Why did Walter Cronkite initially retire? Was he pushed out?

[baby_bear]

I seem to remember CBS pushing him out, but the person I am watching a baseball game with says I am hallucinating.

anyone remember?

s_m

[madmax]

1. From what I remember he just wanted to retire.

He's what now about 83? He wanted to spend time with his wife and family. Your friend is right :evilgrin: :toast:

[comsymp]

2. You're tickling a very fuzzy memory

It's been, what, 20+ years? It DOES seem (bearing in mind that the '80s were very good to CS} that there was something political reported about the retirement, although Uncle Walter had been talking about retirement prior to the event... FWIW...

[madaboutharry]

3. He did not want to retire

CBS had a policy of mandatory retirement at age 65. His retirement was controversial at the time. It was in the early 80's and Dan Rather took his place.

[Romberry]

4. I believe the decision to retire...

...was Cronkite's. The shoddy treatment from CBS came after he retired. They basically severed all ties and treated Cronkite as if he were a stranger.

Cronkite himself has said that he regrets his decision to retire when he did. That indicates to me that he had a choice.

[charlie]

5. He didn't fight it

but CBS did squeeze him out using the rubric of the mandatory retirement age. I recall that they were concerned about Rather jumping ship if he didn't get the anchor chair soon enough. Big mistake.

[Romberry]

7. Source please.

CBS has had older employees than Walter Cronkite.

[Alex88]

6. .

[baby_bear]

8. "pushed out " appears to be the operative term

Determined to get to the truth of this, I Googled on "Walter Cronkite" CBS and "pushed out" -- and got a bunch of interesting stuff, including a review of Cronkite's bio from which I quote:

He joined CBS as a Korean War correspondent, and as CBS Evening News anchor for almost two decades (he retired in 1981, pushed out, he says, by a new management more interested in infotainment than substance), he reported on the civil rights movement, NASA's first moon walk, the John Kennedy assassination, freedom struggles in South Africa.

I think this is what I remember, that he himself said he was pushed out. That's why I used that term.

I told my friend and he left.

Oh well. There's some satisfaction in being right.

s_m

[theboss]

9. I know this!!

I actually have a connection to Cronkite.

CBS had a mandatory retirement age. Cronkite reached it and the brass wanted to go with the younger Rather so they put him out to pasture.