Chet Huntley

Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley (December 10, 1911 - March 20, 1974) was an American television newscaster.

Early life

Huntley was born in Cardwell, Montana. He graduated from Whitehall High School in Whitehall and attended Montana State College in Bozeman and Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle before graduating from the University of Washington in 1934.

Career

Huntley began his radio newscast career at Seattle's KIRO AM, later working on radio stations in Spokane and Portland. In 1937 he went to work for KFI in Los Angeles, moving to CBS Radio from 1939-51, then ABC Radio from 1951-55. In 1955, he joined the NBC Radio network, viewed by network executives as "another Ed Murrow."

In 1956, coverage of the national political conventions was a major point of pride for the fledgling broadcast news organizations. NBC news executives were seeking to counter the growing popularity of CBS' Walter Cronkite, who had been a ratings success at the 1952 conventions. They decided to replace their current news anchor, John Cameron Swayze, but there was a disagreement on who the new anchorman should be. The two leading contenders were Huntley and David Brinkley. The eventual decision was to have both men share the assignment. Their on-air chemistry was apparent from the start, with Huntley's straightforward presentation countered by Brinkley's acerbic wit.

This success soon led to the team replacing Swayze on the network's nightly news program. It was decided to have the two men co-anchor the show; Huntley from New York City, Brinkley from Washington, DC. The Huntley-Brinkley Report began in October 1956 and was soon a ratings success. Huntley and Brinkley's catchphrase closing of "Good night, Chet" - "Good night, David... and good night for NBC News" was developed by the show's producer, Reuven Frank. The sign-off became famous (although both men disliked it).

He wrote a memoir of his Montana childhood, The Generous Years: Remembrances of a Frontier Boyhood, published by Random House in 1968. He also became involved in a New York advertising agency, Levine, Huntley, Schmidt, Plapler & Beaver, gaining a 10 percent share in the agency in exchange for having his name on the letterhead and attending some agency meetings.

Huntley's last NBC News broadcast was aired on July 31, 1970. He returned to Montana, where he conceived and built Big Sky, a ski resort south of Bozeman, which opened in December 1973.

Death

Huntley died of lung cancer in March 1974 at his home in Big Sky at the age of 62. Boyne USA Resorts purchased the Big Sky Resort in 1976 and has owned and managed it since.

Legacy

Only days before his retirement, Huntley gave an interview with Dick Cavett, available on the DVD The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons, Disc 2. In 2003, a biography titled Good Night Chet, by Lyle Johnston, was published by McFarland Publishers.

External links

• IMDB.com - Chet Huntley
• Museum.tv - Chet Huntley
• YouTube clip of Huntley giving an editorial on November 22, 1963, several hours after President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated
• YouTube clip of Huntley-Brinkley Report, August 1, 1966
• YouTube clip of Huntley's farewell at the end of the Huntley-Brinkley Report on July 31, 1970

References