"The biggest change during my career has been the way cameramen and other people at my level are treated. It went from 'We’re delighted to have you, what do you need?' to 'Oh, you again?' The public perception of my working level has taken almost a 180 degree turn."

    About This Interview

    In his nearly six-hour interview, Wade Bingham discusses his 43-year association with CBS News as a cameraman. He talks in detail about his work with Telenews which provided footage for the CBS evening newscast with Douglas Edwards in the 1950s. Bingham describes the many changes in camera equipment and techniques from the field through the years, as he covered Korea (1950-53), the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953), the French involvement in Vietnam (1953-56), and Tokyo and Asia (1956-61). Bingham details his extensive work on the CBS news and documentary series Small World, The Twentieth Century, CBS Reports, and 60 Minutes, as well as various documentary specials. Michael Rosen conducted the interview on May 8, 2000 in Osprey, FL.

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Wade Bingham

    Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War

    10:13
    Thumbnail of Wade Bingham

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

    04:01
    Thumbnail of Wade Bingham

    Wade Bingham on shooting a hydrogen bomb test

    03:25
    Thumbnail of Wade Bingham

    Wade Bingham on deciding he wanted to be a newsreel cameraman

    04:28
    Thumbnail of Wade Bingham

    Wade Bingham on shooting an interview with the Dalai Lama in India

    07:44
    Thumbnail of Wade Bingham

    Wade Bingham on the different production companies to which he provided newsreel footage, and on the logistics of shooting that footage

    04:38
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On his early life and influences; on growing up during the Great Depression; on deciding he wanted to be a newsreel cameraman

    13:15

    On the types of films he made as a child, and on making training films during World War II; on learning the basics of filmmaking

    15:30

    Chapter 2

    On setting up a filming studio in Florida after World War II, and on the technical equipment he used; on using his studio in Florida to produce newsreels, and on the camera equipment he used; on the different production companies to which he provided newsreel footage, and on the logistics of shooting that footage

    16:43

    On shooting newsreel footage in Haiti and Cuba; on shooting newsreel footage in Kenya, and on shooting with sound; on his earliest memories of television, and on joining CBS News

    12:24

    Chapter 3

    On covering the Korean War for CBS News; on covering the Battle of Chongju and other battles during the Korean War

    13:45

    On covering the firing of General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War for CBS News; on his most memorable moments covering the Korean War for CBS News

    15:35

    Chapter 4

    On memorable moments shooting the Korean War for CBS News; on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War; on shooting the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II for CBS News

    16:23

    On competing with other news organizations during the Korean War, and on bringing sound to his footage of it; on covering the French involvement in Vietnam, which was a precursor to the Vietnam War

    13:38

    Chapter 5

    On covering the early stages of the Vietnam War for CBS News; on covering China's Taiwan Straits Crisis for CBS News

    16:27

    On covering the opium trade of Burma and Laos for CBS News; on covering the Suez Crisis in 1956

    13:12

    Chapter 6

    On shooting the Edward R. Murrow series Small World, one of the first intercontinental broadcasts; on covering Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's visit to Indonesia in 1960; on working with CBS News correspondents and producers when shooting a story

    16:38

    On shooting an interview with the Dalai Lama in India; on shooting a hydrogen bomb test

    11:32

    Chapter 7

    On shooting an hydrogen bomb test for CBS News; on shooting the CBS News series The Twentieth Century, covering the youth upheaval in Japan

    15:11

    On shooting the CBS News series CBS Reports with anchor Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly; on the job of a camera operator/cinematographer on a news program or documentary series

    13:23

    Chapter 8

    On shooting The Twentieth Century episode "The Burma Surgeon Today"; on shooting the two-part The Twentieth Century episode "Guerrilla"

    17:19

    On shooting The Twentieth Century episode "The Man Who Spied on Pearl Harbor"; on shooting CBS Reports episode "Showdown on the Congo"

    12:35

    Chapter 9

    On The Twentieth Century episode "Man of the Month: Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey"; on the CBS Reports episodes "The Poisoned Air" and "The Eric Hoffer Story"; on starting to use multiple cameras for news stories

    12:24

    On Walter Cronkite hosting The Twentieth Century and The Twenty-First Century; on going to work for 60 Minutes and on the 60 Minutes close-up

    09:51

    On working with Marion Goldin and various other behind-the-scenes people at 60 Minutes; on 60 Minutes executive producer Don Hewitt; on working with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes

    06:26

    Chapter 10

    On the correspondents of 60 Minutes including Morley Safer, Harry Reasoner, Diane Sawyer, Ed Bradley, and Dan Rather

    15:54

    On the 60 Minutes Gulf of Tonkin story reported by Harry Reasoner; on the CBS Reports story "The Mexican Connection"

    13:24

    Chapter 11

    On the second part of the CBS Reports "Mexican Connection" story; on the 60 Minutes profile of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; on the 60 Minutes profile of James Michener reported by Diane Sawyer

    14:12

    On the 60 Minutes story about Hawaiian Airlines; on his retirement from 60 Minutes, and on the show's change from using film to using videotape; on how the methods of reporting stories changed over the years

    14:34

    Chapter 12

    On how the perception of network news changed over the course of his career; on the benefits provided to the country by network news; on how he'd like to be remembered

    12:35

    On b-roll footage from his career- Matthew B. Ridgeway in Tokyo; Japanese spy Takeo Yoshikawa; on a Navy boat on Pearl Harbor; at an H-Bomb test; H-Bomb mushroom cloud; in Korea with General Matthew B. Ridgeway; press corps in Korea; filming in Hong Kong with reporter Robert Pierpoint; his camera; cover of "Quill" magazine; Nikita Khrushchev playing golf; with his camera; filming at a port for The Twentieth Century; filming The Twentieth Century in Japan; the Geisha the Japan; in Indonesia; in Vietnam with Morley Safer; in Vietnam at an airport; James Michener and "Bloody Mary"; cartoon from "Stars & Stripes" about Korea

    17:05

    Chapter 13

    On b-roll pictures from his career- on the USS Aircraft carrier Boxer; walking with Vietnamese patrol; "fake" Master of Arts degree

    03:38

    60 Minutes

    Wade Bingham on going to work for 60 Minutes and on the 60 Minutes close up and ambush interview

    08:04

    Wade Bingham on 60 Minutes executive producer Don Hewitt

    02:46

    Wade Bingham on working with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes

    01:29

    Wade Bingham on working with Marion Goldin and various other behind the scenes people at 60 Minutes

    04:23

    Wade Bingham on the correspondents of 60 Minutes including Morley Safer, Harry Reasoner, Diane Sawyer, Ed Bradley, and Dan Rather

    05:34

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes story on fake universities produced by Marion Goldin and reported by Mike Wallace

    10:20

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes Gulf of Tonkin story reported by Harry Reasoner

    01:55

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of Henry Kissinger

    03:46

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

    04:01

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of James Michener reported by Diane Sawyer

    03:44

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes story about Hawaiian Airlines

    03:11

    Wade Bingham on his retirement from 60 Minutes, and on the show's change from using film to using videotape

    03:34

    CBS Reports

    Wade Bingham on shooting the CBS News series CBS Reports with anchor Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly

    09:58

    Wade Bingham on shooting CBS Reports episode "Showdown on the Congo"

    03:15

    Wade Bingham on the CBS Reports episodes "The Poisoned Air" and "The Eric Hoffer Story"

    03:52

    Wade Bingham on the CBS Reports story "The Mexican Connection"

    07:44

    Wade Bingham on the second part of the CBS Reports "Mexican Connection" story

    06:26

    See It Now

    Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War

    10:13

    Small World

    Wade Bingham on shooting the Edward R. Murrow series Small World, one of the first intercontinental broadcasts

    08:13

    Twentieth Century, The

    Wade Bingham on shooting the CBS News series The Twentieth Century, covering the youth upheaval in Japan

