Chuck Roberts
Encyclopedia
Chuck Roberts is an American
broadcast journalist, most notable for being the former weekday news anchor on Headline News, based in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia
. He was the longest-serving anchor among the CNN
networks and anchored weekday Headline News broadcasts from the network's debut on January 1, 1982—when he was the first anchor on-air— until his retirement on July 30, 2010.
Since he joined Headline News, Roberts led the network's coverage for each national election. In 2003, the U.S. Army Force Command in Atlanta asked Roberts to host the 228th birthday celebration of the U.S. Army.
In 1989, Roberts reported from a rooftop in Charleston, South Carolina
, on Hurricane Hugo
's arrival. In 1985, he reported live on the trial of Wayne Williams
, who was convicted in the Atlanta child murders case. That same year he reported from the scene of a federal prison riot in Atlanta.
Before joining Headline News, Roberts was the principal weeknight anchor at KMTV
in Omaha, Nebraska
. During that time, he conducted an exclusive interview with serial killer Caril Ann Fugate for KMTV and flew aboard the Strategic Air Command
post-nuclear-attack airborne command post "Looking Glass
".
From 1973-1975, Roberts anchored the evening news at KRGV-TV
in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Before joining KRGV, he was a newscaster at WHB
Radio in Kansas City, Missouri
, from 1971-1973. From 1970-1971, he anchored morning newscasts at KOMU-TV
, the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri
.
Roberts is a member of the Atlanta Press Club and the National Society of Professional Journalists. He is a recipient of the 1971 University of Missouri Faculty/Student Award for Outstanding Journalism and, in 1998, was inducted into the New Mexico Military Institute
's Hall of Fame for "lifetime achievement in service to the ideals of America."
Roberts is a graduate of the New Mexico Military Institute
(NMMI), a State of New Mexico supported educational institution located in Roswell, New Mexico
. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri
. He volunteers with Project for Humanity causes in Atlanta.
Roberts became known nationally in Summer 2006 for referring in a question to Connecticut Senate Candidate Ned Lamont
as the "al-Qaeda
" candidate. http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/11/headline-news-lamont/ His exact words were: "Might some argue -- as some have -- that Lamont is the al-Qaeda candidate?" A Google
search on August 12, 2006, showed that there was no reference documented on the internet
in which someone referred to Lamont as the "al-Qaeda candidate". In the blogosphere
, Roberts' comment led to calls for an apology. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/8/11/174030/263 On August 13, 2006, Arianna Huffington
, in an interview with CNN, demanded that Roberts be held accountable for his comment and wondered why he wasn't "demoted to covering Paris Hilton or entertainment news where the truth doesn't matter. http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/08/14/yes-howie-why-isnt-cnn-accountable-for-calling-lamont-the-al-qaeda-candidate/. Roberts apologized on air to Lamont during the afternoon of August 15, 2006, saying, "...I posed [the question] badly, stupidly..." Bloggers then praised Roberts. http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2841
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
broadcast journalist, most notable for being the former weekday news anchor on Headline News, based in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. He was the longest-serving anchor among the CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
networks and anchored weekday Headline News broadcasts from the network's debut on January 1, 1982—when he was the first anchor on-air— until his retirement on July 30, 2010.
Since he joined Headline News, Roberts led the network's coverage for each national election. In 2003, the U.S. Army Force Command in Atlanta asked Roberts to host the 228th birthday celebration of the U.S. Army.
In 1989, Roberts reported from a rooftop in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, on Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
's arrival. In 1985, he reported live on the trial of Wayne Williams
Wayne Williams
Wayne Bertram Williams is an American serial killer who committed most of the Atlanta Child Murders that occurred in 1979 through 1981. In January 1982, Williams was found guilty of the murder of two adult men...
, who was convicted in the Atlanta child murders case. That same year he reported from the scene of a federal prison riot in Atlanta.
Before joining Headline News, Roberts was the principal weeknight anchor at KMTV
KMTV
KMTV-TV is the CBS television station in Omaha, Nebraska. Owned by the Journal Broadcast Group, it broadcasts a digital television signal on UHF channel 45, which remaps to former analog channel 3 via PSIP.-History:...
in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. During that time, he conducted an exclusive interview with serial killer Caril Ann Fugate for KMTV and flew aboard the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
post-nuclear-attack airborne command post "Looking Glass
Looking Glass (airplane)
Looking Glass is the code name for an airborne command center currently operated by the U.S. Navy. It provides command and control of U.S. nuclear forces in the event that ground-based command centers are destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable.The Looking Glass was initiated by the U.S...
".
From 1973-1975, Roberts anchored the evening news at KRGV-TV
KRGV-TV
KRGV-TV is the local ABC affiliate television station for the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas . It is licensed to Weslaco, Texas, with studios in Weslaco and transmitter in Santa Maria, Texas...
in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Before joining KRGV, he was a newscaster at WHB
WHB
WHB is a commercial sports radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, and is known as the first full-time Top 40 station in the country...
Radio in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, from 1971-1973. From 1970-1971, he anchored morning newscasts at KOMU-TV
KOMU-TV
KOMU-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Mid-Missouri licensed to Columbia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at studios on US 63 southeast of downtown. The station can also be seen on Mediacom, Suddenlink, and Charter channel 7 as well...
, the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
.
Roberts is a member of the Atlanta Press Club and the National Society of Professional Journalists. He is a recipient of the 1971 University of Missouri Faculty/Student Award for Outstanding Journalism and, in 1998, was inducted into the New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
's Hall of Fame for "lifetime achievement in service to the ideals of America."
Roberts is a graduate of the New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
(NMMI), a State of New Mexico supported educational institution located in Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. He volunteers with Project for Humanity causes in Atlanta.
Roberts became known nationally in Summer 2006 for referring in a question to Connecticut Senate Candidate Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...
as the "al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
" candidate. http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/11/headline-news-lamont/ His exact words were: "Might some argue -- as some have -- that Lamont is the al-Qaeda candidate?" A Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search on August 12, 2006, showed that there was no reference documented on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in which someone referred to Lamont as the "al-Qaeda candidate". In the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
, Roberts' comment led to calls for an apology. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/8/11/174030/263 On August 13, 2006, Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
, in an interview with CNN, demanded that Roberts be held accountable for his comment and wondered why he wasn't "demoted to covering Paris Hilton or entertainment news where the truth doesn't matter. http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/08/14/yes-howie-why-isnt-cnn-accountable-for-calling-lamont-the-al-qaeda-candidate/. Roberts apologized on air to Lamont during the afternoon of August 15, 2006, saying, "...I posed [the question] badly, stupidly..." Bloggers then praised Roberts. http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2841
External links
- Chuck Roberts – Photos of Chuck Roberts on air over the years