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Pics From Payne

Former WCBS anchorman Palmer Payne unearthed these rare photos from his distant past. They were taken in the 1970s, and the newsroom photos in particular show how dependent the staff was on teletypes, typewriters and paper, paper, paper.

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Above, clockwise from left: Palmer Payne (standing); Jim Harper (seated, youthful anchor who died prematurely from an overdose); John Zischang (seated with pipe -- dynamite one-handed news editor who drowned tragically in Mexico); Mike Ludum (standing, back turned); John Fox (standing in white shirt); Evelyn Kantor; Jacob Wortham (white shirt, seated at typewriter); Steph Cohen (dark hair and glasses); Les Nichols.

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Above, clockwise from middle left: Jim Cusick (later news director, WCBS-TV); Les Nichols (standing in white shirt, a writer); Mike Ludlum (seated back turned, later Newsradio 88 news director; Evelyn Kantor; Steph Cohen (back turned); unidentified desk assistant. NOTE: There was a second bank of teletype machines around the corner in the outer newsroom. What's missing in this photo? Women -- save for the lone figure of Evelyn Kantor, who left CBS to become a successful consumer reporter at (I think) WINS. At one time, WCBS was virtually an all-male bastion. Minorities were also notably absent, despite the image of Jacob Wortham in the photo above. (--DS)

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