    08:28

    Wade Bingham on shooting The Twentieth Century episode "The Burma Surgeon Today"

    12:23

    Wade Bingham on shooting the two-part The Twentieth Century episode "Guerrilla"

    04:53

    Wade Bingham on shooting The Twentieth Century episode "The Man Who Spied on Pearl Harbor"

    09:14

    Wade Bingham on Walter Cronkite hosting The Twentieth Century and The Twenty-First Century

    01:48

    Wade Bingham on The Twentieth Century episode
    "Man of the Month: Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey"

    04:09

    Cold War

    Wade Bingham on shooting a hydrogen bomb test

    03:25

    Wade Bingham on covering Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's visit to Indonesia in 1960

    05:45

    Wade Bingham on shooting an hydrogen bomb test for CBS News

    06:43

    Historic Events and Social Change

    Wade Bingham on the types of films he made as a child, and on making training films during World War II

    09:47

    Wade Bingham on covering the Korean War for CBS News

    09:44

    Wade Bingham on covering the Battle of Chongju and other battles during the Korean War

    04:00

    Wade Bingham on covering the firing of General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War for CBS News

    12:34

    Wade Bingham on his most memorable moments covering the Korean War for CBS News

    02:47

    Wade Bingham on memorable moments shooting the Korean War for CBS News

    04:30

    Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War

    10:13

    Wade Bingham on shooting the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II for CBS News

    01:37

    Wade Bingham on competing with other news organizations during the Korean War, and on bringing sound to his footage of it

    07:46

    Wade Bingham on covering the French involvement in Vietnam, which was a precursor to the Vietnam War

    05:50

    Wade Bingham on covering the early stages of the Vietnam War for CBS News

    07:59

    Wade Bingham on covering China's Taiwan Straits Crisis for CBS News

    08:25

    Wade Bingham on covering the opium trade of Burma and Laos for CBS News

    06:31

    Wade Bingham on covering the Suez Crisis in 1956

    06:24

    Wade Bingham on shooting a hydrogen bomb test

    03:25

    Wade Bingham on covering Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's visit to Indonesia in 1960

    05:45

    Wade Bingham on shooting an hydrogen bomb test for CBS News

    06:43

    Korean War

    Wade Bingham on covering the Korean War for CBS News

    09:44

    Wade Bingham on covering the Battle of Chongju and other battles during the Korean War

    04:00

    Wade Bingham on covering the firing of General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War for CBS News

    12:34

    Wade Bingham on his most memorable moments covering the Korean War for CBS News

    02:47

    Wade Bingham on memorable moments shooting the Korean War for CBS News

    04:30

    Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War

    10:13

    Wade Bingham on competing with other news organizations during the Korean War, and on bringing sound to his footage of it

    07:46

    Queen Elizabeth Coronation

    Wade Bingham on shooting the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II for CBS News

    01:37

    Technological Innovation

    Wade Bingham on shooting the Edward R. Murrow series Small World, one of the first intercontinental broadcasts

    08:14

    Television Industry

    Wade Bingham on how the methods of reporting stories changed over the years

    07:43

    Wade Bingham on how the perception of network news changed over the course of his career

    07:47

    Wade Bingham on the benefits provided to the country by network news

    03:09

    Vietnam War

    Wade Bingham on covering the French involvement in Vietnam, which was a precursor to the Vietnam War

    05:50

    Wade Bingham on covering the early stages of the Vietnam War for CBS News

    07:59

    War

    Wade Bingham on the types of films he made as a child, and on making training films during World War II

    09:47

    Wade Bingham on covering the Korean War for CBS News

    09:44

    Wade Bingham on covering the Battle of Chongju and other battles during the Korean War

    04:00

    Wade Bingham on covering the firing of General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War for CBS News

    12:34

    Wade Bingham on his most memorable moments covering the Korean War for CBS News

    02:47

    Wade Bingham on memorable moments shooting the Korean War for CBS News

    04:30

    Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War

    10:13

    Wade Bingham on competing with other news organizations during the Korean War, and on bringing sound to his footage of it

