Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism »

BOB EDWARDS has hosted NPR’s Morning Edition, the most popular program in all broadcast media, since its premiere in November 1979. In 1999, he and the program received a prestigious Peabody Award for “two hours of daily entertainment expertly helmed by a man who embodies the essence of excellence in radio.” Also a recipient of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award, he is the author of Fridays with Red, which chronicled his radio friendship with legendary sportscaster Red Barber.

Movie Tie-In: Good Night, and Good Luck nominated for 6 Academy Awards!Long before the era of the news anchor, the pundit, and the mini-cam, one man blazed a trail that thousands would follow. Edwards brings to life the great stories Murrow covered and brought into American living rooms for the first time—the rooftop reports of the London Blitz, bombing raids over Berlin, and the 1954 broadcast that helped bring down Senator Joe McCarthy—as well as the ups and downs of his career at CBS. Edwards reveals how Murrow dramatically impacted public opinion and how the high standards he lived by influenced an entire generation of broadcasters. Includes LIVE radio broadcasts.

Publishers Weekly

Edwards, who has hosted NPR's Morning Edition since 1979 (though he's just announced his retirement from that post, as of April 30 of this year), examines the charismatic career and pioneering efforts of renowned newsman Murrow for Wiley's Turning Points series. Murrow's broadcasting innovations were indeed significant turning points. Joining CBS in 1935, when radio news usually focused on such preplanned events as parades and flower shows, Murrow ran the network's European Bureau by 1937 and became a celebrity in 1940 with his stunning rooftop broadcasts of the London Blitz: "Listeners in comfortable living rooms all across the United States were hearing Britons being bombed in real time." Creating a cadre of WWII correspondents, Murrow flew on 25 combat missions, delivering dramatic reports on everything from the "orchestrated hell" of Berlin to the liberation of Buchenwald's "living dead." Mainly remembered for its famed 1954 attack on Joseph McCarthy, Morrow's groundbreaking TV show See It Now (1951-1958) put field producers on location, offering live remotes, split screens, original film footage and unrehearsed interviews at a time other TV news featured only a reading of headlines. Edwards delineates a brief but striking portrait of a "driven man," a fearless fighter who set such a high standard for himself and others that he became a legend, leaving a lasting impact in newsrooms even after his death in 1965. The book includes excerpts from memorable Murrow broadcasts throughout. (May 7) Forecast: With more than 10 Turning Points titles now in print, readers may begin to spot this series by its distinctive, standardized cover design. This one is sure to benefit from Edwards's 14-city author tour. Other forthcoming titles in the series include Sir Martin Gilbert on D-Day. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.