(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: