One of the big guns at CBS News could be heading to Mount Airy soon for a special report by the television network on this city’s Mayberry connection and its identification with recent national events.
This concerns a project involving longtime correspondent Ted Koppel which has been in the works for months.
It is targeted for “CBS News Sunday Morning,” a news magazine program on the air for more than 40 years.
Dustin Stephens, a producer for that show, said in January that its focus on “Mayberry” is part of the TV network’s ongoing coverage of a unique period for the nation.
“We’ve been reporting for the past year on this unprecedented moment in American history: the pandemic, the economy and a nation divided,” Stephens explained.
The producer mentioned the fact that “The Andy Griffith Show,” starring the local native and set in the fictional North Carolina town of Mayberry, had reached its 60th-anniversary milestone. The series debuted on CBS-TV in October 1960 and while ending in 1968 is still seen in reruns.
“And we got to wondering how the residents of ‘Mayberry’ see the country today and its future,” Stephens continued, including the political viewpoints prevalent in this area and its changing economy from one earlier dominated by textiles.
Since first exploring the idea of the “CBS News Sunday Morning” report featuring Mount Airy, sources say the network has been in touch with a number of local residents to presumably lay the groundwork for on-camera interviews.
They include Betty Lynn, the actress who played Barney Fife’s girlfriend Thelma Lou on “The Andy Griffith Show.” She moved here in 2007 after visiting during the annual Mayberry Days festival.
Among others contacted are Mayor Pro Tem Ron Niland, members of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce and visitation staff and Surry Arts Council Executive Director Tanya Jones.
“CBS News Sunday Morning,” personnel also reportedly have been directed to restaurants including Snappy Lunch downtown, which was mentioned on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
A check last week with Stephens, the producer, revealed that his network team remains interested in visiting Mount Airy. “I don’t know when yet.”
One local source has shed more light on this, disclosing that the arrival could occur around the end of April.
“I believe the Ted Koppel thing is going to happen,” said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity.
That source’s understanding is the visit will be greenlighted once Koppel receives a COVID-19 vaccination “and when it’s more safe.”
Ted Koppel, 81, whose journalistic career began in 1963, is most known for his time as the anchor of “Nightline,” a late-night news program airing on ABC from 1980 to 2005.
The CBS report would provide further exposure for the already thriving Mayberry tourism industry.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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