Kaltenborn, H. V.

Kaltenborn, H. V. (Hans von)

(1878–1965) radio commentator; born in Milwaukee, Wis. After working as a journalist, specifically for the Brooklyn Eagle (1902–05), he took time off to attend Harvard, then returned to the Brooklyn Eagle (1909–30). Known for his analyses of foreign affairs, he was hired by CBS in 1930 and became widely known as the first American radio news analyst. He broadcast from a haystack during the Spanish Civil War. From 1940–55 he broadcast for National Broadcasting Company radio; his clipped Oxford-style diction was a favorite of imitators and parodists.