INSIDE CHINESE TELEVISION: Bernard S. Redmont DIRECTING THE SUPER BOWL: Sandy Grossman THE UNFAIR FAIRNESS DOCTINE: Ed Hinshaw TELEVISED TRIALS, YES AND NO: Judith L. Lindahl IN AWORLD OF SUBTLETY, NUANCE, AND HIDDEN MEANING...

ay MI 411 C \. -4,._w Ney-n\

ISN'T IT GOOD TO KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING THAT CAN EXPRESS EVERY MOOD. Me most evocative scenes in recent movies simply wouldn't have been as Active without the film nedium. The artistic versatility of Eastman color negative films allows you to estatLlish any kind of rood or feeling, without losing believability. Film is also the most flexible post -production medium. When you transfer your superior original neJa_iv= imagery to videotape or to film, you can expect exceptional results. So express your moods an i feeings on Eastman color films, the best medium for your imagiotion.

Eastman film. It's looking better all the time O' Eas:mer hod.* Company, 1982 YORKSHIRE TELEVISION MOVING INTO 1985 ROMANCE ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS A film for the NBC Network made in association with Frank von Zerneck Productions Inc, starring CHERYL LADD and SIR JOHN GIELGUD. Made on location in Venice, Paris and England.

STRANGE POWERS

Arthur C Clarke, the author of

20C1: A SPACE ODYSSEY, introduces a 13 -part series which probes deep into the bizarre world of the paranormal and supernatural.

THE BEIDERBECKE AFFAIR An off -beat mystery thriller in six parts by ALAN PLATER starring JAMES BOLAM and BARBARA FLYNN.

HOME TO ROOST A new seven -part comedy series written by ERIC CHAPPELL and starring JOHN THAW who plays a divorcee living alone who is suddenly facec with the return of his son.

Yorkshire Television is one of the big five ITV Network companies in the UK making award -winning programmes for worldwide distribution.

YORKSHIRE TELEVISION LIMITED, 32 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON WC1 R 4HE. TELEPHONE: 01- 242 1666, TELEX: 295386. INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION ENTERPRISES LTD., 27 UPPER BROOK STREET, LONDON W1Y 1PD. INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION ENTERPRISES INC., 420 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY10017. Celebrating a Decade of Innovation VOLUME XXI NUMBER III 1985 THE JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES TELEM \ CDUATELY

EDITORIAL BOARD CONTENTS EDITOR 7 INSIDE RICHARD M. PACK CHINESE TELEVISION: A NEW "GREAT LEAP FORWARD" CHAIRMAN by Bernard S. HERMAN LAND Redmont

MEMBERS 21 TELEVISION IN THE COURTROOM: DAVE BERKMAN THE DEBATE CONTINUES ROYAL E. BLAKEMAN by Judith L. Lindahl BERT R. BRILLER JOHN CANNON 27 COMEDIANS, WRITERS AND OTHER JOHN CARDEN FUNNYMEN by Howard G. Barnes SCHUYLER CHAPIN JOEL CHASEMAN 37 LIFE WITH THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE MELVIN A. GOLDBERG by Ed Hinshaw FREDERICK A. JACOBI ELLIS MOORE 47 DALLAS IN DORKING MARLENE SANDERS by Geoffrey Lealand ALEX TOOGOOD 53 "SO WHO'S COMPLAINING?"- NEGATIVE FEEDBACK AND LOCAL TELEVISION by Ralph L. Smith Suraj Kapoor COVER PHOTO and © WALLY McNAMEE/ 63 WHAT TELEVISION IN THE USA WOODFIN CAMP & ASSOCIATES TAUGHT ME by Michael Grade 69 IT HAPPENED IN PORTLAND by Larry Colton THE ART OF TV DIRECTING: CALLING GRAPHICS DIRECTOR 77 ROBERT MANSFIELD THE SHOTS AT THE SUPER BOWL Sandy Grossman interviewed by Jack Kuney BUSINESS MANAGER TRUDY WILSON 89 REVIEW AND COMMENT

Television Quarterly is published quarterly by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 110 West 57th Street, New York, New York, 10019 (212) 586-8424. Members of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences receive TELEVISION QUARTERLY as part of membership services. Inquiry regarding membership should be directed to the office of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. BUSINESS ADVERTISING OFFICES: Television Quarterly, 110 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. EDITORIAL OFFICE: Television Quarterly, same address. The subscription rates for non-members, libraries and others is $14.00 a year and $3.50 a copy in the United States: $18.00 a year and $4.00 a copy in all other countries. Special Student Subscription $12.00. Subscription orders should be sent to TELEVISION QUARTERLY, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 110 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The National Academy or the members of the Editorial Board of Television Quarterly. Copyright CO 1985 by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. MCATV

Key broadcasters and adver- natives to our viewers, and "We're solidly behind INDAY tisers talk about INDAY, the bring a new sense of vitality because it's a major step for- new two-hour block of first - to daytime." ward for independents... we'll DAVID SIMON, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING run daytime programming KTLA, LOS ANGELES attract new audiences, and be aggressive, effective for independents. Starting "...an entire daypart to sell fall '85. competitors for important as one package is such a daytime advertising." breakthrough... the lead that TIM McDONALD, PRESIDENT "A revolutionary, terrific all other syndicators will have TVX CORPORATION concept..." to follow." "INDAY is going to change the FRED SILVERMAN, PRESIDENT PHIL HOWORT. PRESIDENT whole competitive picture INTERMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT CO. OHLMEYER ADVERTISING of daytime television in "It's exciting. It's fresh. It's an "A very interesting concept, opportunity tp present America." something someone had to MEL SMITH, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING appealing new program alter- think through and develop. TRIBUNE BROADCASTING COMPANY Give LBS credit...!" WES DUBIN, SR. VICE-PRESIDENT, NEEDHAM, HARPER & STEERS

INDEPENDENT DAYTIME NETWORK muaA Joint Project of LBS and Tribune Broadcasting Company 875 Third Ave., NY, NY 10022 (212) 418-3000 9220 Sunset Blvd.. Sode 101-A. Los Angeles, CA 90069 (213) 859-1055 IL 943-0707 LBS ooMMUNICAnoNs INC. L 625 N. Michigan Ave.. Sulle 1200. Chicago, 60611(312) INSIDE CHINESE TELEVISION: A NEW "GREAT LEAP FORWARD"

The Bamboo Curtain opens on Lollobrigida, U.S.-style commercials, investigative journalism, CBS' 60 Minutes, and daily English lessons.

BY BERNARD S. Mao Tse-tung didn't think much of TV or its role in revolutionary China. Deng REDMONT Xiaoping has given it the green light. Above all, Deng is encouraging East to BEIJING meet West. Applied to TV, this means more imports, limited only by China's To a Westerner, few experiences shortage of cash and foreign exchange. can top the culture shock of dis- A Western science fiction series like covering The Lone Ranger and his The Man from Atlantis, featuring an am- cry of "Hi Ho Silver!" dubbed into phibious trouble-shooter, was a big Sat- Mandarin on Chinese television. urday night hit here, fascinating Chinese After a period of near hibernation, young and old. Actuality clips from Brit- Chinese TV has taken a Great Leap For- ain's Visnews and UPITN, as well as ABC ward. With the past as inevitable pro- and the Asian Broadcasting Union, liven logue, China is racing into the video up the once -stodgy news. In Beijing one future, expanding enormously, innovat- day, we were startled to see a piece of ing beyond the guidelines of Deng This Week with David Brinkley, with a Xiaoping's "four modernizations" pro- super crediting it as such, and a se- gram, transforming the life of the peo- quence attributed to KTUL-TV about ple, and opening its door to the world floods in Tulsa. outside. Once films were shown only when ap- All this-and commercials, too. proved by Mao's wife, Chiang Ching, Rooms in Chinese hotels, old and new, mostly depicting strident "model revo- now come equipped with color TV. lutionary operas"; the list now includes In the teeming metropolis of Shang- The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring hai, virtually every home now has a TV Gina Lollobrigida (in a clinging, low-cut set (91 out of 100 families at the end of red dress) and Anthony Quinn; David 1983, according to China Daily). Copperfield, Heidi, The Third Man, The In the countryside where peasants toil, Bicycle Thief, Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre, sometimes barefoot, in the rice fields and The White Rose. Charlie Chaplin's without even primitive machinery, TV films were favorites in the past but antennas now sprout from farm house haven't been seen lately. rooftops. On theatre screens and stages-but Years of isolation and ideological na- not yet on TV-audiences have seen The tionalism have given way to admiring Sound of Music, Death of a Salesman images from the West. The watchword and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. today is cong yang, or praise for Western TV stations acquire some foreign films ways. free, particularly from Eastern Europe,

7 and generally want to pay only minimal tion, although the number of sets is only rates. Nevertheless, imports come also 27,000,000, according to government sta- from the U.S., France, Italy, Britain, In- tistics. Production is now close to dia, the Soviet Union and especially Ja- 7,000,000 sets a year and booming. Sets pan. are often owned by groups and com- Chinese officials, while eager for munities, factories, schools and other American films, universally complain institutions. "Your prices are too high for us." After a late start in 1958 in experimen- tal black and white in Beijing, Chinese At the foot of the Purple Mountains, TV was further retarded by the Great the Nanjing Radio Factory produces Proletarian Cultural Revolution, that de- Panda brand electronic appliances, in- cade of madness and bloody chaos from cluding satellite dishes, on a 24 -hour -a - day, three -shift basis. A bustling assem- Regional stations are now bly line there turns out handsome TV sets at prices ranging from $200 for black - authorized to buy foreign and -whites to $500 and upward for color. programs on their own Given the average Chinese worker's and to sign joint co- wage of 60 yuan ($30) a month, this means production agreements a hefty bite out of income. But demand with foreigners. outstrips supply. More than a hundred other TV factories are producing TV sets. In 1983, nationwide production of the mid -60s to mid -70s, during which al- washing machines rose 28 per cent and most everything intellectual or enter- refrigerators rose 94 per cent, but color taining became anathema. Provincial TVs jumped 236 per cent, according to stations began operating only in 1971, the economic daily, lingji Ribao. Shang- and color came in 1973. hai manufactures six times more TV sets Now television blankets the vast na- than refrigerators and washing ma- tion. The national network, CCTV, chines combined. reaches everywhere. By 1984, 52 stations Originally, the TV system's design and were transmitting around the country, equipment came from the Soviet Union boosted by relays. Viewers in big cities and Eastern Europe, but after the split like Beijing, Canton (Guangzhou) and with Moscow, China began making and Shanghai have a choice of three chan- developing its own. Japan is now a ma- nels, and most others have two, national jor supplier, not only of TV sets but also and local. Local TV stations in the prov- studio equipment. China uses the 625 - inces are encouraged to develop their line West German PAL color system. Im- own programming, style and commer- ages are excellent. cials and to use regional language di- CCTV studios, in a dusty and obsolete alects. compound in central Beijing, use a com- Shanghai's third channel is the only bination of Ampex control room con- UHF station in China. A fourth channel, soles, Textronix monitors, RCA also UHF, is planned for 1985. Shang- prompters, Sony Betamaxes and Japa- hai's 205 -meter -high TV tower is claimed nese NEC cameras. A new 20 -story TV to be the highest in China. The Shang- center is being built for 1986. hai TV center is newer and its set for Demonstrating the importance now news programs is classier than Beij- given to TV, the government created a ing's. Ministry of Television and Radio a few No official I spoke with was sure how years ago. Regional stations are now many Chinese now have access to TV. authorized to buy foreign programs on The best informed guess is over their own and to sign joint co -production 400,000,000-almost half of the popula- agreements with foreigners.

8 CCTV's Deputy Director, Chen Han tion, the TV ran little but reruns of "model Yuan, told me he hopes that "our friendly revolutionary operas" and propaganda counterparts abroad realize our urgent lectures sponsored by the party. Edu- need for programs. We hope more pro- cational programs, like the universities, grams suitable for Chinese audiences were shut down. will be available at reasonable prices. We appreciate help to upgrade our TV." Deputy Minister, Ma Qingxiong, Arandom sampling of programs in added: "Chinese people consider broad- Beijing in 1984 included: Across Our casting an essential part of their lives. Motherland and Around the World, doc- Audiences demand more quality, and umentaries on national and foreign that's important to us. We don't have themes; an animated film called The enough equipment or qualified person - Dragon -tooth Star; Chinese, German and Japanese puppet and animated shows; The Health of Old People, and the Amer- There's even a regular ican Dance Troupe of Brigham Young program on Chinese University. cooking with a Chinese Also: The Marriage of Figaro, The version of Julia Child. Wonders of Gardens, Cultivating the In- telligence of Babies, Hygiene and Health (Preventing Bad Teeth), Famous Paint- nel; we need better management. But ings, Poetry Evening, a TV play called even with all our problems, people still The Troublesome Age and the French praise what we do." film, Zorro. A local station in Canton re- Programming currently is limited to 15 cently ran a one -hour special on Norman hours a day, but is expanding rapidly. Rockwell. It ranges from news and entertainment There's even a regular program on to cultural, sports, children's programs Chinese cooking with a Chinese version and educational material. Feature films, of Julia Child, nonchalantly presiding documentaries and opera are shown, over a disorderly kitchen with black- along with cartoons and even soap op- ened pots and pans, and turning out a eras. sophisticated gourmet version of Bean One national channel concentrates on Curd Covered by Sunflowers, or Four - education on many levels. China uses Perfumed Carp, baked with ginger and the TV to teach foreign languages, mainly scallions. Some Westerners in Beijing English, with some Japanese and French found the program sometimes as unin- on the drawing board. TV lessons also tentionally hilarious as they did Julia cover the sciences, economics, agricul- Child. ture and engineering. One program is A feature on a factory nursery will al- called Learn to Spell. Millions take ternate with one on a new computer that courses in the TV University, which handles Chinese characters and an an- transmits daily six hours a day and is- imated film called The Mango with Legs. sues degrees through the Ministry of Ed- To an American observer, the level of ucation. production on Chinese television is un- A tiny village in Henan Province, Liu- even. It is sometimes excellent and shuang, set up the first low -power mini - sometimes rudimentary, reflecting the station in 1984 to tape and rebroadcast country's late start in developing mod- the TV college program of CCTV for stu- ern technology and video know-how. dents there. It also repeats news and Chinese TV executives frankly acknowl- economic information programs and, edge they have great strides to make be- during festivals, organizes its own pro- fore their product will be up to western grams. or U.S. levels. During the ten-year Cultural Revolu- The growth of TV has spawned a cor -

9 responding interest in video cassette re- them on TV: China bans TV commercials corders, even in outlying rural areas, for cigarettes and liquor. Nor can TV tout where some farm families have ac- the taste of Dynasty brand wine, a joint quired a small degree of affluence. An vineyard venture by France and China. American reporter recently related how Reynolds and China are exploring a a group of peasants in Fujian province possible future deal that may bring one pooled resources to buy a dozen video of the company's other products into the recorders and a stock of blue -movie one -billion -people market-Kentucky tapes. They then charged the equivalent Fried Chicken. One day, we may see of $5 admission for each showing. Chinese TV commercials for Colonel Sanders' finger-lickin' morsels, compet- China plunged into the advertising ing with Maxim's of Beijing (yes, the Pa- age on TV in 1979, after a long and risian restaurant is already here!). sometimes bitter political debate. One Western marketers of consumer prod- of my Chinese friends remarked, "There ucts are advertising on Chinese TV even was a change of philosophy. We no though it may be a while before Chinese longer consider commercials too capi- audiences will be able to buy or afford talistic. People now like the livelier com- them. They consider it an investment in mercials." The move began at Beijing TV good will and future sales potential. and was followed by the provinces-all Commercials seen these days are for eager for revenue from both local and Seiko and Citizen watches, Sony and foreign advertisers. Sanyo tape recorders, Toshiba refriger- Florida millionaire John Parke Wright, ators, a variety of TV sets, Kodak film, a pioneer in U.S.-China trade, who man- baby talcum powder, shampoos, hair ages Jardine, Matheson & Co.'s Beijing grooming lotions, and even computers. branch, helped to introduce big U.S. Initially devoted to heavy industry and companies to China and is credited with heavy in technique, commercials now helping to place the first advertising on concentrate on consumer goods, and Chinese TV and the first billboards in many are subtle and witty. There are, of course, ads for Chinese -made products Western marketers of as well as imports. consumer products are Japan's Toyota Automobile Co. once paid $45,000 for a gigantic six -minute - advertising on Chinese 50 -second commercial, screened in mid- TV even though it may week during a visit to China by the Jap- be a while before Chinese anese Prime Minister. audiences will be able Apart from such special occasions, to buy them. commercials are kept short-usually 30 seconds. They are limited to five to ten minutes per day, and never clog pro- Beijing. Today, visitors are struck by the grams but are presented, usually prevalence of Coca Cola ads and signs, bunched, before or after. Shanghai TV's rather than Mao statues or portraits, or Deputy Director, Shi Min, commented: Communist political slogans. Products "Chinese viewers don't welcome inter- like Polaroid, Kodak, Bic pens and Chi- ruptions." vas Regal are available, but largely in CCTV's Deputy Director, Chen Han tourist spots for hard currency, so the Yuan, and others consulted agreed that advertising market for such items is lim- news is the most popular offering on the ited. television. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco signed up with The evening news at 7 p.m., repeated China in the summer of 1984 to make the and updated at 9:10 p.m., has recently first Chinese-American cigarette in Xia- been augmented by a noontime news men, but they won't be able to advertise program, and a late -night newscast is

10 in the planning stage. About one-fourth it gets on the evening news. Science and of the newscasts is international. technology are also in demand. I saw, Chen frankly conceded that viewers for example, items on the development complain about "too much coverage" of of solar, and wind power. I watched one political meetings and too much "talk," piece on a computerized "house of the which he said can become "tiresome and future" in Connecticut that was surpris- boring." ingly laudatory. TV producers are aware they need more Observers who have studied the me- actuality footage and on -scene report- dia of both Communist super -powers note ing, but ascribe this defect to lack of that Chinese TV often overstates living funds, training and facilities. They don't standards in the United States while So- have enough ENG equipment. viet broadcasts emphasize negative de- Radio Beijing now deploys foreign cor- velopments. respondents, but the TV is still without Sportscasting is very popular, partic- its own foreign service. ularly soccer, volleyball, basketball, ta- Anchors and announcers appear to be ble tennis and athletics. Chen Han Yuan evenly divided between men and women said that, "When the Chinese women's and rotate to avoid any "star" system. volleyball team won the world champi- Good looks seem to be important, but TV onship, live transmissions of the games salaries are no bigger than the nation- emptied the streets." wide average for factory workers. CCTV execs regretfully comment that A resident American diplomat judged although Coca Cola billboards are seen the news to be "fairly objective," with in the sports stadiums during TV pick- rarely any political diatribes, and news ups, Coke pays the stadiums and not kept separate, for the most part, from CCTV. editorial comment. Western news agencies keep Chinese Sometimes Chinese TV enterprise re - TV informed about the world because the porting can go beyond that of au- New China News Agency, Xinhua, sup- dacious Americans. Not long ago, alert plies news to TV and radio stations as Chinese TV news crew members hap- well as newspapers, and it distributes pened to be traveling on an overnight the American AP and UPI world ser- train from Yanzhou in Shandong Prov- vices, as well as Reuters and Agence ince to Nanjing when they heard that a France Presse. woman was about to give birth in a National and local news tends to be sleeping car. long and often dull-with "socialist The next night, the evening news' an- themes" dominant. Typical feature sto- chor, Xi Chen, was able to report, "They ries will cover, for instance, tree plant- immediately went to the car and filmed. ing to stop erosion in Mongolia, a new At 10:30 p.m. a baby girl was born." The high school being named after a Korean broadcast showed several uniformed of- war hero who threw himself onto Amer- ficials attending to the unidentified ican guns, and China's volleyball team woman as one cut the infant's umbilical training for the Los Angeles Olympics. cord. The weather report, with temperature News director Liu Li -Chong, of Canton highs and lows from all major cities in (Guangzhou) TV, who looks and sounds China, includes Hong Kong and Taipei, as enterprising as any American top -ten considered a part of the nation. It's done market news exec, said his city has in- straight with simple graphics, and no creased news coverage to eleven shows clowning personalities. daily, apportioned among three chan- Lately, the U.S. Information Service has nels. been helping out with high -quality news - Hooked on "investigative reporting," oriented videotape, usually vignettes of his station gave air time to Cantonese American culture or current events, and who complained about the bad tasting,

11 inadequate and unsafe water supply in of 1984 and was put into the refrigerator the area. Within ten days, Liu re- for scientific analysis. A few days later counted, the city authorities had located it was disclosed that the mysterious five - and corrected the problem, and gave pound chunk of ice had fallen off a pass- credit to the TV exposé. ing truck and had been tossed over the One day a local hospital administered wall into the playground. the wrong medicine to a sick child, and nearly caused its death. The story was The Chinese are telecast, and within fifteen minutes two proud of doctors arrived and changed the medi- especially cation, saving the baby's life, Liu said. their co -production of Big In another case, a woman patient was Bird in China which dying for lack of type AB blood, a rarity won an Emmy. in China. Broadcast on the evening news at 7:15 p.m., the item stimulated enough News directors are now stressing ac- volunteers to donate their AB blood to curacy, double-checking stories, and save the woman. quoting Deng Xiaoping's favorite maxim, Chinese TV, and the mass media gen- "Seek the truth from facts." erally, are changing their image from the stodgy policies of earlier times when China Central Television welcomes disasters, crimes and other "negative" joint ventures, with U.S. networks or news reports were suppressed. with individual stations. KGMB-TV, a During and after the 1976 earthquake CBS affiliate in Honolulu, took a chance that wiped out most of the city of Tan- co -producing a 90 -minute documentary, shan, near Beijing, not a word was Beyond the Great Wall: Journey to the printed or aired, according to one sur- End of China, and picked up a 1983 Pea- vivor who had to live in a tent for weeks. body award for excellence in journal- "It's different now," she told me, "There ism, as well as other prizes. The was a disastrous flood in Sichuan in 1983, documentary was recently sold to 270 PBS and we were all amazed to see reporters stations. on the scene telling the story for TV." The Chinese accompanied the Amer- In the summer of 1984, it had become ican crew to Xinjiang Province, where routine to report even minor items like U.S. reporters rarely go, and didn't re- the theft of a bus by two schoolboys in quire any control screening of the vid- Beijing, the drowning of eight swim- eotape as shooting progressed. The mers, the collapse of a building crane Chinese split the profits with the pro- with several casualties, the theft of fif- ducers. When the news special was first teen cassette recorders by a Shanghai aired in 1982 on KGMB-TV, on Thursday postal worker and the explosion of a night at 8:30 p.m., it beat the top -rated peasant's TV in Liaoning Province when Hill Street Blues, attracting a 39 share. a lighting bolt hit the ungrounded set. Love Boat has also taken a look at The media are now on guard against China, and filmed an episode there. And news hoaxes that, curiously, have pe- Alex Haley of Roots fame recently went riodically plagued China and damaged to Beijing as executive producer of a 12 - credibility-anything from alleged hour TV mini-series called The Last Em- sightings of abominable hairy wild men peror: The History of China. in the woods of Hubei Province to bizarre The Chinese are especially proud of tales of a man with two heads who had their participation in the co-production one lopped off so he could get a wife. of Big Bird in China, which won an Emmy. Last year, Chinese TV showed what The Sesame Street characters came to purported to be a foot -long chunk of ice China and acted out a story partly based that fell "out of the sky" into a school on a Chinese legend, with the Monkey playground in Changsha in the spring King as a key figure.

12 A remarkable deal, signed in the sum- include a series on aviation history called mer of 1984, will make Chinese TV a vir- Air Power, Walter Cronkite's science tual affiliate of the CBS network. magazine series, Universe, a science The idea first germinated in 1982 when documentary series, 21st Century, and a the Chinese approached CBS and asked 12 -part series, World War II. to subscribe to the network news ser- Sports programs include segments of vice. CBS vice president Joseph P. Bellon New York Rangers ice hockey games, and came to Beijing to discuss it, and to his an ice skating special, Superskates, plus surprise learned that the Chinese were National Collegiate Athletic Association enthusiastic about a great deal of the football, and probably a Bowl game. material in the program catalog he Two of CBS' most successful shows are brought. Dallas and Falcon Crest, but the network A Chinese delegation then made an couldn't offer them because it doesn't own exploratory sortie to New York. The group syndication rights. In fact, the Chinese wanted to see Khan!, a not very suc- probably wouldn't be interested. The Di- cessful action series about a private de- rector of CCTV, Wang Feng, said, "Our tective in San Francisco's Chinatown. purpose in signing the agreement is to They even screened Muggable Mary: promote understanding between the Street Cop, which the CBS catalog calls Chinese and American people." "a revealing portrait of a policewoman The contract will not prevent China trying to make it in the tough world of from negotiating with other U.S. net- the New York City Police Department." works for programs. The plan has a CBS vice president Arthur F. Kane later unique provision for CBS to sell about told a reporter, "That knocked us off our $3,000,000 in advertising time to Ameri- seats. We thought that they wanted ed- can and foreign sponsors. CBS will offer ucational and documentary program- ten multinational advertisers a total of ming." The Chinese explained they were 320 minutes a year, at $300,000 per ad- looking into all interesting glimpses of vertiser. China and CBS would split the U.S. institutions. proceeds in half. CBS execs went back to Beijing and The CBS programs will be shown for got more requests from the Chinese: do- an hour at 8 p.m. Fridays, immediately cumentaries about wild animals, his- after the evening news, and for a half- tory, Latin America and Africa. They hour on alternate Sundays, following the seemed to be especially interested in regular English -language lesson. The anything about Benjamin Franklin, who CBS shows will be dubbed into Chinese is thought of in China as a model rev- Mandarin. olutionary. American networks had supplied the In the summer of 1983, CBS tentatively Chinese with individual items of TV film agreed with CCTV to supply 64 hours of before, but never regular programming CBS programming over a 12 -month pe- and never with U.S. capitalistic com- riod. After a delay of a year, the deal mercials included. For the Chinese, short was confirmed and announced last sum- of cash and foreign exchange, the beauty mer, to begin in December, 1984. of the deal was that it would not cost The programs range from selected them a cent. segments of 60 Minutes to four animated Commercials will be sold-five to eight Dr. Seuss specials and football, hockey minutes an hour-to large American and basketball games. corporations or European firms. The idea The 60 Minutes episodes include one is to attract those multinationals with on economic and social conditions in plans to invest in China that are con- Vietnam, one on American gangsters, one cerned with developing an image there. on Chinese people in Singapore, and one Some may take short spots, others three - on English gardening. to -f ive minute "informercials." Selections from news programming Recently, the Chinese authorities have

13 also formed a joint venture with two U.S. Hard-liners initially criticized Anna as companies to produce and distribute immoral and socially decadent but that television commercials and documen- didn't stop the program. taries to be aired in China. Incidentally, the Chinese don't jam the Voice of America, the BBC or even the Voice of Free China (Taiwan), and the The Chinese government VOA maintains a resident correspon- is conducting a nation- dent in Beijing whose name was well wide drive to teach known to many Chinese I met in the hin- English to its people .. . terlands. The keynote of the campaign is English on The censorship picture is mixed. TV and radio. Violence is not a taboo, but it's largely symbolic and skips any blood and gore. The Chinese take an essentially The commercials involve American Victorian attitude to sex and nudity. A products as well as institutional "im- Japanese TV drama on the life of a pros- age" advertising of American manufac- titute, Looking Forward to Returning turers. Home, was carefully expurgated "to cut The venture is called China/USA the sexier bits and the pornography," ac- Communications and Television Com- cording to a Chinese acquaintance, "but mercial Co. It will hold all rights to mar- it still created controversy." ket advertising time on Chinese TV for Religion is no problem, although when advertisers in the United States, Can- shown, it's generally not in a particu- ada and South America. larly sympathetic light. Minority groups The American firms in the joint ven- are sometimes viewed neutrally in ture are Las Palmas Productions, Inc., a Buddhist or Islamic settings, and on the TV commercial and special effects com- news, visiting Japanese are seen to wor- pany in Los Angeles, and Videocom Inc., ship at a shrine. The Lollobrigida film a TV commercial producer in Dedham, of Victor Hugo's novel showed religious Mass. The Chinese partners are China scenes in Notre Dame Cathedral. Television Service, a part of China's TV dramas are supposed to have so- Ministry of Television and Radio, and cial and politically ethical content. Even I.T. & Co. of Beijing, which produces situation comedies have a moral to their films. story lines. Discussion programs on social prob- lems like marriage and divorce are just As part of its modernization effort, the beginning, although they're standard Chinese government is conducting subjects for soap opera. Birth control and a nationwide drive to teach English to the national policy of no more than one its people, starting in the third grade. child per family "have no difficulty get- The keystone of the campaign is English ting on the air." Physicians as well as on TV and radio, and the jewel in the non-professionals have gone on TV to crown is the BBC's witty and effective demonstrate and promote birth control Follow Me. With an estimated 20,000,000 methods and devices. viewers, it has proved to be one of the Much ado was made in May, 1984, most popular programs on Chinese TV- when Chinese TV edited and trimmed fun even for American visitors. It's on one of President's Reagan's addresses every day at 6:30 p.m. just before the during his official visit. Reagan deliv- evening news. ered two major speeches, and admin- On Sundays at 2 p.m., it's English on istration officials had indicated they'd Sunday: Anna Karenina, from the BBC. be broadcast in full on Chinese TV.

14 In these speeches, Reagan made a programs better." strong ideological pitch for democracy, Hong Kong has two free -and -easy En- free enterprise and religious faith, and glish -language channels, and they fea- spoke of the threat of Soviet expansion- ture American crime and comedy series, ism. dubbed into Cantonese, lightly -clad A taped version of the speech in Beij- disco dancers, violent kung-fu films and ing was broadcast with Chinese voice- Charlie's Angels. What's more, the news over but portions were deleted. The is zippier and more complete. speech in Shanghai was broadcast live Shenzen's competing station began and in full, but without Chinese trans- transmitting in January, 1984, as an at- lation. tempt to strengthen the quality of Chinese The headlined reports of "censorship" TV in an ideologically acceptable way, were denied by both sides. Reagan said especially for the Cantonese -speaking there never had been any negotiation population of Guangdong Province in about carrying his remarks "word for southeastern China, which is so close to word" on Chinese TV, but he regretted Hong Kong and Macao, and thus more the editing. He joked that the American open to Western influences. media did it all the time. The Chinese At one point in 1982, the Guangdong indicated their government didn't want authorities made attempts to get view- to let the leader of one country publicly ers to pull down their fishbone-shaped attack another country while in China. UHF antennas which pulled in programs The Chinese pointed to their other- from across the border. But in Canton wise full coverage of the visit, much of (Guangzhou), they're up again now, and it on the news and on "golden time" after in Shenzen, you can get Hong Kong TV the news, with extra features on Rea- without UHF antennas. gan s rise from his birth in Illinois through Although it's a new city, Shenzen al- his Hollywood days and into politics and ready has 70,000 TV sets for its 200,000 the White House. population, one of the densest ratios in It's true that live daytime special events China. Many families own three-story are not Chinese TV's forte. CCTV broad- houses with stereo systems, refrigera- cast an advanced mathematics lesson tors and color TVs, sometimes two per during the Reagan arrival ceremony. family. Shenzen's programmers say they are Guangdong authorities deliberately striving for livelier fare, "not as solemn as the stations in the rest of made attempts to get China," and intentionally borrow ideas viewers to take down from nearby Hong Kong. Newscasters their UHF antennas wear western garb and talk more con- which pulled in programs versationally. from across the borders. Now operating out of a former garage with a staff of 120, Shenzen plans to build in the next three years a spacious new The latest television station in China TV center with state-of-the-art equip- is unique: it's in the new border city of ment from the U.S. and Japan, at a cost Shenzen, a prosperous "special eco- of $10,000,000. nomic zone" just twenty miles from Hong Kong, created to attract foreign capital and technology. Shenzen TV's Deputy hinese Television gets most of its Director, Chen Xuebiao, remarked to The V talent and staff from among the New York Times' Chris Wren that "be- graduates of a school known as the Beij- cause our audience can push the button ing Broadcasting Institute. Founded in and change channels to get Hong Kong 1959, a year after the TV system was in- television, we have to try to make our augurated, the BBI is the only institute

15 of its kind in China. It expects to set up Americans, Britons and West Europe- branches in other cities soon. ans. The Chinese film industry was The Institute currently has over 1,000 heavily influenced by Hollywood, and undergraduates and graduate students, one of the original Chinese radio sta- and a faculty of 300; it functions like a tions in Shanghai in the early Thirties miniature university with an expanding was operated and managed by an Amer- campus in the eastern suburbs of Beijing ican. that includes liberal arts and science and engineering divisions, as well as de- partments of foreign languages, jour- hen the Chinese Communists took nalism, performing arts, announcing, over 35 years ago, a bamboo cur- television, radio and TV engineering and tain virtually cordoned off the nation. The microwave transmission engineering. new China, however, is undergoing Students also take courses in physical sweeping changes that amount to an- education, international relations, other revolution. The People's Republic Chinese language and literature and, of of China is determined to develop its in- course, the theory of Marxism-Leninism. dustry and agriculture, improve ser- English is a required course. vices, expand trade and try new and Labs are available for basic research, pragmatic forms of social organization. as well as studios, closed-circuit tele- China, correspondingly, is working vision, video recorders, tape recorders energetically and creatively to catch up and editing decks. Students take intern- in the field of communication, and seeks ships at TV and radio stations as part of to make the fullest use of modern media their program. Undergrads stay four technology, while putting its own iden- years, graduate students two, and sci- tity and style on television. ence and engineering graduates, three. As China launches itself into the sat- The Institute's prospectus says students ellite age and joins the world television "should be able to understand them- revolution, the sky seems to be no limit. selves and solve problems ... must be Premier Zhao Ziyang keeps repeating, physically strong and have high mor- "China has opened its door and will never als." All over China, I ran into proud and close it again." knowledgeable alumni of the BBI in key positions on radio and TV stations. BBI directors say they keep in close touch with the country's broadcasting Bernard S. Redmont, Dean of the College network and "consequently the gradu- of Communication at Boston University, has ates have good employment opportuni- previously written Television Quarterly ar- ties." The growth of TV has created an ticles on TV in Hungary, the Soviet Union, urgent need for trained specialists. Given France and Italy. He was formerly a cor- vast territory respondent for CBS News in Paris and the huge population, and Moscow. current modernization program, the In- stitute expects to have close to 3,000 stu- dents by the end of this decade. Other sources of news personnel come from the Journalism Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Journalism Department of the People's University of Beijing, and the Journalism Department of Fudan University in Shanghai. Historically, Chinese media had their origins in the West. The first modern newspapers in China were produced by

