Wallace “Retiring:” Morning Papers

> NY Daily News: “Mike Wallace for years has said they would have to take him away from his job when he was dead. He seems to have rethought that matter…”

> Philadelphia Inquirer: Jeff Fager tells Gail Shister: “I didn’t want to let him go. He’s one of the few people you can call a giant and get away with it.”

> Boston Globe: Marvin Kalb says Wallace and Don Hewitt “should be credited with creating a new genre of television news.” He says: “The idea of having a short documentary. The idea of finding a mix of the serious and the silly. The idea that a number of crackerjack reporters could get along and produce a first-rate product for so many years. I take my hat off to them. Mike has been an extraordinary performer.”

> National Public Radio: Jay Kernis, one of Wallace’s former producers, says: “It’s hard to imagine 60 Minutes without Mike and a lot of memories washed over me when I saw the news that he was cutting back. First, how fearless he is; he’ll ask anyone anything, as long as he knows he’s backed up by the facts. Secondly, how beautifully he could read and the spectacular quality of his voice. Boy, can he nail a script…”

> Newark Star-Ledger: “Wallace said he might contribute one or two more pieces to 60 Minutes before the end of the season, if certain leads pan out.”