Roger Mudd (1928–2021)

I was not alive during Roger Mudd's tenure at CBS and I actually never heard of him until I read this book. Cronkite. Rather. Schieffer. Stahl. Chung. Bradley. These were names that I was familiar with and they were all associated with CBS at some point in their careers.

Yet, Mudd was not a name that I knew. Still, something about the book intrigued me and I decided to read it. I'm very glad I did. Roger Mudd wrote an incredibly interesting and honest account about what he called the "glory days" of network TV news at CBS. This book has wonderful stories and anecdotes that are often humorous or heartfelt, sometimes both.

This book gave great insight into the people who are household names. Mudd and Dan Rather were rivals at CBS, but I felt Mudd's portrayal of Rather was fair and actually gave great insight into Rather's career. Mudd also mentioned the Kennedy family at length, from JFK's assassination, to his friendship with RFK, and his interview with Ted Kennedy that may have destroyed Ted's presidential campaign.

This book was a fairly quick read for me because I found it so engrossing. The stories were interesting and they give great insight into the history of television as well as how our political landscape is shaped and who shaped it. Highly recommended.… (more)

Longtime CBS News correspondent Roger Mudd details his 29-year tenure (1961-1980) in the network's Washington bureau. During most of that time, he covered Capitol Hill, as well as political campaigns and conventions. However, he is most likely best remembered as substitute anchor during Walter Cronkite's long summer vacations. Mudd details what goes into putting together a piece for television news, the professional rivalries among the various correspondents, and some of that era's major stories, including the civil rights debates and Watergate. Mudd left CBS in 1980 when Dan Rather got the nod as Cronkite's successor. Mudd interviewed many of his former CBS colleagues for their recollections of that time and place. It's unfortunate that sloppy editing resulted in numerous bloopers. The most egregious error is the misspelling (not once, but twice) of Sargent Shriver's first name (it appears incorrectly as Sergeant in the book). I'm sure Mudd knew better, but the final edit seems to have been left in the hands of someone who didn't know better. This book is definitely for TV news junkies, who will enjoy it for the inside look at CBS News.… (more)

Roger Mudd's fine book evokes a different and more comforting era. Like his friend Jim Lehrer who still delivers new this way, he writes in an even and measured cadence. His topical span is great and in some areas, such as the Kennedy family, the depth will also delight those devoted to the subject - not to say, however, that they will like everything they read about the political trio. If you've heard or seen Mudd's recent radio and television interviews the book delivers just what you'd expect. While the events he covers should be at least vaguely familiar to most adults, many of the political and journalistic characters (Long, Friendly, Sevareid, etc.) may be lost on those born after the Baby Boom years. Largely but not entirely free of angst, it is an altogether quick and pleasant retrospective read. *Please see amazon.com for my other reviews.… (more)