It's a testimony to the editors at "60 Minutes," I suppose, that we saw few signs of the physical decline that Mike Wallace says has led him to step down completely (he was working only part-time as it was) from the show he helped found in 1968.
I always enjoy a Mike Wallace segment. Unlike Morley Safer and Dan Rather, he hasn't lost a step. Statements from Wallace and others on the jump.
STATEMENT FROM MIKE WALLACE, CORRESPONDENT, “60 MINUTES”
“I’ve often replied, when asked, ‘I’ll retire when my toes turn up.’ Well, they’re just beginning to curl a trifle, which means that, as I approach my 88th birthday, it’s become apparent to me that my eyes and ears, among other appurtenances, aren’t quite what they used to be. And the prospect of long flights to wherever in search of whatever are not quite as appealing.
“But CBS is not pushing me. I’ll be in a comfortable office on the same floor--just around the corner from where I’ve holed up for the past 43 years--available, when asked, for whatever chore CBS News, 60 MINUTES, the CBS EVENING NEWS, have in mind for me.
“Plus, longer vacations, of course.”
STATEMENT FROM SEAN McMANUS, PRESIDENT, CBS NEWS AND CBS SPORTS
“Mike Wallace is one of a few giants of broadcast journalism for whom a list of endless superlatives can’t and don’t do justice. From his genre-creating early days in radio to his standard-setting work on 60 MINUTES for the past 38 years, and from datelines all over the world, Mike has completely embodied what good, tough, fair journalism should be over the course of his 60-plus years in the business. And he’s broken more than his share of big stories along the way. I’m very pleased that he’ll remain at CBS News as Correspondent Emeritus. There is no finer journalist from whom everyone in the news business can learn.”
STATEMENT FROM JEFF FAGER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, “60 MINUTES”
“Mike Wallace as been the heart and soul of this broadcast since he and Don started it almost four decades ago. Millions and millions of Americans have tuned in to 60 MINUTES on Sunday nights over all those years to see him in action and to find out what questions he would be asking each week. I’m glad he’ll be around to do an occasional interview. He’s had such a powerful impact on all of us who work here, on how we conduct interviews and how we report stories, that there will always be a piece of Mike in everything we do.”
Do you know why John Roberts is no longer on CBS?? He was one of my favorites. I enjoy your remarks, read them every day. Thanks, M.S.
Posted by: Maxine Slipsager | March 17, 2006 at 08:03 AM
i have watched 60 minutes and appreciated many stories however i am just tired of your show coming on late and pushing my Cold Case down to play after the 7pm hour. I work on sunday evenings and tape the show yet due to it starting late i only get a half hour of the program. This has been going on for some time and nothing is being done to correct the problem????
Posted by: jessica strong | March 19, 2006 at 05:51 PM
John Roberts went to CNN, where he is senior national correspondent.
Posted by: Mark Jeffries | March 20, 2006 at 09:56 AM
Cold Case starts late because 60 Minutes starts late.
60 Minutes starts late because NFL football ends late.
NFL football ends late because for some reason that has never been explained to me, it takes three and a half hours to play a 60-minute game.
Posted by: Jack Hill | March 23, 2006 at 12:24 PM