Chet Huntley

Chet Huntley was born December 10, 1911 on his parents’ homestead in Caldwell, Montana. He lived in Montana until leaving as a young man to attend the University of Washington. It was during his time in Seattle that he took his first steps toward a career in broadcasting when he worked as a salesman, writer and announcer for KPCB radio.


By 1937 he had relocated to Los Angeles to work for KFI radio. He then spent 12 years working for CBS News until leaving for ABC News in 1951. In 1955, he was hired by NBC News in New York to be the co-host of major television news program.


That program was The Huntley-Brinkley Report, which first aired in 1956. It paired Huntley with journalist David Brinkley and was a TV news staple for 14 years. At its peak, The Huntley-Brinkley Report was seen nightly by an estimated 20 million people. During the show’s run, Huntley received numerous prestigious awards, including the Alfred I. DuPont award and two Overseas Press Club awards. Together, he and David Brinkley received eight Emmy awards. Huntley was also named the International Radio and Television Society’s 1970 “Broadcaster of the Year.”


Huntley retired from broadcasting after the final showing of The Huntley-Brinkley Report on August 1, 1970. He returned to Montana, where he raised cattle and worked to develop Big Sky Resort. Chet Huntley died on March 20, 1974.