"48 Hours" correspondent Richard Schlesinger announces his retirement, says "time flies when you're having fun"
After 38 years, correspondent Richard Schlesinger is retiring from CBS News. Schlesinger is widely regarded as one of the best writers and interviewers in the business. Throughout his career, Schlesinger contributed to every platform in the news division, but spent most of his time reporting for "48 Hours" and "CBS Sunday Morning."
"We all learned so much from Richard," says "48 Hours" executive producer Judy Tygard. "His writing was spare, beautiful and razor-sharp. His interview style was knowing exactly when and how to ask a simple question to elicit an outsized response. His reactions would amplify the point of every sound bite. With a glance, Richard could communicate a thousand words. He always treated characters and colleagues with respect. In our downtime, his observational humor made us howl with laughter."
Schlesinger joined CBS News in 1984 as a reporter in the network's Miami bureau, where he covered stories throughout the southeastern U.S. and Latin America. He's been a reporter for the "CBS Evening News" and occasionally anchored for the network's morning news and "CBS Weekend News." He was witness to some of the most important world events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, and the war on terror.
"Richard Schlesinger is the epitome of a CBS News journalist," said Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. "He's a great writer. He's a terrific interviewer. He knows how to tell a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. For nearly four decades, Richard has had an impact on our audiences. He's also left an indelible impression on the journalists who followed him. Though he's retiring, we know his influence will be felt here for years to come."
Schlesinger's work has been acknowledged with two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards and 10 Emmy Awards. He earned his first duPont-Columbia Award for his work on the 1997 documentary "CBS Reports: Enter the Jury Room." It marked the first time network television cameras were given access to jury deliberations. He was also part of the "48 Hours" team coverage of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting, which earned CBS News a 2014 duPont-Columbia award.
Schlesinger says one of the most meaningful awards he's received was an Emmy honoring his reporting on the case of Anthony Graves for "48 Hours." Graves was a Texas man wrongfully convicted of murder. He spent 18 years in prison, most of that time on death row. Schlesinger witnessed Graves' emotional release from custody, writing, "And his first stop is home to his sons who had grown up without him, and at long last to an embrace with his mother — the first in 18 years."
Schlesinger's reporting helped Anthony Graves in his fight to be compensated for all those lost years.
Schlesinger is also known for his incredible range. There didn't seem to be a story he couldn't tell. He moved easily from law and justice reporting for "48 Hours" to his work on "CBS Sunday Morning," delivering memorable pieces on everything from the resurgence of Yiddish to a celebrity profile of Liza Minnelli.
"Richard is truly a virtuoso. A one-of-a-kind correspondent with a singular story sense," said Rand Morrison, executive producer of "CBS Sunday Morning." "His wry wit, spot-on interviews and literate (and delightfully whimsical) writing style put him in a class of his own. It's too often said that 'no one can replace' an outgoing figure in our industry. In Richard's case, it's absolutely true."
Schlesinger even found a way to combine his two great passions — reporting and flying — in an episode of "48 Hours." There was Schlesinger on camera at the controls of a plane testing the theory of a crime. It was alleged a man may have been pushed out of a private plane in flight and Schlesinger explained the aerodynamics that made that allegation nearly impossible.
Before joining CBS News, Schlesinger was the Washington bureau chief for the Post-Newsweek television stations (1980-1984). He had previously been a political reporter for WPLG-TV Miami (1976-80).
He was born in New York and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1976 with a degree in journalism.
Schlesinger is stepping back from his career a year after he survived a brush with death. In the summer of 2021, he went into cardiac arrest while out for a walk near his home in Connecticut. He was saved by his quick-thinking neighbors. Richard has recovered beautifully with the help of his partner John Guenther and their trusty dogs, Cyrus and Gus. In life, just like every story he's ever done, Schlesinger never misses the chance for a perfect ending.
"I now know that the expression 'Time flies when you're having fun' can actually be true," said Schlesinger. "The past 38-plus years have flown by, propelled by great stories and great colleagues and a great organization. I am a very lucky man."
