I was fortunate to have a rewarding career in radio broadcasting that spanned 14 years—from 1969 through 1983. Rewarding, that is, in terms of the work I was able to accomplish—not financially. But I knew that going in.
I started out programming music and doing sports play-by-play, but it didn’t take long for my interests to shift. I moved into current events, first as a talk show host and eventually as a journalist—reporter and anchor. Along the way, I was honored to receive an Associated Press award for my coverage of education in Columbus, Indiana, in 1981.
Still, if you ask me about the single most memorable moment of my radio career, it came in late 1982.
At the time, I was working at WNDE/WFBQ, back when the station still had a news department. It wasn’t large, but there were a handful of us committed to covering the news. WNDE was also an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network.
The CBS network had a storied history. Founded in 1927, it began with just a handful of affiliates in the early days of broadcasting. Under the leadership of William S. Paley, it grew into a formidable competitor to NBC and became a primary source of news for Americans—delivering information over the airwaves long before people could access it instantly.
In 1938, CBS launched the CBS World News Roundup, which would become the longest-running network radio newscast in U.S. history. During World War II, legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow reported from London as the city endured Nazi bombing raids—coverage that helped define modern broadcast journalism.
CBS held a special place in American life through the 1940s and early 1950s, when families gathered around their radios for both news and entertainment. Even as television rose to prominence, the radio network endured.
At WNDE, I remember that anchors were required to begin local newscasts two minutes before the hour. That meant everything had to be timed perfectly to join the network’s top-of-the-hour broadcast. It was a challenge—but one we took seriously.
So what does all this have to do with me?
In late 1982, the national president of the United Auto Workers was scheduled to appear at an event in Indianapolis. CBS in New York contacted our news director, asking our affiliate station to provide coverage.
My news director and I handled the assignment. He tasked me with preparing and sending the material to a CBS producer in New York. I did just that—and thought little more about it.
Until the next morning.
During morning drive time on the East Coast—prime time for radio listening—I learned that CBS had selected my story from the UAW event to air on its national newscast.
I never managed to get a tape of that broadcast. I wish I had. It was a defining moment for me—a story I had written and voiced, carried across the country by a news organization I had long admired.
Those memories came rushing back when I recently learned that CBS plans to shut down its radio network and lay off its staff.
It’s a sad moment for broadcasting and for journalism.
I’m also a realist. Radio no longer commands the audience it once did. Podcasts and streaming services have changed how people consume audio. Whether the CBS Radio Network remained profitable is unclear, but it’s easy to imagine the long-term business outlook was challenging. From that perspective, the decision may make sense.
But that doesn’t make it any easier to accept.
The CBS Radio Network will close just short of its 100th anniversary—a remarkable run by any standard. For me, it will always represent one of the high points of my career: the day my work reached a national audience.
Today, my thoughts are with the many journalists affected by the shutdown. I hope they find new opportunities and continue the important work of informing the public.
