Ed Murrow

Edward R Murrow was born in Guilford County, North Carolina.  He grew up in a log cabin with no heat, electricity or indoor plumbing.  The farm that his family lived on wasn’t very profitable as they only brought in a couple hundred dollars a year. 

His family moved to Western Washington when he was six years old as this is where Murrow would attend high school and eventually become president of the student body.  In 1926, Murrow attended Washington State College.  Here he received his Bachelor’s degree in speech upon graduating four years later.

CBS hired Murrow five years after he graduated college to direct its educational programming. He was not on the air for CBS, but he would talk to students to encourage them to become future employees with the company.  In 1937, CBS sent Murrow to Europe to continue organizing these radio talks.  However, with all of the late breaking news going on in Europe, Murrow was put on the air and became one of the first foreign radio correspondents. 

 In London, Murrow provided Americans with his first hand descriptions of the Battle of Britain as it was going on.  These were the broadcasts that would go on to make Murrow a household name as well as his signature opening line, “This is London.”

He not only had a successful career in news broadcasting but also had a prominent career in film and Television shows.  Murrow’s t television shows included “See it Now” which used to be “Hear it Now.”  He also interviewed celebrities in a show called Person to Person. 

            Murrow was highly regarded by the general public as a broadcaster, however there has always been controversy surrounding his time at CBS.  It was a result of tension between he and Bill Paley.  However, he will forever hold a place in history as both a pioneer in radio and broadcast journalism.           

Sources  :http://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/murrow/

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0425.html

American Journalist Textbook