Chet Huntley

 

Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster and anchor. He was born in Montana and attended Montana State College before eventually graduating from the University of Washington. Huntley began his newscast career in Seattle, working at radio stations in Spokane and Portland. He moved to LA and worked at CBS radio until joining NBC Radio network as "another Ed Murrow". In 1956, coverage of the national political conventions was a major point of pride for the fledgling broadcast news organizations. NBC News was seeking to counteeract the popularity of Walter Cronkite and decided to replace their current news anchor, John Cameron Swayze. There was an argument as to whether to us Huntley or David Brinkley so they decided to use both. The on-air chemistry was apparent from the start, with Huntley's straightforward presentation countered by Brinkley's acerbic wit. This success led to the team replacing Swayze on the network's nightly news program. The duo became famous with their sign-off catchphrase of "Good night, Chet" - "Good night, David...and good night for NBC News". Huntley's last NBC News broadcast was aired on July 31, 1970 and he returned to Montana, where he conceived and built Big Sky, a ski resort south of Bozeman. He died there, in Big Sky, from lung cancer.