and the toll it took in young American lives night after night. Then there was the odd episode when Rather was apparently mugged in New York City by a pair of thugs who asked him "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" leading to rumours that he was mentally unbalanced; in his defense, he has said "Well, those were the words they used, and I was merely reporting them to the police; I don't know who the muggers were..." Rather's tenure ended following a controversy over a CBS report unflattering to President Bush during the 2004 presidential campaign -- a report later shown to be unsubstantiated. It was said the timing of Rather's retirement announcement was not related. But on March 9, 2005, Rather anchored his final Evening News broadcast -- 24 years to the day when he began sitting in the anchor chair; Bob Schiefer began a temporary period as anchor until a final replacement is announced. For "CBS Reports", (a news documentary series, circa 1959), see the individual page for that series... ]
Contributor Mark L. Johnson writes he viewed episodes preserved on DVD from 4/7/1949 and 5/26/1952 in which the program opening was an animated film featuring cars of the sponsor Oldsmobile; and this old standard song, used as the Oldsmobile Jingle on radio and TV, was sung in a march arrangement just before Douglas Edwards began his broadcast at his desk on a "cheesy, apparently home-made set..." Contributor Mark seems to remember this animated film was also was used for the Sam Levinson show which had the same sponsor. On Douglas Edwards and the News, a rocket ship blasts off on film with a couple riding the rocket (symbolizing the power of the Oldsmobile), while the film for Levinson had the comedian himself in a cartoon caricature riding the rocket into space... Composers: music by Gus Edwards (ASCAP), with lyric by Vincent P. Bryan (ASCAP) [professional name of Vincent Patrick Bryan] 1978 Publisher: [in the Public Domain] 2000 Publisher: [currently in the Public Domain] Composition Date: 1905 Copyright Date: 1905, by M. Witmark and Sons. Renewal Date: 1933 Recordings:
Composer: under investigation 1978 Publisher: 2000 Publisher: Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
Theme: [a teletype sound effect was used behind the opening announcement -- there was no music theme]
Source: No composer--sound fx only 1978 Publisher: 2000 Publisher: Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
Composers: Walter ("Walt") Levinsky (ASCAP), and Elliot J. Schrager (BMI) 1978 Publishers: April Music, Inc. (ASCAP), and Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI) 2001 Publishers: Aspenfair Music, Inc./Special Account (ASCAP) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY; and EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI) c/o EMI Music Publishing of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
[this is probably derived from the "CBS Evening News Theme" above, by Levinsky and Schrager] Composers: Walter ("Walt") Levinsky (ASCAP), and Elliot J. Schrager (BMI) 1978 Publishers: April Music, Inc. (ASCAP), and Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI) 2001 Publishers: Aspenfair Music, Inc./Special Account (ASCAP) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY; and EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI) c/o EMI Music Publishing of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
[this is probably derived from the "CBS Evening News Theme" above, by Levinsky and Schrager] Composers: Walter ("Walt") Levinsky (ASCAP), Elliot J. Schrager (BMI), Natalie Corkle Levinsky (BMI), and Dorothy D. Krantz (BMI) 1978 Publishers: April Music, Inc. (ASCAP), and Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI) 2001 Publishers: Aspenfair Music, Inc./Special Account (ASCAP) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY; and EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI) c/o EMI Music Publishing of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
Composer: Robert ("Bob") Sakayama (ASCAP) 2001 Publisher: TNG/Earthling, Inc. (ASCAP) c/o Earthling Music Division of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
[above was title as filed for copyright; the ASCAP database title was: "CBS News Theme"; alternate ASCAP title: "CBS Evening News Theme"; primary BMI database title: "CBS Evening News Theme"; and an alternate BMI title: "Theme for CBS Evening News"] Composers: John P. Trivers (ASCAP/BMI), Alan James Pasqua (BMI), and Elizabeth T. Myers (ASCAP/BMI) 2001 Publishers: Aspenfair Music, Inc. (ASCAP) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY; and Beverlyfax Music, Inc. (BMI) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY Copyright Date: Dec. 16, 1987; PAu-1-040-253. [composers last names only were on the copyright filing] Renewal Date: Recordings:
[above is the title as listed in the ASCAP 2001 database; ASCAP title variations: aka: "This Morning (CBS) Theme"; This morning show was hosted by Bob Schieffer the first season and Charles Kurault after that; it was a temporary excursion in the time slot for the CBS Morning News, into more feature-oriented format which Kurault would perfect on his CBS "Sunday Morning" show] Composer: Carly Simon (ASCAP) 2001 Publisher: Aspenfair Music, Inc. (ASCAP) c/o CBS, Inc. of New York, NY; and C'Est Music (ASCAP) c/o Universal-Polygram International a div. of Universal Music Publishing Group at Universal Studios, of Los Angeles, CA Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
[above was title in the BMI database; not in the ASCAP database; It is likely that this is adapted from the previous "C B S News Theme" by the same composers.] Composers: John P. Trivers (ASCAP/BMI), Alan James Pasqua (BMI), and Elizabeth T. Myers (ASCAP/BMI) 2001 Publishers: Aspenfair Music, Inc. (ASCAP) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY; and Beverlyfax Music, Inc. (BMI) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings:
[above was title in the BMI database; ASCAP alternate title was: "CBS Evening News Theme"; alternate ASCAP Titles: "CBS News Theme"; aka: "Evening News Theme (CBS)"; It is probable that this is an expanded version of the "C B S News Theme" above adapted by a company which works mostly in the Jingle business, formerly called "AdMusic", now known as "Patterson, Walz & Fox Music" of Los Angeles] Composers: John P. Trivers (ASCAP/BMI), Alan James Pasqua (BMI), Elizabeth T. Myers (ASCAP/BMI), Richard Edward ("Rick") Patterson (BMI), Ronald Joseph ("Ron") Walz (BMI), and Neal Fox (BMI) 2001 Publishers: Aspenfair Music, Inc. (ASCAP) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY; and Beverlyfax Music, Inc. (BMI) c/o CBS Music Operations of New York, NY Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings: