depict different stages of the Apollo 11 moon landing. (Amanda LaCasse/DD)
Tucked behind the stage in the First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School building is the small, yet crowded, Cronkite Gallery.
Curated by Cronkite professor John E. Craft, the gallery has artifacts portraying journalism through the ages, including a printing press, newspapers from historically significant days and a microphone used by one of the biggest names in broadcast history.
Here are five of the most interesting items in the gallery.
Historic newspapers
Yellowed newspapers are propped up in clear cases with every bold-faced headline documenting history through the years.
There is a display case dedicated to various front pages covering John F. Kennedy’s assassination. One of Walter Cronkite’s most memorable moments was his reporting of Kennedy’s assassination, where he teared up on camera. A picture of that moment is in the center of the display case.
Another case houses papers showing the Apollo 11 moon landing, which flank a photo of Cronkite holding up the front page of a newspaper depicting the event.
Craft said the papers are nice to have, but they are difficult to preserve. But the yellowed pages help show their age and worth, he said.
The Kluge automatic press
printed Arizona Highways magazines. (Amanda LaCasse/DD)
The Kluge automatic press is the newest addition to the Cronkite Gallery. The press was placed outside of the museum in over the summer. It’s one of only two items kept outside of the gallery room, but Craft said it’s “pretty heavy” and “students aren’t going to bump into it and knock it over.”
When the press was in use, “it would make horrible noises and it was very loud,” Craft said. “Because of its weight and these great big wheels moving, the whole floor would shake as the thing moved.”
With a top printing speed of 3,500 sheets per hour, more than 70,000 Kluge presses were sold up to the 1960s.
When the machine became popular in 1932, printing shops across the country bought them. This press model was used at big corporations, such as Ford Motor Co., small businesses and army bases alike to print small newspapers and newsletters.
Craft said the Cronkite School acquired the press fairly quickly after the Arizona Highways printing company approached the school with an offer.
This press was sold to Phelps Dodge Corporation in July 27, 1948, and the previous owners sent it to Douglas, Ariz., according to a document Arizona Highways provided with the press.
Murrow’s microphone
The microphone of Edward R. Murrow, a renowned World War II radio broadcaster who pioneered television broadcasting, is also in the gallery. Murrow used the microphone to broadcast from Europe in 1938 for his segment of the CBS “World News Roundup.” Craft said Murrow used this microphone to broadcast news of Hitler’s invasion into Austria.
Murrow and a group of other journalists, nicknamed the “Murrow Boys,” covered the war from the front lines. Murrow brought the war to the United States by broadcasting from rooftops in London during the London Blitz, letting listeners hear the sound of bombs dropping on the city.
The broadcaster invited Cronkite to join him in the new frontier of television, an offer Cronkite accepted. While exploring the unknown territory, Murrow adapted his popular radio show “Hear It Now” to television with “See It Now.”
The microphone was donated by Cynthia McHugh Keeler, daughter of Philip L. McHugh, a CBS producer from 1938 to 1948.
Walter Cronkite Memorabilia
An area in the back of the Cronkite Gallery houses Cronkite’s memorabilia, such as his various pipes and his Emmy award.
Cronkite’s Emmy was awarded for his work in 1981-82. The award is engraved with, “The Trustees’ Award … For continued distinguished service to television and the public this medium serves.”
Cronkite’s typewriter is also displayed in the bottom of the case. Cronkite used a Coronamatic 2500 typewriter to write his scripts for his Evening News program on CBS.
Also in a case are some of Cronkite’s books, including “A Reporter’s Life” written by Cronkite and published in 1996, as well as copies of TV Guide on Walter Cronkite’s career and broadcasts.
Old picture tube
units only had three buttons. (Sophie Blaylock/DD)
The big box in the back of the room is an old picture tube. The historic Hoffman television box with a green tint to the screen had three buttons and a dial that controlled the tube’s lock screen, volume, brightness and channels.
Craft found the old TV at a garage sale in Tempe. He said he likes finding old things that people would normally consider “junk.”
The tube is reminiscent of a time where people needed to walk to the television to change channels, instead of being able to do all the work with a remote from the couch. Also, the screen is smaller than many laptop screens and is easily dwarfed by most television screens today.
Contact the reporter at samantha.incorvaia@asu.edu
