CBS Radio News' 'World News Roundup' Turns 75

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — CBS Radio News' WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP, America's longest-running newscast, will celebrate 75 years on the air this week.

CBS Radio News will honor the momentous occasion with special programs on Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13 — the program's anniversary.

It will look at that first broadcast in 1938, its significance at the time, and how the Roundup has evolved to remain an important source of information three-quarters of a century.

CBS Radio News made broadcasting history on March 13, 1938, when it aired a riveting 38-minute program anchored by Robert Trout that reported the Nazi invasion of Austria.

Revolutionizing news coverage, THE WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP gave listeners access to live reports from multiple reporters on the field, including a young CBS executive making his on-air debut in Vienna that night, Edward R. Murrow.

In the following decades, the program was anchored by legendary CBS journalists, including Douglas Edwards, Dallas Townsend and Christopher Glenn.

Today, WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP is anchored by Steve Kathan and is produced by Paul Farry. Bill Whitney anchors the late edition of the WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP, which is produced by Greg Armstrong.

The program can be heard twice daily in Los Angeles on KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.  CBS Radio News has a weekly audience of more than 26 million listeners and, in addition to KNX, is carried by more than 500 radio stations across the country.

WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP has won the Radio Television Digital News Association's Edward R. Murrow award for Best Newscast for two of the last three years. The program was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

"In an era with so many choices for the latest news, 75 years is truly a remarkable milestone," Vice President of CBS News Radio Harvey Nagler said. "We are so proud that this broadcast that started it all is still something millions of Americans depend on every day. By combining the great traditions of CBS News with technology, our affiliates and their listeners receive relevant, accurate, immediate information they can trust, every day. From shortwave to satellites and from the Murrow Boys to multimedia platforms, THE WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP is still setting the standard for quality journalism."

CBS News will also provide coverage of the anniversary on CBS THIS MORNING, the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY and CBSNews.com.

WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP airs weekdays on KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO at 7 a.m., while the Late Edition airs at 4 p.m.