Robert Trout
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Trout was an American broadcast news reporter, best known for his radio work before and during World War II
. He became known to some as the "Iron Man of Radio" for his ability to ad lib while on the air, as well as his stamina, composure, and elocution.
, North Carolina
; he added the Trout name early in his radio career. He entered broadcasting in 1931 as an announcer at WJSV, an independent station in Alexandria
, Virginia, founded in the early 1920s by James S. Vance. In the summer of 1932 WJSV was acquired by CBS, bringing Trout into the CBS fold. (WJSV is now WFED in Washington D.C.) He was the man who used the on-air label "fireside chat" to regular radio broadcasts of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression
and World War II
. (Trout actually credited the genesis of phrase to Harry Butcher, a CBS vice president in Washington.)
Trout was behind the microphone for many of broadcasting's firsts. He was the first to report live congressional hearings, first to transmit from a flying airplane and by some definitions the first to broadcast a daily news program and to create the news anchorman role.
It was Bob Trout in the mid-1930s who passed on to a then-new CBS executive, Edward R. Murrow
, the value of addressing the radio audience intimately, as if the announcer was talking to one person. Trout played a key role in Murrow's development as a broadcaster, and the two would remain colleagues until Murrow left the network in 1961, and friends until Murrow's death in 1965.
On Sunday night, March 13, 1938, after Adolf Hitler
's Germany had annexed Austria in the Anschluss, Trout hosted a shortwave "roundup" of reaction from multiple cities in Europe—the first such multi-point live broadcast on network radio. The broadcast included reports from correspondent William L. Shirer
in London (on the annexation, which he had witnessed firsthand in Vienna) and Murrow, who filled in for Shirer in Vienna so that Shirer could report without Austrian censorship.
The special gave Trout the distinction of being one of broadcasting's first true "anchormen" (in the sense of handing off the air to someone else as if it were a baton). It became the inspiration for the CBS World News Roundup
, which began later in 1938 and to this day continues to air each weekday morning and evening on the CBS Radio Network
.
Trout MC'ed news, special events and even entertainment programs during his first tenure at CBS
, from 1932 to 1948, including a stint in London while Murrow was back in the United States. He was the announcer on CBS' Professor Quiz
, radio's first true quiz program.
Trout anchored the network's live coverage of D-Day
and was behind the microphone when the bulletins announcing the end of World War II in Europe, and later Japan, came across.
. His year-and-a-half tenure on the show ended in September 1947, when Murrow—who had been CBS's vice president for public affairs—returned to on-air work and took over the broadcast. Trout left CBS for NBC, where from 1948 to 1951 he was the first emcee of the game show
, Who Said That?
, in which celebrites try to determine the speaker of quotations taken from recent news reports.
Trout returned to CBS in 1952. Until 1964, he doubled as a network correspondent and as main anchor at CBS' New York
television flagship, WCBS-TV
.
When the CBS Television coverage of the 1964 Republican Convention in San Francisco (anchored by Walter Cronkite
) was trounced in the ratings by NBC's Chet Huntley
and David Brinkley
, CBS replaced Cronkite with Trout and Roger Mudd
for the Democratic gathering in Atlantic City. The duo failed to overtake Huntley and Brinkley, and Cronkite was back at the TV anchor desk when the conventions rolled around again four years later. Trout remained on radio but also did in-depth news features for the TV network, including field reports for the CBS News broadcast 60 Minutes
.
One aspect of Trout's career that is overlooked by many is the fact that in the late 1950s, he appeared on bandleader Guy Lombardo
's annual New Year's Eve special on CBS-TV. Trout would report from Times Square during the special, and would count down the seconds to 12 Midnight (Eastern Standard Time) and the start of the new year.
Trout remained at CBS through the early 1970s, when he went to ABC
. Well into his nineties, he broadcast commentaries and essays on National Public Radio. Some of them were reminiscences of 20th century events he covered, accompanied by recordings. And Trout continued to attend political conventions. He had interviewed every U.S. President from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton
. In 2000, he joined his old colleague Roger Mudd for a History Channel look at the quadrennial gatherings.
