Background
Leiser, Ernest Stern was born on February 26, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Monroe Felsenthal and Gertrude (Stern) Leiser.
Leiser, Ernest Stern was born on February 26, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Monroe Felsenthal and Gertrude (Stern) Leiser.
AB, University of Chicago, 1941.
He was recognized with Emmy and Peabody awards for coverage of post-war Europe, civil rights, and Vietnam. He was in charge of transitioning Columbia Broadcasting System News from radio to primarily television After getting his degree from the University of Chicago, he worked for Chicago news bureaus and papers.
During World World War II, he reported for the "Stars and Stripes" and was one of the first reporters to reach Berlin.
He was also worked in military intelligence. After the war, he worked in Frankfurt for the Overseas News Bureau.
In 1948, he covered the Berlin Airlift. He joined Columbia Broadcasting System News in 1953.
He was recognized with a Peabody award for his coverage and courage for taking risk of "life and limb" during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
He was the first to get film out of the country. He was a central figure in the radio-to-television transition for Columbia Broadcasting System News and the newscast he produced was the first to expand from 15 to 30 minutes, allowing the news to be more than a headline service. He was an important part of Columbia Broadcasting System"s coverage of the space program, political campaigns, conventions, and elections of national significance, civil rights and Vietnam
During the time Leiser was executive producer of the Evening News, it went from trailing National Broadcasting Company"s Huntley-Brinkley newscast to first place. coverage of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Junior.(1968) and its aftermath
"The World of Charlie Company (1970)"
After the Tet offensive in Vietnam, Leiser and Walter Cronkite went to Vietnam and were invited to dine with General Creighton Abrams, the commander of all forces in Vietnam who Cronkite knew from World World War World War II He also was instrumental in Dan Rather being hired and developed as a Columbia Broadcasting System reporter.
When Harry Reasoner left Columbia Broadcasting System for American Broadcasting Company, Leiser joined him as his executive producer.
He returned to Columbia Broadcasting System in 1975. He became Vice President at Columbia Broadcasting System News.
In 1986 and later, he wrote that the television news business had gone from being part of the public service required of a network to being looked at as a place to cut costs. He decried the thinning out of the reporting ranks, the closing down of foreign bureaus, and the lack of prime-time documentaries.
He also taught journalism as a senior fellow at the Gannett Institute at Columbia.
Death
He died November 26, 2002 at his home in South Nyack, New New York At the time, Dan Rather said,
a thorough scholar, an integrity-filled journalist and visionary leader of other journalists. He repeatedly proved he was one of the bravest and best American journalists in history—and one of the few who proved it in print, radio and television".
Served with Army of the United States, 1942-1946.
Married Caroline Thomas Camp, October 26, 1946. Children: Nancy, Shelley, Nicholas.