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The sensational New Bedford rape case was covered by CNN. One of the defense attorneys offers her views on TV's role in that trial and others. we had prevailed, there would have been BY JUDITH L. LINDAHL no live television coverage. It does not require a legal education, however, to Should television be allowed in the recognize that the right to a fair trial is courtroom? Or does the camera in conflict with the right to a free press; tip the scales of justice unac- and the court is not prepared to ban cam- ceptably by influencing the eras. What the Big Dan's trial revealed course of a trial? The experience of the was the court and the media each must New Bedford rape case suggests that the acquire a more sophisticated under- answer to both questions is yes, and that standing of the other's operation. the debate on televised trials is more A graphic illustration of our failure on complex than has been recognized. this score involved the disclosure of the The announcement that CNN would victim's identity. The judge had ruled that televise the Big Dan's Tavern rape trial she could not be filmed or photo- live to a national audience did not cause graphed, and the press declined to pub- immediate concern. The debate on cam- lish her name in the interest of protecting eras in the courtroom was, after all, an her privacy. No one considered that live old one, and seemed to have been re- TV coverage of the testimony would de- solved in favor of the public's right to be feat the entire plan; the judge himself informed. Massachusetts, like other ju- immediately regretted this oversight. The risdictions, had studied the question and solution-a seven -second delay to allow established guidelines. The Supreme the name to be bleeped from the tele- Judicial Court-the commonwealth's vised coverage-is obvious in retro- highest-had decided that the trial judge spect. had sufficient power to preserve the de- The media have long argued that since corum of the trial and to insure its fair the public has a right to attend trials, conduct. And the judge in this case had the press-as the public's source of in- ruled that the victim could not be pho- formation-cannot be excluded. A trial, tographed. after all, is a drama-a public event But despite our precautions, the cam- whose participants are meant to be aware era did have a significant impact on the that they are on view. But a trial is a trial. The jurors actually discussed the rather special kind of drama, without a operation of the camera; the telecast ex- director or a script, which is, although posed witnesses to the testimony of oth- spontaneous, rather strictly controlled ers, and the prospect of a national by the rules of evidence. television appearance affected the par- These rules, which often appear to be ticipants. arcane and illogical to the layman, are From the point of view of the defense, in fact firmly based on an understanding this impact was profoundly negative; if of human nature. While the public as

21 spectators may witness the process, the Creative solutions for protecting a wit- entire trial is directed to the jury. Indeed, ness without commenting to the jury can the jury represents the public in the trial. be devised. What seems intractable is When the camera actually affects testi- the problem of insuring that the testi- mony the jurors hear and their deliber- mony of each witness the jurors hear is ations concerning it, the harm is a public spontaneous and unaffected by previous harm. testimony. What happens when, as in the Big What happens when a Dan's trial, each potential witness comes from a community which is saturated by witness suspends his radio and television broadcasts of the testimony at the end of live testimony? And what happens when the trial day, then returns a witness suspends his testimony at the home to watch tapes of end of the trial day, then returns home his performance? to family and friends to watch tapes of his performance? Both the defense and prosecution found that the willingness In arguing against televising criminal of witnesses to forthrightly answer ques- trials it is noted that: The operation of tions varied from day to day. Few of the the camera will distract the witnesses lawyers found altogether believable the and jurors; the lawyers will grandstand claim that the witnesses had not paid for the camera rather than attend to the any attention to the trial on television. trial; TV producers will televise only the One of the oldest objections to cam- most dramatic clips, distorting the evi- eras in court is its implicit invitation to dence both for the public and the jurors. mug: The lawyers, and perhaps the wit- To the extent that we anticipated these nesses, would play to the camera, rather negative effects in the New Bedford case, than to the jury. At least for the lawyers, the judge, the lawyers and the press were this argument proved false. The sole ex- quite successful in minimizing them. The ception occurred out of the presence of live camera was stationary, and re- the jury, during an exchange of charges quired to operate throughout most of the between a defense attorney and an as- trial so that the jury would not be af- sistant district attorney. The judge in- fected by a cameraman's decision about dicated that the D.A. had won his point; what was "important" testimony. certain observers suspected that the But the jurors were aware that the vic- D.A.'s persistence in denouncing his op- tim was not filmed. The judge agreed ponent was directed at the evening news. with the defense argument that his de- During the trial itself, however, every cision to allow or reject the filming of lawyer acted in character and from ex- the victim might imply his personal be- perience. lief that she had indeed been raped. Yet the question of whether or not a rape had TV coverage helped occurred was the very fact the jurors were the human to decide. expose The judge therefore delayed his ruling ambiguity of what until after the jurors had been locked up. occurred in the tavern As one juror revealed, the panel was that night. aware and discussed among themselves the fact that the CNN camera was capped and unmanned during the victim's tes- But lawyers are by training accus- timony. Although sequestering the jury tomed to public performance. Indeed, prevented their being influenced by se- trial lawyers revel in legal combat and lected news clips, capping the camera are not known to shy away from the cam- was too obvious a comment in this case. era. For the witnesses, however, the

22 prospect of testifying on national tele- vision can be a serious deterrent. And this affects not just what the jury hears from a witness, but whether the witness GG appears at all. Each of us can imagine a situation in QUOTE which we become a witness to an event, quite by accident. It is our duty as citi- UNQUOTE zens to come forward with that evidence and most of us are willing to do so in the practical anonymity of the ordinary case. Would we decline to do so if the PP publicity guaranteed that a spouse would realize we had not really gone to Bingo that night? or that the neighbors would Promotional Courage gossip about our drinking habits? that "I'm in favor of speaking up when you're our children would be taunted in school? asked to promote something that you or that our prospective employer might think is wrong. Whether it's a matter of decide his business did not need our inconsistency with previous campaigns, brand of notoriety? a fundamental lack of merit, or even a Two witnesses in New Bedford-apart matter of ethics, morality, or what you from the complainant-did request that perceive as cheapness of pandering that the judge protect their identities from will bring discredit to your standards or television cameras. But he denied both those of the company for which you work. requests, and both witnesses did testify. "Speaking up at times like these isn't, A third witness was so intimidated by in my opinion, an act of courage or a the potential publicity that his testimony declaration of independence, or at least was virtually useless. it shouldn't be. It's what we're getting So, what can be learned from the Big paid for. If our job is to heighten public Dan's case? For one thing, TV coverage perception of the right stuff, it's also to helped expose the human ambiguity of be on guard against the wrong. It's our what occurred in the tavern that night. job to argue against anything that will The initial story of hours of repeated at- erode public confidence or create doubts tacks to the cheers of onlookers, in all that we really mean what we've been its inhuman and degrading detail, was saying. substantially false, as the TV audience "I believe that most people who spend discovered. Yet, CNN's courtroom pres- seven hours a day with our media care ence may have affected the "truth" as it about what they're seeing and hearing was found by the jury and thus affected and have very good functioning memo- the verdict itself. Such a grave possibil- ries, perceptions, and standards of taste. ity requires sensitivity and serious re- That's why protecting our services against flection by both the media and the judicial a pattern of mindless promotion and system. worthless material is part of our general job description, even at times when oth- ers choose to forget it." -Joel Chaseman, President, Post - Judith L. Lindahl was a defense attorney Inc., in the Big Dan's Tavern case, which was Newsweek Stations, Broadcast covered live by the Cable News Network. Promotion Association Seminar. This article appeared originally in ON CA- BLE magazine c 1984 by ON CABLE Pub- lications, Inc.

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Star comics in a variety format, not more sitcoms, will give TV a needed boost. A producer's notes on the past, and hopes for the future.

What's so funny about it?" Or, "Yeah, I BY HOWARD G. BARNES remember that one, only it was funnier when Bob Hope did it." Recently, I read Sid Caesar's book, Because of this uncertainty, much of Where Have I Been? This mar- the material that we see and hear today velous, nostalgic recounting of is derivative or a variation on estab- Your Show of Shows, a land- lished funny stuff. Which isn't to say that mark of broadcast comedy, cued a con- there have not been original, thinking, catenation of memories of writers and creative people in the field. Three great performers with whom I had worked over theoreticians (as well as practitioners) the years. With that came echoes of the could have written text -books on broad- endless arguments over what is funny, cast comedy; they certainly had the track - what is good comedy and in fact what records to justify it: Goodman Ace, Fred is comedy and where is it going? Allen and Abe Burroughs. If any one of Perception of comedy is highly sub- them said it was funny, it was funny. jective; it's no puzzle as to why there are They understood the structure of a funny such disparate theories. Everyone who situation as well as the rhythm and tim- has ever worked this form (or tried to) ing of a funny line. Just to prove it, listen agrees: it's the toughest, most ephem- to an air -check of a Fred Allen Show, or eral and most unpredictable of all the Easy Aces or Duffy's Tavern. entertainment arts. Even among its most I had the privilege of working with Abe skilled practitioners, there is scant Burroughs on the radio version of Duffy's agreement on theory, practice or style. Tavern, when Abe was head -writer. He Until the laughs from the audience roll would look at a particular line in the in, there is little certainty; not for its script during rehearsal and ponder. purveyors, its analysts, nor its observ- "There's something wrong here", he ers. would say. "The rhythm is off ... we The writer says, "I clocked ten titters, need another word with two more syl- twenty-four rolling laughs, four bellies lables to set up the punch." Then, he'd and two show -stoppers. It was a good try several words to replace the of fend- show." ing one; finally, his instinct told him when The analyst (John Leonard in New York he had the right one and the right rhythm Magazine) intones, "American Televi- and, Barn!, the punch -line paid off. sion first of all cannibalizes popular cul- Sometimes, though, expertise is no ture, and then broadens and flattens all guarantee; comedy is still a crapshoot. the jokes, thereby reducing the things Several years ago, I made a feature pic- about ourselves at which we are per- ture in Australia called Squeeze A mitted to laugh." Flower. You probably never saw it un- The observer thinks, "That was funny? less you had a sleepless night and caught

