News "Anchor Man" (1952-1954)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

  From the NEW YORK TIMES, 20 June 2003:


Origins of `Anchorman'
To the Editor:

In "On Being an Anchorman" (Op-Ed, June 14), David Brinkley wrote of the word "anchorman," "God knows where that term originated." Well, not only did God know, but many mortals also did, because it became a widespread subject of discussion within the emerging television news business in the 50's.

It originated within CBS News, and two important executives claimed credit. One was Sig Mickelson, then president of CBS News, who assigned Walter Cronkite to his first national role at the political conventions of 1952. The other was Paul Levitan, who was producer of special events for CBS News, which included the political conventions.

We will never have a definitive answer, but most concerned people of the day credited Mr. Levitan with the descriptive word.
SANFORD SOCOLOW
Livingston, N.Y., June 14, 2003
The writer, executive producer of "The CBS Evening News" from 1977 to 1981, worked at CBS News from 1957 to 1988.


(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS--NYT & WSJ)
  Television in Review: Eye Opener; ' The Morning Show' on C.B.S. Joins 'Today' as Breakfast Fare; By JACK GOULD; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Mar 17, 1954; pg. 39, 1 pgs
("Walter Cronkite, the anchor man of many C.B.S. news presentations, is holding down the equivalent of Mr. Garroway's role and only time will tell whether he perhaps has been miscast.")

  Other 1 -- No Title; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Dec 9, 1953; pg. 12, 1 pgs

  TELEVISION IN REVIEW; ' You Are There' Re-Creates Hindenburg Disaster -- The Milton Berle Show ; By JACK GOULD; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Feb 8, 1953; pg. X13, 1 pgs
("Walter Cronkite, peering out of his inevitable spot in the lower right-hand corner of the split screen, was cast in his familiar role as the anchor man in the imaginary spot news coverage of the landing.")


(OED has 1958.  There seems to be no entry for the racing usage of "anchor man"--ed.)