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TV News-The Early Years
1948- Camel Newsreel Theatre- a15-minute newscast which
ran on NBC @ 7:45 p.m.
1949- program renamed Camel News Caravan- hosted by John
Cameron Swayze. Camel cigarette had to be seen burning visibly on the set.
TV News- The Early Years
CBS began its news TV news broadcasts in 1948. Douglas
Edwards served as the network’s first television anchor.
1956- NBC news team of Huntley-Brinkley dominated the
ratings.
By 1960, CBS claimed the # 1 spot.
TV News- the 1960s
Early 1960s networks switched to the half hour format.
With the development of videotape (1956) and the launching of communications satellites,
the networks began stepping up their live coverage.
1962-Walter Cronkite assumes the anchor post for CBS
(Kennedy Assassination).
TV News-The Morning Shows
TV news also managed to find an audience in the morning.
1952- NBC aired the premiere broadcast of its Today
show.
Originally ran on 26 stations
Rough beginning- only one sponsor signed on and program
skewered by critics as a "two-hour comedy of errors."
Morning Show Contributions
Only type of programming networks consider running in
the 7-9 time slot.
Unusual packaging of news, culture and entertainment
Format of the show became a paradigm. Short programming
chunks with the repetition of news and weather every 30 minutes.
Morning Programs
Helped many markets cultivate a local news audience
The show’s mix of news and entertainment would
become the model for many local stations in the 1970s
Launched the career of Barbara Walters who made an art
of mingling the personal with the political
Walters & Network Women
Joined the Today show in 1961.
Went on the air in 1964
Eventually left NBC for ABC, awarded first million
dollar contract by the network in 1976 to coanchor the ABC Evening News. She was also
asked to do a series of prime-time specials.
Impact on Evening News
Success of "soft" news programs convinced the
networks they could package news to the masses. Moreover, these news magazine shows could
be produced on the cheap, comparatively speaking.
Eventually news would eliminate the separation between
the personal & political.
Result
Journalist and writer David Halberstam claims Walters
helped transform society into the celebrity society.
A nation’s leader judged by popularity polls
Candidates measured by how well-spoken and telegenic
they appear to be.
Agenda Setting & News
News producers and editors are principally concerned
with:
What to cover
How much time to devote to what’s being covered
How to cover the story
AGENDA SETTING
News Criteria
TIMELINESS
PROMINENCE
SIGNIFICANCE
HUMAN INTERST
CONFLICT
UNUSUALNESS
PROXIMITY
VISUAL APPEAL
News Themes
Appearance versus Reality-stories dealing with deception
Big versus Little
Good versus Evil
Efficiency versus Inefficiency
Unique versus Routine
Cyclical Stories
© B.L. Yates 2000
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