27 it on the late -late show. It had all the are no useful technical guidelines. Ap- elements: a reasonably funny script by preciation of comedy is highly individ- Charles Isaacs; one of the pre-eminent ual despite our temporal and cultural pioneer television comedy directors, Marc conditioning. Even more incapable of Daniels; veteran comedy performers like definition is the practitioner ... the co- the late Jack Albertson, Walter Chiari median himself. (the Italian Danny Kaye), and British Whether or not it is literally true to funnyman, Dave Allen. each comic, the funnyman's roots are What happened is a familiar story: the easily tracked back to American bur- crew killed itself laughing, scene by lesque and its cousins, vaudeville and scene; the actors not on camera fell apart the night club. If you're old enough, and with laughter; even the projectionist at were liberated enough to attend such our screenings of dailies was rolling on performances, you will recall the pro- the floor. Five of us, Albertson, Chiari, totype "stand -ups" and twosome comics Allen, Daniels (when he wasn't doing his who told jokes or performed comedy pat- "homework") and I sat together night af- ter while doing some other physical feat. ter night inventing "shtick," working out Apart from those members of the audi- timing, changing routines-all to make ences whose prurience took them to see it funnier the next day. Result: it bombed! the strippers, many came to see the The movie couldn't even get American baggy -panted "Sliding Billy Watsons" or theatrical distribution. the juggling Fred Aliens or the duos who Yet, six men, with a staggering num- gave birth to "Who was that lady I seen ber of combined years in laugh -making, you with last night?" ... the comics. threw into the project everything they Usually their jokes were corny, mildly risque and quite familiar. They were the progenitors of Red Skelton, Milton Berle, The funnyman's roots Henny Youngman, Bob Hope, Phil Sil- are easily tracked vers, Danny Thomas and the like. Even back to vaudeville and Johnny Carson, more contemporary, the night club. somewhat more sophisticated and yet more derivative, is still of this line of descent, as are the double acts like Ab- thought was good comedy. In our nightly bott and Costello, Jack Benny and Roch- sessions, after we finished work for the ester, Rowan and Martin and Dean next day and the bottle came out and Martin and Jerry Lewis. reminiscences became the rule, we talked about comedy; there was little agreement. Albertson, out of burlesque, hen radio and later television had one set of theories; Chiari, from Ital- sounded the death -knell for these ian vaudeville, had another; Allen out earlier forms, most of the successful of the Irish, Australian and English clubs comics made the transition to broad- and television, yet another. At least Marc casting. For a long time, in both radio Daniels, the director, was able to hold and television, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, this group together well enough to give Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Edgar Bergen, the performances cohesiveness. In the Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, end, we had a funny picture, we thought Rowan and Martin were the Kings of ... but not enough other people agreed. Comedy. Even demographers are not Theoretical arguments about comedy clear as to why their type of show began will continue as long as the form lives. to fade away. Perhaps the formats wore Final definitions acceptable to everyone out or the performers themselves couldn't will probably never be articulated. It's handle the pace or the audiences be- inevitable, because unlike science or came jaded or simply our entertainment writing, painting or architecture, there culture metamorphosed. Whatever the

28 reason, the only consistently successful great need for talented new and durable survivors of this type are Johnny Carson individuals to keep the comedy pot boil- and Bob Hope, who I think continue be- ing. cause they are as much national insti- As the Fred Allen -Jack Benny -Milton tutions as they are comics. Berle type of show began its decline through death and attrition, a new and Since the television more sophisticated kind emerged, built most around a single stellar performer with a networks have the supporting cast of lesser comic perform- to gain, they should be ers. The best of these were Your Show pursuing an aggressive of Shows with Sid Caesar, the weekly program to develop Danny Kaye Show and The Carol Burnett new comedians. Show. Not only did each show offer a multi -talented star (not a comic in the "stand-up" tradition) but each featured I believe that comedy with a star fun- consistently good, hilarious comedy nyman is not dead-just sleeping. The sketches performed by the star and sup- best of them always pulled good ratings. ported by a group of "second bananas." I think too little is being done toward In each show there was the obligatory developing new talent in this direction. nod to the variety performer, but the meat The traditional training ground for com- of each show was the sketch employing ics, burlesque, vaudeville, night clubs wild, curious and unbelievably outlan- and the borscht circuit, no longer exist. dish but funny characters. Genealogi- Neither the comedy workshops and cally, the TV comedy sketch also traces "Comedy Taverns" that proliferate its origin to American burlesque. around the country, nor the string of "new comics" guesting with Johnny Carson and David Letterman seem to be replenish- It's true that in Milton Berlé s Texaco ing the declining supply. Theatre, sketches were a regular part Since the television networks have the of each show. They were, however, a far most to gain, they should be pursuing cry from the sophistication of the later an aggressive program to find and de- Caesar, Kaye and Burnett programs. The velop new comedians. Apparently they typical Berle sketch was zany, the prem- feel there are no available replacements ise unbelievable, and funnier if a line for a Jack Benny, a Fred Allen or a Bob was blown, a prop failed to work, a door Hope. They're wrong; it takes time, fell down or a wig or mustache fell off; money, imagination and effort. It's in- invariably each sketch was "fun -in -the - vesting against the long-time future, for studio" with the audience laughing at which they seem to have little inclina- the production mishaps. With Caesar, tion. They have tried, it's true; there was Kaye or Burnett the sketch-more com- the Tim Conway Show, which in failing, plex and more creative-was played for seemed to justify the old bromide that the integrity of the scene; the comedy you can't make a Top Banana out of a came from the reality of the situation Second. Don Rickles has given evidence proposed and the manner in which the that audacious insults aren't enough characters responded ... not from seltzer equipment for hosting a comedy -variety bottles or pants falling down. show nor for success with a sitcom. Bob Of course, the characters were larger Newhart is a brilliant funnyman who than life, and frequently bizarre. This could successfully fill the bill, but he and form gave birth to the sketch players, the network elected to go the sitcom route. specialists with rare talents, basically Johnny Carson is an obvious answer, but not comics or straight -men, but actors how can he or the network make as much with sharp comedic talents. Such an elite money with a once-a-weeker? There is a group numbers, among others, Harvey

29 Korman, Howie Morris, Jack Albertson, touched a club before, be able within a Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca, Art Carney, year consistently to score competitively Louis Nye, Nanette Fabray and Don with the PGA greats? Or how many, with Knotts. no previous musical education, can suc- This latter type of show, again for un- cessfully and seriously conduct a sym- fathomable reasons, seems to have dis- phony orchestra? appeared. Look to the demographers for What's more, Danny understands him- the reasons. My speculation leads to the self, as a performer; he has infallible conclusion, again, that the television in- judgment and instinct for what will work dustry is not developing the kind of lead for him and, even more importantly, what comic such a show requires ... new will not. At times, this led to heated ar- Danny Kayes, Burnetts and Caesars. In guments between Danny and the writers the absence of the atrophied traditional who felt they had written sure-fire funny training grounds, the broadcast media material, but which Danny knew was not are the only and best possibility. It's not right for him. only an economic opportunity for co- Although Danny tells a joke well, he medians, but a cultural necessity. A is not a gagster. His comedy comes, not world without them would be a dull place from a joke, but from material built indeed. around him, and is not just from the lines he uses but from the physical Kaye as well-from what he does with his face, It was my good fortune to be associated how he uses his marvelously graceful with the weekly Danny Kaye Show physique and how he plays his voice as when it was on CBS. As comedy, the show an instrument. This is true when he does was an enrichment for America. His sin- a "stand-up in one," sings his zany and gular imprimatur was stamped on every uniquely "Danny" patter songs, or plays moment of each show. Danny was an sketches. interesting person with whom to work There is no better sketch player in the and for me a great learning experience. business (although Sid Caesar and Carol Burnett run a close second). To be a good player of comedy sketches, first, one must To be a good player of be a good actor. And Kaye is a superb comedy sketches, first, actor; plus he has the malleable face, one must be a good actor. limber body and a kit full of dialects. Plus that great asset in comedy ... TIM- ING. He is not, by any standard, a "comic"; Two of Danny's favorite guests on the yet, actually, in the field of comedy, he's show (whom we booked repeatedly be- unique. First, he's highly intelligent; be- cause of his preference) were Imogene cause of this, without extensive educa- Coca and Art Carney. Danny loved to tion, he's managed to amass an work in sketches with them because they incredible fund of general information. are both good actors and have fail-safe There are few subjects upon which he timing which meshes well with his own. can't discourse knowledgably. In addi- Those sketches were comedy clinics. tion, he's educated himself in specific Conversely, I remember one guest fields far beyond the comprehension of performer who was a good actor, but with most performers. How many stars can no sense of comedy whatsoever. After you recall who have passed, and with dress -rehearsal, Danny came fuming into very high marks, the FAA's devilishly his dressing room. His complaint was difficult commercial pilot's written and that he couldn't make the sketch work; oral exams as well as flight tests? Or the actor was mugging, stepping out of how many are there who can take up character, giving dramatic values to the golf after forty, and then, never having lines and in trying to be funny was not

30 funny at all, all of which threw Kaye's writer used to shape his work to the per- timing off. There was a lot of re -writing forming persona of his star. These days between dress rehearsal and the air- the comedian is more an actor whose show. comedy and personality are created by With the exception of the occasional the material the writer designs for the variety "special" with comedy inserts or character: Alan Alda, Robert Guillaume, Bob Hope's periodic trips down Memory John Ritter, Carroll O'Connor.... In the Lane, the surviving form of comedy in gray area between are the geniuses of television today is the situation comedy. Danny Kaye, Carol Burnett and their The sitcom continues with some strength. second -bananas, Harvey Korman and Like the hydra, some branches get lopped Tim Conway, who are personalities on off or die from atrophy, but its main body their own, but who are continually seems continually to thrive; not so cur- molded by the writers and the material iously, its ancestry also leads back to they create for them. burlesque by way of the comedy sketch Who are these warriors in the classic and radio. Its theory is simple, and to battle between man and the blank white some, boring; establish a fixed group, a page staring back from the typewriter? "family" of performers, seen week after In the early years of TV, there were two week, whose relationships to each other kinds: the gag -writers, some of whom are predictably unvarying, and the char- started by sliding slips of paper with their acteristics of each (and therefore their output under the dressing room door to habits of response) are pre -established, an Eddie Cantor, a Milton Berle, or a and create story situations endemic to Henny Youngman; if lucky and accepted the group which are easily within reach they were slipped fifty bucks for the ef- of the audience's common experience. fort. If they were even luckier and per- There are narrow parameters within sistent, eventually they achieved writing which the creators must work. Needless staff status for a Jack Benny or a Bob to say, much of the situation comedy ma- Hope; the other kind wrote comedies for terial is repetitive, derivative, or varia- the stage or situation comedies for ra- tions on previously successful material. dio. Today's writers are college gradu- There seems to be a shibboleth in tele- ates, Ph.D.'s, lawyers, doctors, vision today that says in essence, "If it advertising copy writers and former was successful once, why not use it journalists. again?" Regardless of their origins, they have- and had-one necessary ingredient in common: they think funny. Some of them For the continuance of good, effective operate from an instinctive birth -right like comedy in television, one commod- a Mel Brooks or a Sheldon Keller. Others ity not in short supply is the writer. There are more intellectual and analytic like is an abundance of both experienced and a Larry Gelbart, a Carl Reiner or a Mel up-and-coming ones. Find a good comic Tolkin. And yet others are adapters who and there will be good writers available get their impetus from living in the cli- for him. For a good sitcom idea many mate of comedy and knowing what to do can step in and deliver professionalism. when exposed to it. I'm convinced that the many failures in The best example of a contemporary this form are less the fault of bad writing writer who creates situations and char- than of poor concepts that won't fly. acters, who analyses and designs hu- As the nature of comedy in television mor, is Larry Gelbart, the most deserving has changed, so has the task of the writer. inheritor of the mantle of Goodman Ace. In the days of pre-eminent comics like Although Alan Alda was always there Milton Berle, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Red waiting to happen, Gelbart created him Skelton, it was the personality of the in M*A*S*H. Of course, Alda in his own performer that dictated the material. The right is superb, but what Gelbart gave

