Whirlwind : My Life Reporting the News.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kurtis, Bill.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

LaVergne : Plainspoken Books, 2025.

La Vergne : University Press of Kansas, 2025.

Summary:

Starting with his coverage of the largest tornado in Kansas history, legendary correspondent, anchorman, and producer Bill Kurtis details his whirlwind career reporting American history as it unfolded, from the Chicago Seven to Charles Manson to Agent Orange. A fast-paced, entertaining, and inspiring story about the potent combination of talent and luck in the network era of television. From his beginnings as a kid from Kansas working at local radio and television stations to pay for college and law school, Bill Kurtis had a hunger for telling stories and finding the truth. With passion, skill, and just the right amount of luck, Kurtis's reporting of the infamous Topeka Tornado of 1966 launched him into a whirlwind career in broadcast journalism. Only four years later, after passing the Kansas bar exam, Kurtis had already reported four of the largest trials of the twentieth century: Richard Speck, the Chicago Seven, Charles Manson, and Angela Davis. During his career as a West Coast correspondent for Cronkite's CBS Evening News , anchorman and foreign correspondent at the revolutionary local newsroom at WBBM-TV Chicago, co-anchor with Diane Sawyer at CBS Morning News , and beyond, Kurtis brought history to the American people in real time. Recounting moments in his remarkable career as a television journalist, Kurtis brings us into some of the most iconic moments of the '60s, '70s, and '80s. He was in the streets during the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; he uncovered the truth about the deadly effects of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; he was the first US television journalist to return to Chernobyl after the infamous nuclear disaster; and much more. Kurtis also offers an insider look at how television evolved from an emerging news source to the dominating force in American media. A natural storyteller, Kurtis remembers his career with honesty and insight and gives a rare picture of American history and broadcast journalism.

Contents:

Front Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Preface: Whirlwind

1 The Topeka Tornado

2 Learning Lessons and Chasing Dreams

3 Finding My Way

4 Richard Speck

5 Chicago on Fire

6 Four Days in August

7 Tokyo Rose

8 The Trial of the Chicago Seven

9 Charles Manson

10 Earthquake

11 Angela Davis

12 Juan Corona

13 A New Kind of News

14 The Last Days of Vietnam

15 The Phone Call

16 The Massacre

17 Saving a Life

18 Agent Orange

19 American Faces

20 CBS Morning News

21 The Golden Leaf

22 The Plane That Fell from the Sky

23 Muhammad Ali Generated by AI.

Notes:

Title from eBook information screen..

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

ISBN:

0-7006-4005-3

OCLC:

1534198450