Menu
Bill Plante

Bill Plante Biography and Age

Related Biography: Jeff Pegues

Bill Plante is known for being a retired journalist and television correspondent for CBS News.


Bill Plante was born on January 14, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. He is the a son of Mr. and Mrs. Regis L. Plante who were residents of Park Ridge, Illinois. His father was a field engineer for the Hollub Heating Company in their home state of Chicago.


He completed his college education and graduated from Loyola University. In 1959, he left the school with a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities. He didn’t end his schooling there, he was encouraged by his parents to attend Columbia University in 1963 where he was able to study political science and spark his interest in his future career. 

Bill Plante  Journalism Career


Bill Plante’s journalism career hit a milestone when he was hired by the national news network, CBS News in 1964. Plante was on the scene to report and cover the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama as a national correspondent for CBS News.

It was an important civil rights moment and Bill was happy to be a key figure in civil rights history.
Bill was included in many tours of duty in South Vietnam reporting on the Vietnam War. The first tour he covered was in 1964 and the last one he covered in 1975 during the Fall of Saigon which signaled the end of the war.


Murrow was a journalist that Bill admired very much as he was working as a young journalist. Bill was able to witness the end of Murrow’s era as news started to shift from the broadcast model to the digital news cycle. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Bill was asked to describe what legendary CBS journalists like Murror and Walter Cronkite would feel about the digital shift, “Murrow entered Buchenwald with Patton’s Third Army in April, 1945. But he didn’t report on what he had seen for three days, because, he said, he needed time to ‘acquire detachment.’ I shudder to think what his reaction would be to today’s instant everything.

With the whole business, it’s the speed. It’s obviously gone from something we considered manageable, at two news cycles a day, to a never-ending news cycle and, with that, accuracy more and more difficult. Sometimes it’s as simple as no time to check.“
Bill was the main anchor of CBS Sunday Night News in almost a decade period from 1988 to 1995.

His last and final stop the Senior White House Correspondent position for CBS. Along with this prestigious post, he was also featured regularly for CBS This Morning and CBS Evening News. After a long and decorated career, he finally retired in November 2016.


 Bill Plante Family and Wife and married


Bill is married to Robin Smith. He was previously married and divorced from a woman named  Barbara Barnes Ortieg. When he met Robin, she was working as a producer for NBC News. She eventually ended her career as an award-winning independent documentary producer. She had graduated from Ohio University and received her Master's Degree in Public Communications from Boston University. She was a dedicated scholar like Bill which helped formed their strong bond in love and marriage.
Bill has six sons in total. One of his children, Chris Plante is his stepson and the host of his own radio show. 


Does Bill Plate have Cancer Health


During Bill’s career, he has had to deal with the stress of working in a very competitive field. He has had some ups and downs in regards to his health but he has no serious medical issues that went public.


 Net Worth


Bill Plante’s net worth is not available on the public record because he has made efforts to keep his personal life private.
 


Quick Facts
Children: Micheal Plante, Dan Plante
Date of Birth: January 14, 1938
Net Worth: N/A
Birth Place: Chicago, IL
Spouse: Robin Smith (m. 1987), Barbara Barnes Ortieg (m. ?–1969)
Education: Loyola University Chicago, Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Columbia University
Help us Edit this article and get a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift card.
Last Modified: Jun 27 2020
You may also like