Walter Cronkite assumed the CBS evening anchor's chair from Douglas Edwards, who had been the newscaster since 1948.
The term "Anchorman" was coined with regard to Cronkite, likening his position to that of an anchor on a relay team. In Sweden, news anchors were in the past referred to as "Cronkiters" in honor of Cronkite.
This show was network TV's first 30-minute evening newscast, having been expanded from its previous 15 minute format beginning with the September 3, 1963 telecast. It was at the end of that first 30-minute installment that Cronkite first uttered his famous tagline, "And that's the way it is."