("my greatest hit, as it were") on August 14, 1945 was actually a fake. In 1948, he had to re-create his broadcast of his announcement of Japan's surrender so a "cleaned-up" version of that announcement could be included in the first of Ed Murrow and Fred Friendly's I Can Hear It Now historical albums. It was thought the recording of the original broadcast had too many scratches and pops, and was too messy to use.
Trout told, and played for the NPR listeners, what actually happened on CBS Radio at that moment...his live introduction of a surrender announcement by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee
...followed, not by Attlee, but by the Big Ben chimes. Then the network switched back to New York, where Trout was standing near the teletypes outside CBS Radio's Studio 9, and listeners heard CBS news director Paul White (listening on a phone line to the White House) cue Trout that the Administration itself announced the surrender. This allowed Trout to announce the news a few seconds before Attlee made the announcement in his radio speech. Trout's broadcast is also believed to be the first broadcast news report confirming that the surrender was official; beating ABC Radio, the Mutual Broadcasting System
, and NBC Radio by a few seconds.
Trout then intoned:
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He became known to some as the "Iron Man of Radio" for his ability to ad lib while on the air, as well as his stamina, composure, and elocution.
Early broadcast career
Trout was born Robert Albert Blondheim in Wake CountyWake County, North Carolina
Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
; he added the Trout name early in his radio career. He entered broadcasting in 1931 as an announcer at WJSV, an independent station in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Virginia, founded in the early 1920s by James S. Vance. In the summer of 1932 WJSV was acquired by CBS, bringing Trout into the CBS fold. (WJSV is now WFED in Washington D.C.) He was the man who used the on-air label "fireside chat" to regular radio broadcasts of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. (Trout actually credited the genesis of phrase to Harry Butcher, a CBS vice president in Washington.)
Trout was behind the microphone for many of broadcasting's firsts. He was the first to report live congressional hearings, first to transmit from a flying airplane and by some definitions the first to broadcast a daily news program and to create the news anchorman role.
It was Bob Trout in the mid-1930s who passed on to a then-new CBS executive, Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
, the value of addressing the radio audience intimately, as if the announcer was talking to one person. Trout played a key role in Murrow's development as a broadcaster, and the two would remain colleagues until Murrow left the network in 1961, and friends until Murrow's death in 1965.
On Sunday night, March 13, 1938, after Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's Germany had annexed Austria in the Anschluss, Trout hosted a shortwave "roundup" of reaction from multiple cities in Europe—the first such multi-point live broadcast on network radio. The broadcast included reports from correspondent William L. Shirer
William L. Shirer
William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist, war correspondent, and historian, who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a history of Nazi Germany read and cited in scholarly works for more than 50 years...
in London (on the annexation, which he had witnessed firsthand in Vienna) and Murrow, who filled in for Shirer in Vienna so that Shirer could report without Austrian censorship.
The special gave Trout the distinction of being one of broadcasting's first true "anchormen" (in the sense of handing off the air to someone else as if it were a baton). It became the inspiration for the CBS World News Roundup
CBS World News Roundup
The CBS World News Roundup is a radio newscast that airs weekday mornings and evenings on the CBS Radio Network.It first went on-air on March 13, 1938 at 8 p.m...
, which began later in 1938 and to this day continues to air each weekday morning and evening on the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
.
Trout MC'ed news, special events and even entertainment programs during his first tenure at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, from 1932 to 1948, including a stint in London while Murrow was back in the United States. He was the announcer on CBS' Professor Quiz
Professor Quiz
Professor Quiz was radio's first true quiz program, broadcast with many different sponsors from 1936 to 1948 on CBS and ABC. The program featured Professor Quiz, his wife Betty and his son, Professor Quiz Jr...
, radio's first true quiz program.
Trout anchored the network's live coverage of D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and was behind the microphone when the bulletins announcing the end of World War II in Europe, and later Japan, came across.
Postwar career
After the war, Trout anchored a daily 15-minute radio newscast, The News 'til Now, sponsored by Campbell's SoupCampbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...