    07:46

    Wade Bingham on covering the French involvement in Vietnam, which was a precursor to the Vietnam War

    05:50

    Wade Bingham on covering the early stages of the Vietnam War for CBS News

    07:59

    Wade Bingham on shooting a hydrogen bomb test

    03:25

    Wade Bingham on covering Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's visit to Indonesia in 1960

    05:45

    Wade Bingham on shooting an hydrogen bomb test for CBS News

    06:43

    World War II

    Wade Bingham on the types of films he made as a child, and on making training films during World War II

    09:47

    Camera Operator

    Wade Bingham on the job of a camera operator/cinematographer on a news program or documentary series

    03:25

    Wade Bingham on starting to use multiple cameras for news stories

    04:23

    Cinematographer

    Wade Bingham on the job of a camera operator/cinematographer on a news program or documentary series

    03:25

    Production Professionals

    Wade Bingham on working with CBS News correspondents and producers when shooting a story

    02:40

    Wade Bingham on the job of a camera operator/cinematographer on a news program or documentary series

    03:25

    Wade Bingham on starting to use multiple cameras for news stories

    04:23

    News and Documentary

    Wade Bingham on joining CBS News

    03:14

    Wade Bingham on covering the Korean War as a cameraman for CBS News

    29:26

    Wade Bingham on shooting for CBS News

    29:58

    Wade Bingham on covering international news stories as a cameraman for CBS News

    29:40

    Wade Bingham on covering international news stories as a cameraman for CBS News

    28:11

    Wade Bingham on being an international cameraman for CBS News

    28:37

    Wade Bingham on being cameraman for the CBS News series The Twentieth Century

    26:33

    Wade Bingham on being cameraman for the CBS News series CBS Reports

    03:18

    Wade Bingham on working as a cameraman on various CBS news programs including The Twentieth Century and 60 Minutes

    28:51

    Wade Bingham on shooting stories for 60 Minutes and CBS Reports

    29:29

    Wade Bingham on shooting stories for CBS Reportsand 60 Minutes

    28:48

    Ed Bradley

    Wade Bingham on the correspondents of 60 Minutes: Ed Bradley

    00:25

    Richard Burton

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

    04:01

    Walter Cronkite

    Wade Bingham on Walter Cronkite hosting The Twentieth Century and The Twenty-First Century

    00:43

    Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)

    Wade Bingham on shooting an interview with the Dalai Lama in India

    07:44

    Fred Friendly

    Wade Bingham on shooting the CBS News series CBS Reports with anchor Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly

    09:58

    Don Hewitt

    Wade Bingham on 60 Minutes executive producer Don Hewitt

    02:46

    Henry Kissinger

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of Henry Kissinger

    03:37

    Edward R. Murrow

    Wade Bingham on Edward R. Murrow bringing See it Now to Korea during the Korean War

    10:13

    Wade Bingham on shooting the Edward R. Murrow series Small World, one of the first intercontinental broadcasts

    08:13

    Wade Bingham on shooting the CBS News series CBS Reports with anchor Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly

    09:58

    Dan Rather

    Wade Bingham on the correspondents of 60 Minutes: Dan Rather

    02:29

    Harry Reasoner

    Wade Bingham on the correspondents of 60 Minutes: Harry Reasoner

    01:33

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes Gulf of Tonkin story reported by Harry Reasoner

    01:52

    Morley Safer

    Wade Bingham on the correspondents of 60 Minutes: Morley Safer

    00:32

    Diane Sawyer

    Wade Bingham on the correspondents of 60 Minutes: Diane Sawyer

    00:28

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of James Michener reported by Diane Sawyer

    03:44

    Elizabeth Taylor

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes profile of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

    04:01

    Mike Wallace

    Wade Bingham on working with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes

    01:29

    Wade Bingham on the 60 Minutes story on fake universities produced by Marion Goldin and reported by Mike Wallace

    10:20

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