A Tribute to Lane Venardos by Jeff Fager

Good morning, everybody. It is wonderful to see this hall so full as we gather to pay tribute to our dear friend Lane. Karen, I know how difficult this sudden and unexpected loss has been for you and your entire family. I hope today brings you some comfort as you see and hear just how much Lane meant to so many of us.

I was 28 when I first started working with Lane. He was the executive producer, and I was scared to death. Working on the evening news was already intimidating back then. The expectations seemed high, and the producers were accomplished and professional. Within a few days of starting the job, I was crashing a Ray Brady piece with Tommy Miklas when Lane walked into the room with five minutes to go before air and began doing a perfect imitation of a stopwatch ticking away.

I remember the sweat forming on Tommy's face. I remember being mostly amazed because it sounded so much like a real stopwatch, only better. I was also struck by how completely unaware Lane seemed to be of my fear. Then I heard him say for the first time, "Remember, Jeff, you're only as good as your next story, which is this one."

I have never known anyone as talented at sound effects while facing near disaster. So many times in the control room, when things were starting to look bad, Lane would begin making his submarine sounds. Whoop, whoop, whoop. Dive, dive, dive.

He was at his best in the fishbowl or the control room, or really anywhere there was a crowd. Have you ever known anyone so spontaneous, so naturally funny, or so pleasant to be around? Most EPs would walk into the control room before air and ask, "Is everything OK?" Lane would walk into the control room just before air and shout, "Is anything OK?"

Some of the things Lane said remain part of our CBS News vocabulary to this day. I steal his lines all the time. "You're only as good as your next story" is one I use often. You will probably hear many others today, but my favorite was his most famous—first, the definition.

When a newspaper reporter ends up in our fishbowl doing a story about us and witnesses something that does not truly reflect the reality of a day in the life of the evening news, we still call that a full Rothenberg. That was vintage Lane.

I think his wit was such a strong part of his personality that it sometimes overshadowed his other qualities. Lane was a first-class newsman with genuine knowledge and experience. He was also a real human being who deeply loved his family and set a remarkable example for the rest of us and for our organization. CBS News is probably more of a "family first" kind of place, largely because of Lane's influence.

I took over as executive producer of the evening news at the end of 1994. I believe it was around the same time Lane was made VP in charge of hard news. Of all his years at CBS, I do not think that was his favorite period, but he meant the world to me while I was in that job. As VP in charge of hard news, he could not have been more helpful or supportive. He constantly looked for ways to make my life easier, perhaps because he understood what the job was like from having done it himself. But he was sincerely devoted to making every part of my job easier, and I will never forget his generosity, dedication, or friendship.