Eyewitness to History become executive producer of "ABC Evening News" and, later, "20/20". http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=eyewitnessto Eyewitness to History Eyewitness to History was a CBS Friday night public affairs program which was initially hosted by veteran broadcaster Charles Kuralt (1960-'61), followed by Walter Cronkite (1961-'62), and Charles Collingwood (1962-'63). It aired from September 30, 1960 through July 26, 1963, sponsored by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. This show concentrated on the most significant news story or stories, reviewing the events. The show's title was shortened to Eyewitness in 1961. Coincidentally, many local CBS affiliates adopted the branding "Eyewitness News" for their local newscasts in the
CBS Evening News officials complained to CBS founder William S. Paley. The second half of the report was aired the following Monday, but only for eight minutes. Cronkite was replaced as anchor of the program the Monday after his retirement, March 9, 1981, by then 49-year-old Dan Rather, who had been with CBS News as a correspondent since the early 1960s and later became a correspondent for the network's newsmagazine "60 Minutes". Concerns about excessive liberalism in the media were frequently leveled at Rather, the "CBS Evening News", CBS News and CBS in general. Some of these concerns dated from Rather's position as