Walter Cronkite remains one of network news’ legendary anchors.  Before he assumed the primary anchor duties at CBS, he was one of the network’s primary correspondents which led him to cover stories in Colorado.

1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a massive heart attack while vacationing in Colorado.  His lengthy recovery was at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora.  CBS sent Cronkite to Denver to cover the story, and KLZ-TV provided the technical support to send feeds back to New York.  BPC member Phil Stinemates was part of the KLZ crew that supplied over 50 feeds to CBS in New York before someone pulled some important wires and interrupted the long series of successful transmissions.

In 1962, Cronkite was in Denver for a series of speeches to the Rotary and local advertising groups.  Within two months he would be named anchor of “Walter Cronkite with the News,” replacing “Douglas Edwards With the News.” 

In September of 1963 the program (which became “The CBS Evening News”) would double in length, becoming the first half hour nightly network newscast.  Cronkite would be the anchor until 1981.