Sanford Socolow

Sanford Socolow was interviewed for three-and-a-half hours plus in New York, NY. Socolow talked about his work for the International News Service (INS) in the early 1950s, as a Far East Correspondent. He chronicled his first work at CBS in the mid-50s in the news division. He discussed writing for Ned Calmer for the morning news and for Walter Cronkite on Eyewitness.  He spoke in great detail about the long association with Walter Cronkite that ensued, which culminated in his serving as the final executive producer of The Evening News with Walter Cronkite.  He spoke about producing Cronkite’s broadcast in the 1960s, and Cronkite’s role as managing editor of the news, and discussed such news events as: the coverage of the Vietnam War, the upheaval at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and the historic moon landing. He also commented on other significant news figures at the network during this period including: Edward R. Murrow, Mike Wallace, Eric Sevareid, Don Hewitt, Ernie Leiser, Les Midgley, and Richard Salant.  He described his transition into the executive suites as Vice President of CBS News and then head of the Washington Bureau in the 1970s. He discussed the contentious relationship between the Nixon Administration and the press. He noted the transition of Dan Rather to the evening news anchor’s chair and his move to London to serve as the CBS News Bureau Chief. Lastly, he talked about leaving CBS News  to serve as the Executive Producer of the Christian Science Monitor’s nightly newscast on the Discovery Channel in the late 1980s, World Monitor. The interview was conducted by Dr. Ralph Engelman on August 27, 2008.