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- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change Presidents in this country is by voting.

- A quartet is already a jawn, it’s just The New Jawn.

- January 6th was not some sort of violent, crazy outlier.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I mean what other country sends comedians over to embedded military to make them feel better.

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_ It’s not all about memorizing and getting information, it’s what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Hi everyone, Steve Adubato.

Every once in a while in this business, you get an opportunity to have a conversation with a giant in the industry you chose to be a professional in, media, an icon, a leader, someone who's made a difference for more than a couple years.

She's Connie Chung.

And we are honored to be joined by Connie Chung, who has written this powerful book called "Connie: A Memoir."

Ms. Chung, you honor us by being with us.

Thank you, Connie.

- Oh, good heavens, thank you, Steve.

It's an honor to be with you.

I know you have a long history of interviewing, and the news, and, you know, as a journalist, so I'm honored to be with you as well.

- Thank you.

That's what happens when you're honored to be lucky enough to be part of the public television family.

Connie, let me ask you this, there's so many parts of this book that grabbed me and got my attention, but I'm gonna throw some things out to you.

And by the way, the table of contents itself is so provocative and interesting.

- Right.

- I'm gonna throw this one out, right, who said to you in chapter eight, quote, "You'll never make it in this business"?

- (laughs) - Who could have been so wrong?

- You know, it obviously stuck in my head because when I heard that, I thought, "Oh, dear, you know, I have really chosen the wrong path."

But it was a man that I really respected.

His name is Jim Snyder, and you may have come across him over the years.

In Washington DC, he was head of a station that was affiliated with CBS.

It was WTOP.

And he started all-news-radio in Washington.

And it was really quite a smart move.

And he became head of all the post-newsweek stations.

So he was not a small thinker, he was a big thinker.

And I had gone just trying to beg for a job at all the local stations in Washington DC and I didn't have any experience.

I was still in college.

A professor told me, "Try and get a job just part-time, two nights a week, even volunteer.

If you can afford it, you know, volunteer."

I couldn't afford it.

But I thought, "Okay."

And when I went in, and had him, I asked him to listen to one of my campus radio station newscasts It was terrible.

And I played it for him and he said, "Now you're never gonna work in this business."

(laughs) - Hold on, Connie.

When you became the star that you are, did you remind this gentleman of what he said?

- Oh, Steve, he reminded me of it all the time.

Every time I ran into him, he said, (laughs) he would laugh and he'd say, "See what I told you?"

(laughs) So, he was a lovely man and he ate his words many times over.

I mean, and he did so in front of me.

It was as if I could see those words sitting on a plate and he was, you know, wolfing them down.

- So lemme do this.

Connie Chung, extraordinary career in so many ways.

All right, can I give you a date, you tell me?

You ready?

- Uh-oh.

- Here's the date.

May 3rd...

Excuse me, May 14th, 1993.

Why does that date matter?

- That's the date that I learned I got my dream job.

The head of CBS told me, all of CBS, the head of all of CBS and the president of CBS News told me that I was going to be co-anchoring the news with Dan Rather, and that would make me the first woman to do so.

And I was flabbergasted.

I was gonna be sitting in half of Walter Cronkite's chair.

And you and I both know Walter Cronkite was the quintessential anchorman who is revered and respected by everyone in the country.

- How was Dan Rather with you?

- Not particularly welcoming.

(laughs) He actually, I can understand why he would not have wanted to have anybody sit next to him.

He'd been doing the news, he had taken over from Walter Cronkite and had been doing the news by himself for a long time, many years.

But because the networks for so ratings conscious, his ratings began to tank for reasons why no one could really quite figure out.

But Peter Jennings got into the first position, the anchorman at ABC News.

And Tom Brokaw, the anchor at NBC News... - Right.

- was licking at his heels.

And so his ground was getting shaky.

and CBS decided for what reasons I really specifically don't know why I was chosen, but I can only assume that it had a lot to do with the fact that they thought I could bring viewers in and that it would work.

But I don't think Dan Rather ever wanted to have to share the seat.

- Connie, put this in perspective for folks who are either too young or just don't appreciate or understand what many of us understand or understood that there was a big chunk of time where the three major networks that Connie just mentioned, NBC, CBS, ABC, and the network evening news anchor was the job.

- Yes.

- No podcasts, no social media.

- Right.

- No, there's affiliates all over.

- No cable.

- No CNN.

No... Go ahead.

I'm sorry, Connie.

- Yeah, no, you're right.

I was just adding to your good list.

No cable.

There was no 24 hours.

- How much pressure did you feel?

- Oh, enormous.

It was, well, I felt, I was, I had taken over from Walter Cronkite.

I had not, but it was akin to, it was the flagship broadcast of CBS.

And as you said, nobody was watching anything else except those three networks because nothing else existed.

No social media existed.

As you said, no podcasts, no cable, no Fox News, no MSNBC News, no CNN.

Nothing.

And no smartphones.

They didn't exist.

- These weren't around back when you- - No.

- (laughs) - Connie, go back.

Go back, go back a little bit.

- Yeah.

- So you... 10 out of 10 children, you were, - 10 - You were 10 out of 10 children.

- Mm-hmm.

- Your parents barely escaped China.

Fell under communism.

What the heck prepared you to be the extraordinary journalist and broadcaster that you've become in your childhood?

- I think that my parents had a lot of moxie and a lot of courage.

And they persevered through a lot of rough times.

So when they came to the United States, I think that they both were tough, tough as nails.

And I had four older sisters who actually survived too.

They came with my parents.

And they- - You lost five siblings?

- Pardon me?

- You lost five siblings?

- In China, yes.

Five.

And they were all babies because infant mortality was very high back in the pre-communist days, and perhaps even now.

But back then, it was hard to get a doctor during the Sino-Japanese war if the kids had pneumonia or whatever.

You know, penicillin was only invented years later and became, or went into common use many years later.

So, they, five children... Five babies died.

Of them three were boys.

And that is, as you may know, just the most awful thing that can happen to a family in China.

All you want are boys.

You do not want girls.

So my parents ended up with five girls, and I tell you, I think that they were the ballsiest women I had ever met in my life.

Those four older sisters were so bossy.

- Hold on.

How proud are they of you?

Oh, well, I'll tell you- - You...

Hold on, Connie.

- Yeah.

- Don't tell me now that you were not the star of the family.

- Well, but you can't tell them that.

- (laughs) - They were competitive as heck.

So, yes, they were proud, especially the oldest one.

She was, she felt that she was my second mother because she was- - Wow.

- 16 years old when I was born.

So you can well imagine, you know, "I changed your diapers," that kind of thing.

And... - And then you're anchoring the CBS evening news.

- Right.

And she would say, "Oh, my gosh, little Connie who wouldn't say anything, you know, who wouldn't open her mouth."

I don't know if you have older brothers and sisters, but... - I have two older, I have an older sister and younger sister.

You were quiet.

I read this in the book.

Then where does broadcasting come in?

- You had... What did you say?

You had two older brothers?

- No, one older sister.

One younger sister.

I look younger than both of them by far.

- Of course.

- With that being said, where the heck does broadcasting come in for you, projecting when you were so quiet?

- I know it's...

I mean, I agree with you.

It doesn't make any sense.

Doesn't make any...

It didn't make any sense to them either.

What happened was, I think, and you probably know this, the rough and tumble of news toughened me up.

In other words, I was probably, I had it ingrained in me from this very strong family and strong parents.

But I think as soon as I got into the news business, which was not necessarily what I had envisioned I would go into.

I thought I would be a scientist, a biologist, and work in a laboratory.

But I found it so deadly boring.

And I said, "I don't wanna do this."

So I worked for a congressman on Capitol Hill, and I watched members of Congress, they were the rock stars to me.

'cause I grew up in Washington DC and read the Washington Post every day.

So these people that I was meeting, that I ended up meeting face to face, were to me as great as the Beatles.

Although I thought the Beatles were pretty darn great.

- Yeah, they were.

But I have to ask you this, Connie, you're 25 years of age when you covered Watergate and Nixon.

Please describe it.

- I was playing catch up with Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, but all of us were.

So we were all behind the eight ball, but we... - The Washington Post was leading the way.

- You got it.

They were breaking stories right and left with their sources, particularly Deep Throat.

And we, all the other reporters were following in their footprints.

But we could still dig up new information.

