Alistair Cooke dies at 95
man, a cultural icon for sure. Thank you for your Letters From America Alistair. I listened to them as a child but they ment more when I heard them after I moved to the UK.
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Veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke dies at 95
LONDON (Reuters) - Legendary British broadcaster Alistair Cooke, best known for his long-running series "Letter from America," has died at the age of 95.
A spokesman for the BBC said on Tuesday Cooke had died in the past 24 hours, but no further details were immediately available.
Cooke retired from the BBC in March after 58 years of Letter from America.
He said he had decided to quit the show -- the world's longest-running speech radio programme -- due to ill-health and on advice from his doctors.
In a statement when he left, Cooke said he had thoroughly enjoyed his time on the airwaves and hoped that some of the enjoyment had passed over to the listeners "to all of whom I now say 'thank you' for your loyalty and goodbye."
Cooke joined the BBC in 1934 as a film critic and began reporting three years later.
Letter from America began in 1946, when Cooke was asked to give a weekly snapshot of life in the United States. During the following six decades, he provided listeners with insightful reports of the country's cultural and political affairs.
As a result of the programme' huge success, he became known in America as the man who explains all things British, and in Britain as the man who explains all things American.
In presenting 2,869 shows, he had missed only three broadcasts. He wrote his letter every week on a typewriter in his flat overlooking New York City's Central Park.
In a 1997 speech to television executives, Cooke said: "I discovered very early on that broadcasting is the control of suspense. No matter what you're talking about -- gardening, economic, murder -- you're telling a story. If you say a dull sentence, people have a right to switch off."
Cooke was also a distinguished face on television. "Alistair Cooke's America" was aired worldwide and his show "Omnibus" changed the face of American television in the 1950s.
Born in Salford, northern England, in 1908, Cooke spent his last years living with his second wife in New York.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040330/325/epu4e.html
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Veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke dies at 95
LONDON (Reuters) - Legendary British broadcaster Alistair Cooke, best known for his long-running series "Letter from America," has died at the age of 95.
A spokesman for the BBC said on Tuesday Cooke had died in the past 24 hours, but no further details were immediately available.
Cooke retired from the BBC in March after 58 years of Letter from America.
He said he had decided to quit the show -- the world's longest-running speech radio programme -- due to ill-health and on advice from his doctors.
In a statement when he left, Cooke said he had thoroughly enjoyed his time on the airwaves and hoped that some of the enjoyment had passed over to the listeners "to all of whom I now say 'thank you' for your loyalty and goodbye."
Cooke joined the BBC in 1934 as a film critic and began reporting three years later.
Letter from America began in 1946, when Cooke was asked to give a weekly snapshot of life in the United States. During the following six decades, he provided listeners with insightful reports of the country's cultural and political affairs.
As a result of the programme' huge success, he became known in America as the man who explains all things British, and in Britain as the man who explains all things American.
In presenting 2,869 shows, he had missed only three broadcasts. He wrote his letter every week on a typewriter in his flat overlooking New York City's Central Park.
In a 1997 speech to television executives, Cooke said: "I discovered very early on that broadcasting is the control of suspense. No matter what you're talking about -- gardening, economic, murder -- you're telling a story. If you say a dull sentence, people have a right to switch off."
Cooke was also a distinguished face on television. "Alistair Cooke's America" was aired worldwide and his show "Omnibus" changed the face of American television in the 1950s.
Born in Salford, northern England, in 1908, Cooke spent his last years living with his second wife in New York.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040330/325/epu4e.html
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