Bernard Birnbaum dead at 89

CBS News reports the death of retired producer Bernard Birnbaum. The Emmy-winning producer was known for his work on “The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite” and “On the Road with Charles Kuralt.”

CBS said Birnbaum, who was 89, died on Thanksgiving Day at a hospital in Stony Brook, NY. He had suffered a heart attack while visiting relatives.

Birnbaum won seven Emmy Awards over his career with CBS News. As a producer for the Evening News, he covered such major stories as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War and Watergate. He first collaborated with Kuralt for the 1964 documentary “Christmas in Appalachia,” then went on to produce many more pieces as Kuralt reported on the little-known byways of America.

Birnbaum’s career with CBS began in 1951 and he produced some short documentaries for “Sunday Morning” into the current decade.