CNN news anchor Chuck Roberts visits College Avenue Hall
by Sarah Woodhurst, posted Feb. 24, 2010
CNN Headline News Anchor and MU alumnus, Chuck Roberts, took time out of his busy schedule on Friday, Feb. 5, to meet with members of the College Avenue Residence Hall community.
The third floor of College Avenue Hall houses journalism and communication Freshman Interest Groups, or FIGs. Roberts was invited to meet and greet members of College Avenue Hall because of the recent third floor name change to “Roberts’ House.”
Approximately 20 members of the residence hall gathered to listen to Roberts talk about his experience at Mizzou and journey to becoming the longest-serving CNN news anchor.
“I don’t know many schools who have as many outlets as Mizzou,” Roberts said. “It’s a laboratory. It was great here; you all are so lucky.”
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 Members of College Avenue Hall pose with Chuck Roberts, above, in front of the newly installed "Roberts' House" plaque on third floor.
Left, College Avenue Hall Coordinator, Benjamin Micek, presents a journalism and communication FIG t-shirt to Roberts. |
Although Roberts never lived in the dorms, he recalled eating at Rollins and hanging out at Harpo’s Bar and Grill frequently. One place in Columbia that Roberts remembers best, however, is the J-School. Roberts said that the Channel 8 experience was vital, and he wouldn’t be where he is today without KOMU.
Roberts has covered many stories of importance throughout his years as a headline news anchor, such as Hurricane Hugo, the Challenger disaster, Harry Truman’s funeral and, most recently, the Haiti earthquake.
“Journalism is being redefined all the time,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to enter. If you can join a firm where you see yourself as a CEO or a leader, that’s where you want to be.”
After graduating from MU with a journalism degree, Roberts began work at a radio station in Kansas City. After interviewing for an anchor position with a new company, Headline News (HLN) in Atlanta, Ga., Roberts covered many stories with less of a budget than other companies in the market at the time. Roberts delights in telling the story of how HLN became the “little network that could.” HLN was based on the fourth floor of the same building that CNN was based on the sixth, seventh and eighth floors of.
Later, Roberts joined CNN to become a weekday headline news anchor and now serves as one of the longest-serving anchors in the business.
Students and faculty listened to Roberts intently as he frequently thanked everyone for being there. Freshman photojournalism major Robert Swain was one of the many students who missed class to meet and discuss journalism endeavors with Roberts.
“It went amazing,” said Swain. “The turnout was great, and I think that we had good questions to ask him.”
After about an hour of discussion with Roberts, students from College Avenue Hall took numerous photos with Roberts and enjoyed appetizers. Roberts was presented with two t-shirts from the journalism and communication FIG for sharing advice with students who hope to follow in his footsteps.
“The joy of what I do is what I do while reporting,” Roberts said. “It’s like there are five balls in the air, and you’re trying to not let one drop. That is an adrenaline rush.”
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