Questions and Answers: Rob Morrison

                                                   CBS 2's Rob Morrison reporting in Haiti

Rob Morrison was kind enough to speak to me for the debut edition of Questions and Answers. A former Marine, foreign correspondent, and morning anchor for WNBC, Morrison headed from 30 Rock to West 57th Street to anchor the weekend newscasts and report for WCBS in 2009.

What drew you to broadcast journalism in the first place?

Peter Jennings, 60 Minutes and CBS Sunday Morning.  From a very young age I tried hard not to miss any of them.  To me, they’ve proven that strong content plus a smooth delivery can elevate storytelling to an art form.  I’ve also romanticized the role of correspondent to that of the old Irish storytellers (seanchais) who traveled from village to village, telling tales. 

Given your extensive experiences overseas as a correspondent, what has been your most challenging/memorable experience?

Without question, the most memorable trip was my most recent one for to cover Haiti after the earthquake for CBS.  The amount of destruction and human suffering was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed.  Yet, it was the Haitian people’s unwavering faith and spirit in the face of disaster that impacted me most.  I feel lucky to have lived among them for that short time.   



Given the challenges that have faced traditional media with the advent of the Internet, where do you see the future of television news?
There are a lot of very motivated people trying to figure that out right now and whoever does will be an instant billionaire.  Personally, I think we’ll morph into some sort of hybrid newscast that features traditional anchors and reporters, but will be more “on-demand” and accessible on iPad’s, smart phones etc.  The bottom line, I think, is that quality content and delivery will always be in demand no matter what the medium.  Some folks at other networks have been too quick to panic about the future of the business.   


What is your favorite thing about your job?                                                                                              The simple fact that I have one in this economy.
On a personal note, I’d like to add that I’m happier after 9 months at WCBS than I ever was during my entire 9 years at WNBC.



What is something you wish you could change about the industry?
Although it’s a proven money maker for cable news networks, I’m pretty tired of them pandering to the extreme wings of our society (be it left or right) and calling it “news.”  It’s not.  “News” should elevate the discussion, I think, not dumb it down.


Reader Chris G. asks, "What would you say to people who are looking to get into the TV news business?"

I’d tell Chris to follow his passion, whatever it may be.  There’s no “right way” to break into the business.  I’d also tell him to take advantage of new media and start generating his own original content as soon as possible.