. His year-and-a-half tenure on the show ended in September 1947, when Murrow—who had been CBS's vice president for public affairs—returned to on-air work and took over the broadcast. Trout left CBS for NBC, where from 1948 to 1951 he was the first emcee of the game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, Who Said That?
Who Said That?
Who Said That? is a 1947-55 NBC radio-television game show, in which a panel of celebrities attempts to determine the speaker of a quotation from recent news reports. The series was first proposed and edited by Fred W. Friendly, later of CBS News....
, in which celebrites try to determine the speaker of quotations taken from recent news reports.
Trout returned to CBS in 1952. Until 1964, he doubled as a network correspondent and as main anchor at CBS' New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
television flagship, WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
.
When the CBS Television coverage of the 1964 Republican Convention in San Francisco (anchored by Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
) was trounced in the ratings by NBC's Chet Huntley
Chet Huntley
Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956.-Early life:...
and David Brinkley
David Brinkley
David McClure Brinkley was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997....
, CBS replaced Cronkite with Trout and Roger Mudd
Roger Mudd
Roger Mudd is a U.S. television journalist and broadcaster, most recently as the primary anchor for The History Channel. Previously, Mudd was weekend and weekday substitute anchor of CBS Evening News, co-anchor of the weekday NBC Nightly News, and hosted NBC's Meet the Press, and NBC's American...
for the Democratic gathering in Atlantic City. The duo failed to overtake Huntley and Brinkley, and Cronkite was back at the TV anchor desk when the conventions rolled around again four years later. Trout remained on radio but also did in-depth news features for the TV network, including field reports for the CBS News broadcast 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
.
One aspect of Trout's career that is overlooked by many is the fact that in the late 1950s, he appeared on bandleader Guy Lombardo
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
's annual New Year's Eve special on CBS-TV. Trout would report from Times Square during the special, and would count down the seconds to 12 Midnight (Eastern Standard Time) and the start of the new year.
Trout remained at CBS through the early 1970s, when he went to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Well into his nineties, he broadcast commentaries and essays on National Public Radio. Some of them were reminiscences of 20th century events he covered, accompanied by recordings. And Trout continued to attend political conventions. He had interviewed every U.S. President from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. In 2000, he joined his old colleague Roger Mudd for a History Channel look at the quadrennial gatherings.
Bob Trout ends World War II
In one of Trout's NPR reminiscences, airing July 9, 1999, he admitted that an oft-played recording of his announcing the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
("my greatest hit, as it were") on August 14, 1945 was actually a fake. In 1948, he had to re-create his broadcast of his announcement of Japan's surrender so a "cleaned-up" version of that announcement could be included in the first of Ed Murrow and Fred Friendly's I Can Hear It Now historical albums. It was thought the recording of the original broadcast had too many scratches and pops, and was too messy to use.
Trout told, and played for the NPR listeners, what actually happened on CBS Radio at that moment...his live introduction of a surrender announcement by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
...followed, not by Attlee, but by the Big Ben chimes. Then the network switched back to New York, where Trout was standing near the teletypes outside CBS Radio's Studio 9, and listeners heard CBS news director Paul White (listening on a phone line to the White House) cue Trout that the Administration itself announced the surrender. This allowed Trout to announce the news a few seconds before Attlee made the announcement in his radio speech. Trout's broadcast is also believed to be the first broadcast news report confirming that the surrender was official; beating ABC Radio, the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
, and NBC Radio by a few seconds.
Trout then intoned:
- "The Japanese have accepted our terms fully! That is the word we have just received (newsroom cheers) from the White House in Washington and (Trout chuckles) I didn't expect to hear a celebration here in our newsroom in New York, but you can hear one going on behind me. We switched to London, I don't know what happened, I'm not even sure whether you heard the first words of Prime Minister Attlee or not. I couldn't hear anything in our speaker here, with the confusion. Suddenly we got the word from our private telephone wire from the White House in Washington. The Japanese have accepted FULLY the surrender terms of the United Nations. THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of the Second World War! The United Nations, On Land, On Sea, On Air are United......And Are Victorious!".