And it was so exciting because we knew that the presidency was at stake and it was a big story.

And we could tell that it was gonna be the story of the decade.

So, I can't tell you how fortunate I felt to be there, to be on the ground and scrounging for information.

- Okay, I'm now gonna... That I was asking about that President in 1973 leaves office.

- Mm-hmm.

- The incoming president as we do this program, Donald Trump, in 1990, Connie Chung, you sat down with real estate mogul, Donald Trump.

- I did.

- Your sense of him then was?

- You're gonna get me in trouble, Steve.

- No, just listen, it's what you've been doing for more than a couple years.

- Yes.

- All we do is ask questions.

- Guilty.

Guilty as charged.

- Dan Rather, who was not nice to you once said, "There are no embarrassing questions.

There are only embarrassing answers."

That's the one thing he said that was right.

He wasn't good to you.

But here's the question.

Donald Trump, 1990 Connie Chung sitting across from him.

Go ahead.

- Well, you know, when I was told that I had an interview with him by my executive producer.

I said, "Why?"

Because he really was just a real estate mogul and he was king of the tabloids of the New York Post and the Daily News, and just liked getting on the cover and loved bloviating about anything.

In other words, we would see him on these pages of tabloid social activity, if you can call it that, whatever it was.

And, And he'd, I don't know the... - Were you impressed?

Connie, were you impressed by his intellect?

- Oh, good God, no.

(laughs) - Were you impressed... - Very limited vocabulary then.

- Well, hold on.

I heard him say once he had the best vocabulary.

I was wrong.

I need to... We are not engaged in fake news.

It was not Dan Rather, it was Mike Wallace who said, "There are no embarrassing questions.

There are only embarrassing answers."

We correct our... Connie, do we correct ourselves?

- Yes, we do.

- And why?

I don't wanna just digress.

Why is it important that when we in the media make a mistake, big, small, indifferent, that we own it?

- Yes, I agree.

I'm a big believer in, you know, the truth, if you will.

Just if you say something that is incorrect, you correct it.

- Doesn't sound like a big deal.

- You know what I hated?

I don't know about you, but I hated when newspapers make corrections and they're this big, right?

And they're buried.

- The headline was this big, Connie.

- Yes.

And then the corrections are that big.

Doesn't that drive you crazy?

- It's the worst.

Can you do this for us?

Describe for folks with so many women who are anchors and prominent broadcasters, by the way, a whole range of them, their first name happens to be Connie, and it's not an accident.

And you know what I'm talking about?

- (laughs) Yeah.

- Describe the degree of sexism combined with racism that you experienced.

- Oh, well, you know, it was, it would... - How bad?

- How bad?

- How bad?

- Well, it was normal, if you will.

Sadly, I would call it just everyday stuff.

And most, there were very few women working in the television news business or even in print and in radio.

But the ones that did, we just accepted it.

I mean, it was part of the game.

And if... You know what?

The other day, a friend of mine told me that one of the NPR radio reporters back when I was working, that said there was this one senator who used to come up to her and literally cop her twins.

- No.

Come on.

- And normal.

- Yeah.

And I... - What was the year, what was the year?

- That, 1970s.

1960s, '70s.

- It was... - It literally.

And I said, "You're kidding?"

I said, "Did she tell anybody?"

And he said, "No."

- Wow.

- "She was a friend of mine, and she just told me privately."

But, she said, "What am I gonna do?

- So... - I've got (indistinct)."

- I'm sorry for interrupting.

There's a little delay.

I have to do this.

Can you give us one minute on... what's the guy, your name you're married to?

- Oh.

- Chapter called Maury.

- Yes.

- Describe Maury Povich in a minute or less.

Go ahead.

- Okay.

He has a wider vocabulary than "You are the father," and, "You are not the father."

He does not determine the paternity of all the children that I know.

He is...

I want to be married to the man that I see on television because he is so understanding.

He sits there and he'll listen to anybody cry, scream, deny, confirm.

And he'll just listen.

And when he comes home, he doesn't wanna hear anything from me, like, you know, "I had a terrible day and this happened, or that happened."

I don't blame him.

He has a big, booming voice.

He's actually a voracious reader, believe it or not.

He...

He can multitask, reading, watching, I mean, reading a book, reading a novel or a biographical historical history or whatever.