31 him to do and say in M*A*S*H created audience laughed it was, with all the the performer as we know him today. expertise, a gamble. Yet, few of us will ever know the agon- Well, then ... Comedy is tough to de- ies, doubts and diverse opinions on com- fine, to create, to continue to infuse with edy that Gelbart and his co -writers went new performing blood, and to sustain through to hammer out the successful the variety of forms necessary to keep it format they finally achieved. fresh. Is this a yearning for "the good old days"? Certainly not. It is a plea for an effort to return to excellence. From The best example of the sturm and George Burns, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, drang of comedy writing I know was Danny Kaye and Carol Burnett to Mary the Danny Kaye Show. Presiding over Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart and M*A*S*H this was Perry Lafferty, a wise -cracking to Three's Company, Silver Spoons and but organized producer. His discipline Gimme A Break is a poor curve on my was a necessary ingredient to control the graph. chaos of the writers' bullpen. The tal- ented inhabitants were (not all at the "You lead the public same time) Mel Tolkin, Sheldon Keller, can Herbie Baker, Ernie Chambers, Gary to where you want it to Belkin, Sol Ilson, Larry Tucker, Paul Ma- go, but only a short step zursky, Bernie Rothman, Ron Friedman, at a time ahead of where Pat McCormick and for a short time, Larry it wants to go." Gelbart. All giants in the comedy -writ- ing world! No more disparate and wildly creative Finding and developing new talent is a group ever existed in television. As expensive and tedious. Developing new many individuals as there were, so were forms is challenging and expensive. Lack there as many differing theories about of creative talent is not the drawback. comedy. Assignments for writing differ- What it requires is desire and hard work. ent parts of the show were designed for It takes the same amount of work, by the individuals or teams according to their way, to be good as to be bad. respective specialties: sketches, stand- Speaking of "bad," I remember pro- up monologues, special music and lyr- ducing a certain comedy show a few ics, intros, et cetera. When the material years ago. The late Lew Derman was for the next show was ready in "rough," one of the writers. In one of our all-night all the writers, the producer and Danny writing agonies Lew and I had an ar- Kaye assembled for an analysis and ac- gument over a joke (not an unusual sit- ceptance or rejection. uation in comedy -writing). He wound his This was when each writer tried to "sell" with this zinger: "It's a chair gag! "sell" his bit to the rest, and when the You've got to use it." comedic diversities came to light. The "A chair gag?" I asked, playing air would be purple with "It stinks." Or straight -man like all good producers do "Maybe," or "If you would move this here when confronted with outrageous state- and ..." The cacophony was the prod- ments from writers. uct of creatively divergent views as to "Yeah," he said. "It's so funny, the the- what was funny. Consensus laughter was atre audience will tear their chairs out rare, but when it happened, the spot was of the floor and beat each other over their sure to go in the show. It was on this heads." anvil that each show was eventually Needless to say, it wasn't that funny, hammered out. The fact that this worked nor was the show. The intent was high- was a tribute to Perry Lafferty and Danny minded, the labor was long and tedious, Kaye, whose final voices welded the di- the creative talent experienced and ded- versities into a funny show. But until the icated, but somehow we missed.

32 Sure, comedy is the most precarious sons. However, I doubt a short season amusement form; it always has been. would satisfy American audience ap- But there have always been good people petites. who have done it successfully. They set Perhaps cable television, which has themselves high standards and labored not yet begun to wallow in the program- continuously to achieve them. Must we ming strictures of conventional TV, will conclude that today they are less gifted? venture into broader forms of comedy I don't believe that. Or is it that the pub- development, find and nurture new com- lic is less susceptible to good comedy? ics, and give the creators a chance to I don't think so. expand their horizons. Currently, most cable comedy is rehash from film, or one- man concerts; I hope that as their pro- Years ago, when I wanted to instigate gramming budgets increase, so will their a particular programming change creativity. at CBS, I had an argument with Frank Wherever, by whomever and in what- Stanton. He ended it by saying, "You can ever form, a determinedly creative re- lead the public to where you want it to naissance in television comedy is sorely go, but only a short step at a time ahead needed. Presently, it's like the legend- of where it wants to go." ary Dodo bird which flew around and The implication was clear and I be- around in ever decreasing concentric lieve correct. Stanton's statement to me, circles, eventually eating its own tail and, at the time, was intended negatively to finally having devoured itself, disap- inhibit a change I was proposing. But peared completely. what about the positive connotations of Stanton's challenge? Why not lead the public uphill a step at a time? Howard G. Barnes has been a radio and Anyone who has been around the TV director and producer, Vice President broadcasting business long enough will in programming at CBS, Executive Vice have had some historic perception of the President of Group W Films, and Executive evolutionary changes in programming, Producer of twenty-three feature films. some toward more sophistication, others toward a debasing sameness directed to the lowest levels of common appeal. Comedy seems to be running in the lat- ter direction. Many will remember the last days of network radio before the television jug- gernaut swept it away. At that time, ra- dio comedy (with a few notable exceptions) had developed to a deriva- tive sameness much like television com- edy today (again with a few notable exceptions). I've often wondered where network radio would have gone had not television came along to end its agony. Perhaps we can learn from English television. Some of their most successful shows run in ten to twelve week bursts or less; then, they take a long hiatus and return for another limited series of weeks. Certainly this doesn't burn out the co- median or his writers the way we do with our year -in -year -out nine -month sea-

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a respected journalistic tradition for BY ED HINSHAW dealing with the public, critics and ad- vertisers. Iis no big deal, they say. It's really The Fairness Doctrine is lousy regu- a sound journalistic policy, they say. lation and lousy law. It can be used to All it requires of you is what you harass, intimidate, threaten and de- should require of yourselves, they grade even the most civic -minded, say. It's sensible public policy for deal- public -supportive and conscientious ing with public airwaves, they say. broadcasters. Despite a ruling from the There were days, before I learned to Supreme Court of the United States, it live with the Fairness Doctrine, when I clearly violates the First Amendment to would have agreed thoroughly with what the Constitution of the United States: "they" say. The Doctrine is simple and "Congress shall make no law .. . straightforward. It requires broadcast li- abridging the freedom of speech, or of cense holders to carry programming the press ..." (emphasis added). The which deals with controversial issues of Federal Communications Commission, public importance in the area served by a creature of Congress, and Congress the licensee and, additionally, to air itself have made the Fairness Doctrine contrasting viewpoints on the contro- regulation and law. And, the Fairness versial issues. Doctrine can be used by citizens, regu- There is an additional regulation lators and even public officials to cir- within the Fairness Doctrine, known as cumvent-or attempt to circumvent-the the Personal Attack Rule. The rule is in clear intent of the First Amendment. effect during the broadcast discussion of There are some painful stories in the a controversial issue, although news- public record, demonstrating how casts are exempt. If, in the course of the broadcast regulations can be manipu- discussion, an attack is made on the lated for political purposes. The Red Lion honesty, character or similar qualities case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court of an individual (or group), the broad- ruled that the Fairness Doctrine is not a cast licensee is required to notify the in- violation of the First Amendment, grew dividual attacked, provide a copy of a from an attempt to get conservative com- script, summary or tape of the attack and mentators off the air during the 1964 offer an opportunity for an on -air reply. Goldwater -Johnson presidential cam- Fairness is sound policy for any jour- paign. The history of the case is de- nalism organization which aims to se- scribed in Fred Friendly's book, The Good cure public confidence based on Guys, the Bad Guys and the First credibility; fairness is useful policy for Amendment. The attempt was at least any journalism organization which seeks partially successful. Some broadcasters larger and more varied audiences. It is reduced the amount of air time devoted

37 to the discussion of campaign -related is- entire Journal Company, calling it "The sues. Monopoly" or "The Media Octopus." In WHAR, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, the earlier days, Mayor Maier was care- learned about the underside of the Fair- ful to exclude what he called "the broad- ness Doctrine when then -Representative cast arm" of the company from his Patsy Mink of Hawaii and others got the consistent criticism. FCC to determine that strip-mining was That exclusion ended and our case be- a controversial issue in Clarksburg, de- gan in 1981 when WTMJ, Inc., which op- spite the station's determination, ap- erates WTMJ-TV, WTMJ Radio and WKTI, parently based on the mandated broadcast on all three stations a series "ascertainment of community problems, of editorials dealing with municipal gar- needs and interests," that strip-mining bage problems and labor relations is- was not locally controversial. The case sues related to the city's fire and police raised the specter of the government departments. (through the FCC) telling broadcasters The WTMJ stations are in their twenty- what they must cover in their news and second year of broadcasting editorials. public affairs program. Editorial positions and policies are de- termined by a management group, and the editorials are fully independent from Chilling Free Discussion the editorials of the newspapers of the Those cases, and some others, raised Journal Company. I write the editorials, national attention because the broad- which are cleared by the President of casters lost. My employer, WTMJ, Inc., WTMJ, Inc., Mike McCormick. The edi- in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been in- torials and replies are aired six times a volved in a Fairness Doctrine and Per- week on each of our three stations. In sonal Attack Rule case since the spring addition, in several time periods, the of 1981-a case that has not been widely stations air excerpts from letters from reported. listeners and viewers about public is- We've won the case at every level. But sues. Each editorial is followed on the it has cost us significant amounts of staff air by an announcement which invites and management time and thousands of opposing viewpoints. dollars in legal fees. As we see it, the Regular viewers and listeners are ac- case clearly demonstrates the chilling customed to the replies and guest opin- effect the Doctrine and Rule could have ions the stations broadcast frequently. on the free discussion of significant pub- Copies of daily editorials are mailed to lic issues. those closely involved in the issues dis- Some background first. WTMJ, Inc. is cussed, with special attention given to a subsidiary of The Journal Company, those we believe likely to disagree. an employee -owned communications Weekly mailings are also sent to more corporation. Among the Company's other than two hundred opinion leaders in the enterprises are The Milwaukee Journal Milwaukee area. and the Milwaukee Sentinel, Milwau- kee's afternoon and morning newspa- pers. The Mayor's Complaint Henry W. Maier is Mayor of the City The 1981 editorials which brought us of Milwaukee. He was first elected to that before the FCC and the federal appeals post in 1960 and has become the longest - court were sharply critical of municipal tenured large -city chief executive in the unions (among the mayor's political country. In 1984 he was reelected to a power bases), some city officials and four-year term. Throughout his years as Mayor Maier himself. The editorials in- the city's chief executive, he has battled furiated the mayor. He made that clear with the Journal. On several occasions, in two news conferences during that pe- he has levelled his verbal guns at the riod which were broadcast live by

