Jeremy Freeman/CNN
June 22, 2016
In The Mix

Letters to Lens

A longtime print reporter makes the leap to CNN.

Craig Tomashoff

It figures that veteran New York Times television reporter Bill Carter would end up as a media analyst for CNN — and not just because he was regularly asked to offer his expertise on news programs during his more than 25 years at the paper.

His career shift long ago got the blessing of an up-and-coming television personality named Oprah Winfrey, back when he was a reporter in Baltimore.

"One of the very first times I was on TV, it was for a local morning news show there," Carter explains. "She was the host, and ended up asking me back several times. Subsequently, we've maintained a great relationship and I became extremely comfortable on camera."

Still, his leap into the same industry that he covered wasn't something he sought out. It was only after the Times approached its entire staff last year with a "generous offer" to exit the company that he decided to take the buyout and explore other career options.

While he was debating freelancing for other outlets, or writing another book (his first of four was the acclaimed 1994 recounting of TV's late-night talk-show wars, The Late Shift), CNN called to see if he'd become a regular contributor.

The offer was appealing, Carter says, because  he had "always been a straight news reporter, and  this was the chance to be more analytical with my thoughts." it hasn't been easy giving up writing and reporting, and he confesses he misses "breaking stories... being in the daily mix. But at the same time, I had done about all I could do at the Times."

The transition from a print medium to a visual one has been pretty seamless. "Nobody has given me any fashion advice," Carter quips.

And his role at the network is flexible. "They hire you as a contributor. When they need you, they call you up." So far he has done everything from analyzing new TV trends to commenting on presidential debates.

Carter says he's also open to doing an "interview-type show" for the network, but there is one thing he's very clear about not doing.

"I would never want to be an anchor of a show," he states. "I am very comfortable doing interviews at this point. There is no big ambition here to be the next Wolf Blitzer."

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