He's a political buff and a history buff and very annoying because he has a bank of knowledge that he keeps stored.

And at the age of 85, he can cite chapter and verse of like, for instance, in the Middle East, I would say, "So what's happening in Syria right now?

Can you roll back the videotape and tell me how long Assad was in power and what happened?"

- Right.

And he'll do it.

And I'm saying to myself, "You are the most annoying husband," because you know, it's not fair.

- It's that he's that smart?

Doesn't he know that you're Connie Chung?

- Well, you know, seriously, I have taken a sauce pan.

- Yes.

- And gone, "Listen to me."

(laughs) - He's not a good listener with you?

- No, he hogs airtime too.

In other words, if I'm sitting at a dinner table with him, with other people, he's just like my older sisters.

I can't get a word in edgewise.

- Don't they all...

I'm sorry for interrupting while you're talking about interrupting, don't they all know that you're Connie Chung?

- (laughs) You know what?

I slink back into my role as the youngest sister and I... Yeah.

But you know what?

I hate people who think they know what they're talking about.

He doesn't do it in a obnoxious way.

But don't you hate people who pretend like they know... - I'm not saying everything because my wife accuses me of doing what you just accused the wonderful Maury Povich of doing.

- (laughs) - So I am leaving it alone.

But I have a few minutes left and I need to do this.

- Oh.

- You have been... - Steve.

- Go ahead.

- I wanna meet your wife.

- She's the best.

And I tell her 10 times a day.

I'm not even sure she knows what I do for a living, but that's another story.

- Okay.

- I'm joking, I'm joking.

How about this?

You have been to the pinnacle.

You've been there.

You've achieved what most of us in broadcasting can't even comprehend.

- Ohhh.

- What is your view of media today in terms of truth, accuracy?

And please combine social media in that.

I know it's a loaded question.

Please, a few minutes left, Connie.

- There are too many extremes to lump them all together.

- Sure.

- I think there are plenty of great journalists.

I mean, you, you're very charming and straight, a straight questioner, but you sauce it up nicely.

And, but you're not going down a crazy road.

There are too many so-called journalists who run into these extremes that are opinionated and fraught with inaccurate information.

And I really bemoan what has happened to our, our news.

It's not, it's a, it's the pendulum has swung the wrong way.

But my husband has started an... started a newspaper in Montana, and it is a great old fashioned newspaper, which is credibility.

It has honesty, it has integrity, it does the news straight and the community loves it.

So I think there are many small newspapers across the country who are bringing back good local news and good local news can lead to credible national news.

I'm hoping, I have my fingers crossed.

- Love it.

So here's the deal.

- Yeah.

- The book is called Connie: A Memoir.

I said it before, I'll repeat it.

Those of us who chose to get into this profession can only hope to not just achieve.

That's, you know, awards and stuff like that.

That's nice.

Have the impact that people like Connie Chung have had in this industry.

And the fact that there are so many women who are in the field of media and journalism and broadcasting.

Their first name is Connie, and not by accident.

It's because Connie Chung blazed the trail that a lot of others didn't even understand there was a trail to be blazed.

She broke so many barriers and so many ceilings, and she makes the rest of us better because of the standard that she has set for more than a couple of years.

So, to Connie Chung, again, I cannot thank you enough.

You honor us and the world of public broadcasting for joining us.

Thank you, Connie.

- And thank you, Steve, for being a part of public broadcasting.

It's such an admirable, admirable group.

I wish... That was one thing that I wish I had begged for a job from public broadcasting because it has always been the creme de la creme.

And congratulations to you for your long career.

Not because you have white hair (laughs) but... - Yes, yes, thank you for reminding me.

- I have white hair too.

It's very beautiful.

I have white hair too, but I just color my hair.

But I don't do anything to my face.

- You look better than ever.

And let me just say this finally, I know I'm over time.

Maury Povich is a lucky man.

- Aw.

- That's all I'm gonna say.

- Okay.

- Connie, thank you so much.

I'm Steve Adubato.

Way more importantly, that's the Connie Chung.

I'm Steve Adubato.

This is Public Broadcasting.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Johnson & Johnson.

Wells Fargo.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

New Jersey’s Clean Energy program.

And by Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by NJBIZ.

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