38 WTMJ-TV and were excerpted in news- Personal Attack Rule requires, anyway. casts on WTMJ and WKTI. And Mayor Moreover, we provided information Maier went further. demonstrating the mayor's point of view Using the taxpayer -supported legal had been aired on our stations in news- resources of the Milwaukee City Attor- casts and in the live news conferences ney's office, he prepared a Fairness Doc- called by Mayor Maier. We agreed the trine and Personal Attack Rule complaint issues discussed in the editorials were for filing with the Federal Communica- controversial and of public importance. tions Commission. Prior to filing, he in- Then, we waited. It was not a tense formed WTMJ, Inc. of his intent, but did delay. We were fully confident we had not attempt to negotiate response time followed both the letter and the spirit of on the air beyond the already -aired news the Fairness Doctrine. We were certain conferences. The complaint was dated that we had not invoked the Personal June 3, 1981. In it, the mayor first indi- Attack Rule, although our editorial mail- cated the remedy he sought was an un- ing practices, in our opinion, meet the edited half-hour on the air at a time of notification requirements set out in the his choosing. Again, there was no effort Rule. As a matter of policy, we seek to for direct contact with us to negotiate a provide the greatest possible and prac- reply. tical number of replies. Shortly thereafter, on August 18th, the The three-year delay, however, was FCC staff determined the complaint was not without some concern for us-as it not sufficient to seek a response from would be for any broadcaster facing a WTMJ. Mayor Maier, the staff found, had challenge before the FCC. The Commis- not demonstrated his complaint dealt sion sometimes reacts in unpredictable with a controversial issue of public im- ways. Fred Friendly learned that. WHAR portance, the threshold necessary to in- learned it, too. voke the Fairness Doctrine. On July 29, 1982, the mayor's com- On September 16, 1981, Mayor Maier plaint was rejected by the FCC staff. The filed an amended complaint, also pre- staff found there was no personal attack pared by the Milwaukee City Attorney's on the mayor, and that we had aired con- staff. It included several affidavits from trasting viewpoints on the controversial city officials saying the issues discussed issues discussed in our editorials. The in the editorials were controversial and staff also found that Mayor Maier was important to the public. The Commis- aware of our willingness to provide him sion staff reviewed the complaint and with an opportunity to reply to the edi- asked WTMJ, Inc. for a response. torials. He had, in fact, told one of our We assembled memos collected in our news reporters that he was aware he files. We reviewed and logged the con- could reply, but that he wanted to do so tent of newscasts aired during the pe- only on his own terms. Yet, the matter riod covered by the complaint. We was far from complete. outlined the normal procedures we use for informing the public of our editorial positions and seeking responses. Enter the Courts In consultation with our Washington One month later, Mayor Maier exer- attorneys (the firm we use for FCC mat- cised his opportunity to appeal the staff ters), we prepared a written response to decision to the full Commission. After the complaint. It was filed with the Com- again consulting with our Washington mission on December 15, 1981. We ar- lawyers, we filed a brief on September gued there was no personal attack in 15th in opposition to the mayor's appli- any of the editorials cited in the mayor's cation for review by the full FCC. complaint. Further, we argued that if the On February 17, 1983, the FCC issued FCC found there had been a personal a Memorandum Opinion and Order de- attack, we had already done all the nying Mayor Maier's application for

39 review and upholding the decision of the We estimate our management and staff staff. time for assembling facts and documen- On April 22, 1983, the mayor filed a tation at roughly two person-months. The petition for review of the FCC decision City Attorney's office, which has not kept before the Seventh Circuit Court of Ap- precise records of time spent on the case, peals in Chicago. The battle now was estimates the effort involved "several between the mayor and the FCC, but hundred hours" of attorneys' time. We WTMJ, Inc. participated as an intervenor have not made an effort to discover what because a court decision against the the case cost the federal government. Commission could have had a direct ef- The FCC staff, the full Commission and fect on us. the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Briefs were filed by the FCC and the found that WTMJ, Inc. did what the Fair- mayor. WTMJ, Inc. agreed with the FCC ness Doctrine and the Personal Attack brief. Oral arguments before a three - Rule require of broadcast licensees. Yet, judge panel were held in Chicago on the Doctrine and the Rule have forced us November 10, 1983. through a lengthy, irritating and costly The Seventh Circuit decided on May experience. In our opinion, Mayor Maier 4, 1984 that the FCC had behaved ap- undertook his complaint, at least in part, propriately and affirmed the FCC's de- in an effort to intimidate us and to cision. Interestingly, the greater space foreclose any further criticism of his ad- in the Court's opinion was devoted to a ministration of the city. If that was his discussion of whether the mayor had le- goal, he was doomed to fail. Throughout gal standing to bring the FCC's decision the process, we have continued to crit- before the Appeals Court. Less than two icize when we found him in error and to weeks later, the mayor petitioned the praise him when he earned it. We have Seventh Circuit for a rehearing of his also aired several editorials specifically appeal, with a suggestion that the re- inviting him to reply in the same air times hearing be before the full Court. in which we broadcast our editorials. On June 7, the panel which had de- What is most bothersome about this cided the case refused a rehearing, and case is that others like it may intimidate the Court reported none of the active broadcasters who are less experienced judges of the Seventh Circuit voted for in FCC regulation, who are less well a hearing by the full Court. prepared to withstand the financial cost, who are less civic -minded or who be- lieve less strongly in the obligation of hat may well be the end of it. In the licensees to participate in the debate over A spring city election of 1984, the City public issues. This case would not have Attorney who had agreed to represent happened if we had said precisely the Mayor Maier was defeated by a member same things in print as were said on the of the City Attorney's staff. The new City air. There is no Federal Newspaper Attorney has said he will not represent Commission, no newspaper Fairness the mayor any further in this matter. He Doctrine, no print Personal Attack Rule. says his decision has nothing to do with There are, to be sure, the individual pro- the merits of the case, but is based on tections of libel and slander law. Those the inappropriateness of a public law were not invoked in this matter. We sus- agency representing a public official on pect it was because there was no case a private matter. (We have been told, and because the mayor might have been incidentally, that Mayor Maier ap- open to a countersuit. There is no such proached private lawyers before filing right in the FCC process. his original complaint and was turned Congress and the FCC created the down for private representation because Fairness Doctrine in an effort to guar- he had "no case.") antee there would be discussion of con- Our legal fees have totaled $17,000. troversial issues on radio and television

40 and to ensure contrasting viewpoints on will see (as opposed to perceive) the bias those issues would be broadcast. Far too and will go elsewhere to find opinions frequently what happens in practice is with which they agree. Smaller audi- that stations ignore the most important ence: smaller profits. local issues-the ones over which pas- A story has circulated about the chief sions run high-and deal with the minor executive of a television station in one controversies in a minimal effort to meet of the larger markets. He is reported to the legal and regulatory requirements have wanted each station break call let- for relicensing. The Fairness Doctrine, ter identification to be followed, visually in fact, frequently stifles debate be- and aurally, with the tagline "... a con- cause some broadcasters fear regula- servative Republican station." His staff, tory trouble and costs. In short, the case aghast, pleaded with him to withdraw can strongly be made that there would the suggestion or order. They pointed out be more significant and robust debate that the station's service area is sub- on the air if the Doctrine did not exist. stantially Democratic and that, even I write here of television and radio sta- among local Republicans, conserva- tions which deal with ideas and news tives are a small minority. The staff ar- events. There is not much significant gued, successfully, that the station break programming about controversial is- could drive away immense segments of sues, including contrasting viewpoints, the station's audience. on movie channels, or on rock or smooth music radio stations; those audiences, it Finances and Fairness has been demonstrated, simply tune Some might claim the financial ar- away by choice when ideas are dis- gument for fairness in programming is cussed. My argument deals with sta- an argument for the airing of no opin- tions which have sought and earned ions. The claim ignores the well dem- audiences for news and public affairs onstrated fact that controversy is programs. It is on those stations that au- attractive to audiences. It is the bland diences expect, even demand, ideas and station which audiences ignore. discussion. The licensee who ignores public con- If there were no Fairness Doctrine and troversy and fairness, as differentiated no Personal Attack Rule, some argue, from the Fairness Doctrine, foolishly risks licensees could run roughshod over the the loss of audience and the loss of rev- public debates, ignoring opinions with enue. The economic marketplace of which they disagree and recklessly pro- broadcasting, thus, is the most effective moting their own special interests. If regulator. I believe the marketplace has commercial broadcasting were not com- had far greater influence in support of mercial, that claim might earn some fairness than any governmental rule, credibility. regulation or law. But, American broadcasting-except Fairness (the Doctrine), if the financial for the separately regulated publicly argument is sound, is far from the best supported stations-is commercial. Li- way to assure fairness (the practice). To censees' commercial successes are tied the contrary, the Doctrine has been used almost absolutely to the size of their au- in ways which produce less fairness, less diences. Larger audiences generate public debate. Consider what Fred larger advertising revenues. Smaller Friendly found about the Red Lion case. audiences produce smaller or no profits. Consider what WHAR learned about Therefore, it is not in the commercial in- what somebody else found to be contro- terest of any broadcaster to drive por- versial in the station's home town. Con- tions of the audience away. That is the sider the possibility that the mayor of risk of broadcasting only one point of Milwaukee wanted to suppress criti- view. Sooner or later, those in the au- cism. dience who hold differing points of view Consider, too, the intimidation of cost.

41 If Fairness Doctrine compliance costs government. They were campaign work- money, as it sometimes does for respon- ers, lawmakers and elected officials. The sible broadcasters, timid broadcasters American system of government is de- may simply avoid controversial issues. signed to protect the people from the When that happens, the cause of fair- government. The ways in which the ness suffers. Debate is replaced by ig- Fairness Doctrine and the Personal At- norance. Can we tolerate Fairness tack Rule have been manipulated by promoting ignorance? some have, at least partially, perverted What I am arguing with these sug- that protection. gestions is that the chilling effects of the The U.S. Supreme Court, in July of 1984, Fairness Doctrine play a greater part in declared unconstitutional a ban on ed- the decisions of some broadcasters to itorials by stations which receive fed- avoid the controversial than the require- eral funds-public stations. In a footnote, ment of the Fairness Doctrine that licen- Justice William Brennan wrote "(a)s we sees must carry programs about recognized in Red Lion, however, were controversial issues. Some prefer to duck it to be shown by the Commission that than to stand tall. the Fairness Doctrine 'has the effect of Finally, there is the Constitution: reducing, rather than enhancing' speech, "Congress shall make no law ..." In an we would then be forced to reconsider interview with Eric Sevareid of CBS in the constitutional basis of our decision 1972, Supreme Court Justice William O. in that case." If that footnote is an in- Douglas suggested a loose interpreta- vitation to the FCC to challenge the tion of "no" can be costly in money and Fairness Doctrine before the Court, the time. Douglas, who was noted for writ- Commission's RSVP should read "YES."3 ing opinions quickly and briefly, be- lieved the First Amendment required an absolute ban on all restrictions on free expression. He told Sevareid "(o)ther Ed Hinshaw is Manager of Public Affairs members of the Court over the years have for WTMJ, Inc., Milwaukee. He is respon- said that when the Constitution says sible for editorials, community affairs, Congress shall make no law abridging documentaries and special projects. Hin- it really shaw is past president of the National freedom of speech or press, Editorial Association, may make some laws Broadcast and a means Congress founding member of the Board of Trustees abridging freedom of speech and press. of the First Amendment Congress. Now, if you go off on that tangent, then it takes you a long time to make your decision. You have to do an awful lot of research. You work 18 hours a day, and write 58 -page opinions."

While the spirit and sense of fairness at the heart of American journalism, reg- ulated Fairness is, by its nature, harm- ful to our journalism. Only luck has prevented the damage from being se- vere. With the Fairness Doctrine in ef- fect, the risk continues. I find significance in the fact that those who have used the Fairness Doctrine in an effort to further their own points of view in the cases described here have been connected closely or directly with

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Do British viewers want to see more American programs? A New Zealand researcher sums up his study of UK prejudices and attitudes towards shows imported from the USA.

