I was at lunch today with friends from WKRN-TV, and the conversation ultimately turned to the death of Ed Bradley. People were complaining about the over-the-top, lead story coverage, and how certain anchors and friends were all weepy on-the-air. While grieving is understandable, there was consensus that this was a bit much. I mean, the guy was an anchor, not the Pope.

Perhaps we’re weeping for more than just the loss of a person. Maybe that with the passing of each of these anchors, we’re reminded of our own mortality and, more significantly, of the period in history that’s closing. Sensing the approach of your own death is one thing, but the loss of a whole way of life?

Television news of the sort that produced the big name anchors and the local celebrities of today is slowly headed into the sunset. Like the photograph in Back To The Future, the image of an era that dominated my own life is fading, but unlike the movie, there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

While I’m certainly optimistic and upbeat about the opportunities that lie before us, Bradley’s death does give me pause. The tears for Ed Bradley are, in part, tears for all of us.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 10th, 2006 at 5:15 pm and is filed under Anchors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.