CBS News fêted Rand Morrison yesterday evening as he marks his 20th year as the executive producer of CBS Sunday Morning.
Morrison joined CBS News in 1982 as a writer for the overnight news show Nightwatch. He also worked on including 48 Hours, Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel and Eye to Eye with Connie Chung before arriving at Sunday Morning in 1999.
“Rand is an icon at CBS News,” said CBS News president and senior ep Susan Zirinsky. “You can’t meet someone that doesn’t think Sunday Morning is extraordinarily special. And that is because of your creativity.”
Sunday Morning anchor Jane Pauley added some praise of her own, and referred to the weekly broadcast as “a Rand Morrison vision.”
Morrison then took the mic, and thanked a number of his colleagues, including Zirinsky, “for being a great boss, but far more important, for being a wonderful friend.”
He also thanked the late and first Sunday Morning anchor Charlies Kuralt, the late Sunday Morning creator Shad Northshield, and the existing CBS Sunday Morning journalists. “For all of you, this is a labor of love and you can tell because you see it every Sunday morning.”
He also made a point to thank his senior producers and those who take the time to work hard on weekends.
“Sunday Morning looks beautiful on TV and the people who work weekends are the reason it looks beautiful on TV,” Morrison said. “Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s been a wonderful 20 years. Thank you for this evening. Thank you for these 20 years of Sunday Morning.
Among the many CBS News staffers in attendance at the news division’s go-to celebration spot, Michael’s in New York, were Sunday Morning anchors past and present (Charles Osgood and Pauley), 60 Minutes correspondents Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker, 60 Minutes ep Bill Owens, CBS This Morning co-host Tony Dokoupil, 48 Hours correspondents and CBS Sunday Morning contributors Erin Moriarty and Richard Schlesinger, 48 Hours ep Judy Tygard, Face the Nation ep Mary Hager, Sunday Morning correspondents Martha Teichner and Serena Altschul, Sunday Morning contributor David Pogue, CBS This Morning: Saturday co-host Michelle Miller, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, CBS This Morning consumer investigative national correspondent Anna Werner, CBS News Radio vp and general manager, Craig Swagler, CBS News evp Kim Godwin, CBS News evp Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, CBS News communications chief Christa Robinson, svp of HR Jose Andino and svp of talent strategy Laurie Orlando.