BY GEOFFREY "good." I had been brought up in a television LEALAND world, in New Zealand, where "public service" ideals of broadcasting (largely Three years of living and studying inherited from British models) domi- in the United States, from 1980 to nated television scheduling. My Amer- 1983, changed my attitude to ican experience shifted me away from things American in significant an unquestioning compliance with such ways. I departed for Ohio in the autumn aims, to a less guilty appreciation of the of 1980, taking with me as part of my entertainment strengths of television cultural baggage a distaste for Ameri- programming. I continued to balk against can television programmes. I disliked accepting some of the excesses of Amer- them in their own right and as repre- ican television, especially those contri- sentatives of imported culture that butions of the fringes of the mainstream seemed to be alien to New Zealand. I (such as daytime gameshows), but with left a country where there was wide- thirteen cable channels at my disposal spread criticism of American television I felt that I had been freed from the tyr- imports, for a part of America that was anny of the television scheduler. America writ small and where virtually This turnaround in my attitude led to the only television available was Amer- a desire to examine why American tele- ican in manufacture and in nature. vision was obviously a friend to the great It took a little time but before a year majority of Americans but a foe to many had passed I had reassessed and, in non -Americans. I began a study (which some cases, rejected my previous incli- grew into a doctoral dissertation) of the nations. On a personal level I had begun American contribution to New Zealand to enjoy much of what I saw on American television schedules. The results of this television, and on an intellectual level study, which included original question- I began to appreciate why it was so suc- naire material, largely confirmed my cessful. I even preferred to watch the contentions, especially the belief that commercial networks (especially NBC) American television imports tended to rather than the Public Broadcasting Sys- reinforce existing prejudices and atti- tem (PBS), even though the latter was tudes towards the United States, rather probably closer to my former tastes. than modifying or reversing them. Commercial television was lively and interesting and available all day and most of the night; the local PBS affiliate Hostile Attitudes had limited transmission hours and In the summer of 1983 I travelled on to seemed stodgy and self-consciously Britain, where I re -encountered hostile

47 attitudes to American television imports treated similarly. among newspaper critics, broadcasting trade unions, and broadcasting execu- tives. I arrived at a time when the catch - Strengths and Weaknesses phrase "wall-to-wall Dallas" was in wide Success and failure (in terms of au- circulation and rapidly became inter- dience following and appreciation) were ested in its implications, especially when found in the sample. Successes could be it was used as a call -to -arms to defend attributed to the universal appeal of some established systems against the en- programmes and their ability to repeat croachment of new media alternatives. effectively or renew dependable formu- I was curious as to why so many Amer- las; failure of programmes to attract au- ican imports were treated with scorn and diences could usually be attributed to derision when they seemed to be a valid their cultural inappropriateness or their and valuable contribution to the enter- inability to sustain flexibility. tainment mix of both the BBC and ITV. The strengths and weaknesses of most Such unacknowledged contradictions American television programmes lie in seemed to characterise much of the de- their ability to renew or extend their cen- bate about the impending cable inva- tral formulas; a relationship between in- sion. Most of the discussion was taking vention and convention that produces place over the heads of the viewers and entertaining television. If there is suf fi- in nearly every case the means of trans- cient imagination and variation within mission of the new media dominated any the set formula the audience is likely to discussion of the content of their sched- remain with a show throughout its sea- ules. Nowhere did there seem to be an son. The results in the study show that investigation as to whether the British this is a characteristic of British viewers, viewer would welcome a different diet as it is of Americans. of television programmes, except for a There also seems to be an "exhaustion general assumption that they would point" where an American programme welcome more "American trash." no longer maintains a strong appeal and This seemed to underestimate the dis- audience numbers begin to drop away. criminatory powers of the British viewer This is especially true of programmes and I felt compelled to initiate a study which are characterised by a rigid for- of their views by examining their treat- mat and a limited set of character be- ment of American imports in the past haviours, such as The Dukes of Hazard. and through some direct inquiry. Through The most popular American pro- the generosity of the IBA and the Broad- grammes are those that have no real do- casting Research Unit I was able to do mestic equivalents, especially those this. high -gloss productions like Dallas and Generally speaking my study con- Dynasty. The attractions of such pro- cluded that the British audience does grammes run as a counter -balance to view American imports selectively. Af- other American imports which have been ter dealing with the broader debate about rejected by the audience for their "for- the international flow of American tele- eignness" or "inferiority." In some cases vision programmes, the study focuses on different ways of life and different val- the British experience, including an ex- ues attract, in other cases they repel. amination of the rationale and operation of the quota system. Then follows an in- vestigation of the performance of a mixed General Satisfaction sample of American imports, utilising The results of the study support the measures of audience size and appre- contention that American television im- ciation to illustrate their diverse histo- ports have something new to offer the ries. Made -for -TV movies and mini-series British viewer, or something that cannot imported from the United States are be found in domestic productions. There

48 does not appear to be a large audience out there eager to see more American material on their screens. However, there is a fairly general satisfaction with the Gß present levels. As in other countries, im- ported offerings are most often passed QUOTE over in favour of locally produced ma- terial. In Britain, domestic productions UNQUOTE like Coronation Street and Crossroads dominate weekly, monthly, and annual lists of rated programmes with only two or three American imports appearing in top -ten lists. Given this evidence, the report con- cludes that the established patterns of Sitcoms and Trivia viewing behaviour in Britain are un- "Trivia is the most salient form of sit- likely to change much in the coming com appreciation, perhaps the richest years, despite the advent of cable tele- form of appreciation that any television vision. Cable channels offering recent series can stimulate. Though television films which are unavailable through is at the center of American culture-it conventional channels may draw some is the stage upon which our national viewers away but it is difficult to see re- drama/history is enacted-its texts are runs of Charlie's Angels doing the same. still not available on demand. The au- Rather than "wall-to-wall Dallas" re- diences must share reminiscences to placing the customary British television conjure up the ever -fleeting text .. . fare, "kerb -to -kerb Coronation Street" will Players try not so much to stump as to continue to prevail. overpower one another with increas- ingly minute, banal bits of information This article appeared originally in a recent that bring the emotional satisfaction of issue of Independent Broadcasting, the experience recovered through memory. publication of the IBA, The Independent The increased availability of reruns that Authority, in Britain. Broadcasting Great cable service is bringing about can only The research for the report described here form was conducted under the auspices of the serve to deepen and broaden this Broadcasting Research Unit with the as- of grass -roots appreciation." sistance of a special grant from the IBA. -David Marc, The Atlantic Monthly Copies of the report can be obtained from the IBA's Broadcasting Research Unit, 127 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H0EA. Dorking, by the way, is a town near Lon- don which is said to be more or less typical of England-sort of a British "Peoria".

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A new survey probes the nature of direct audience complaints and how various stations take care of them.

BY RALPH L. SMITH us have a stake in knowing about com- plaint procedures and their resolution. AND SURAJ KAPOOR Not long ago, we decided to query 150 station managers using an eleven -item nce upon a time in the land of questionnaire divided into three sec- show business, the manager tions dealing with the nature, disposi- of a neighborhood movie the- tion, and impact of station complaints. atre used to wait in the lobby One station was randomly selected from after0 a new film opened and be avail- each of the 50 large -market areas of the able for the comments and complaints country; one from each of the next 50 of his customers. But by the very nature markets (medium size); and 50 more sta- of the broadcasting business, which has tions from the remaining 109 small mar- ratings but no box offices and even in a kets. Although 78 of the 150 station small market serves many neighbor- managers replied (a satisfactory 52% rate hoods, the manager of a television sta- of return), 63 represented medium and tion stands far removed from his small -market stations. We can only customers, those multitudes of unseen speculate that small -market station viewers, and is not easily available for managers are not as frequently sought complaints. out by researchers and therefore re- The professional critics, of course, spond to questionnaires with a little more sound off about their dislikes, and the enthusiasm. Or it may be that paper- organized pressure groups widely pub- work of this sort is simply shunted aside licize their beefs, but what do ordinary by large -market stations. In any case, viewers do when they don't like what our description tends to reflect com- they see? Information about direct au- plaint activity at smaller stations. Per- dience feedback at local television sta- haps this is why the volume of complaints tions remains fairly private; it's an aspect received is modest. As one broadcaster of TV station activity that deserves ex- said, "Most complainers talk to other amination, particularly negative feed- people, not to the station." And another back. reminded us that "most people don't re- What kinds of complaints are received alize they can pick up their phone and from viewers? How are they handled? call locally. They think everything is Are they written or phoned? Are they ever based in New York." made in person? What are the effects on Well, let's see what the postman brings station programming? After all, in a during a typical September to May tele- broadcasting system supposedly based vision season. Interestingly, the large - on serving the public interest, when market stations report the same small members of the public complain, all of volume of letters of complaint per

53 season as do stations in the medium - less of market size. Each station trans- and small -size markets-anywhere from mits as much as twenty hours a day of none up to 100 letters. Over two-thirds programming to many thousands of tele- of all TV station managers reported that vision homes, and yet most of them re- this was the extent of the negative mail. ceive no more than one letter of complaint Two stations, one in a large market and every three or four days; nor does the one in a small, did admit to receiving as ease of phoning prompt many more many as 500 letters of complaint in a viewers to contact their station. A couple season. One wonders what they were up of complaint calls a day seem to be the to. Even so, it appears that written com- norm, and certainly no more than two plaints are not overwhelming. disgruntled viewers a month ever make Surprisingly, telephone calls follow a the effort to visit a station. similar pattern: almost two-thirds of all station managers report 0-200 calls dur- Knowing the Market ing a nine -month season. However, four Why such a comparatively complaint - large- and four medium -market stations f ree situation? The most popular re- mentioned receiving 601-800 complaint sponse from among the 68 persons who calls (only one small station received this chose to add notes to our survey form many), and one large -market and two rationalzed that virtue triumphs: that a medium -market stations had as high as good staff (17) and good programming 801-1000 calls in a season. Apparently, (15) were responsible for the apparent irate dialers live in the larger markets. viewer satisfaction. Others (8) claimed One respondent detected loneliness that the station's knowledge of the com- rather than serious irritation as the rea- munity was the reason. son for calling the station with a com- For example, one manager com- plaint. "Most that complain are retired/ mented, "We have been in the market elderly who have nothing better to do 30 years and feel we know the market during the day. A lot of time they just and keep on top of what our viewers want want to talk to someone." Understand- and don't want." A public television sta- ably, station visits by viewers with com- tion manager said, "The light quantity plaints are less frequent than by writers of viewer complaints is attributable to and callers. In fact ten stations, seven the nature of our programming, and our of them small -market stations, reported up -scale, better -educated and informed having no such visits. Most managers audience." actually had to confront viewers fewer Six station managers called particular than 20 times a season. attention to quality operations from their About the same frequency held true networks as being largely responsible for published complaints by television for satisfied viewers. And, one station critics. For example, eight stations, of manager in a burst of euphoria for this whom five were in small markets, re- happy state of affairs said of the audi- ported no published complaints. Sixty- ence, "They're on our side!" Only three nine stations reported negative press suggested that public apathy might be mentions up to ten times during a sea- a reason for seemingly satisfied custom- son. (But complaints about one large ers. market station appeared in print over 40 times during the course of a season.) Still, what of those who aren't on the Finally, if one discounts professional station's side? We asked managers critics' complaints, which have high to identify in general terms those who readership because of the popularity of complained and the frequency with TV columns, it is evident that stations which they complained. By far the larg- conduct their broadcast service with est number of complaints came from in- comparatively little articulate, negative dividuals. Two-thirds of the managers feedback from general viewers, regard- reported that between 80% and 90% of

54 the negative responses were from sep- arate persons. The remaining ten per- cent were group complaints, and those Sex and Violence groups were primarily local in nature. Sexual content was a slightly more Only one small -market station manager sensitive category. Only fifty stations responded that 80% of the complaints said that they had almost no complaints came from outside groups; eighteen sta- about sex. Interestingly, stations check- tions had never had such feedback. ing a higher percentage than 10 were So much for the sources of complaints. almost equally divided between large - Now, what do those who have the energy and small -markets (six and seven sta- to complain dislike about what they see? tions respectively). But more of the large - Well, it is quite evident that entertain- market stations (five, or 33.3%), as with ment programs were the chief offenders. the so-called obscenity category, re- Only three station managers mentioned ported no complaints about sex, while no complaints in that category, while 11 only one (5%) of the medium -size sta- stations pointed out that 40% of their tions had no complaints; nine (21.4%) of complaints were about entertainment. the small -market stations had no com- Another eight checked 30%, seven 50%, plaints. and six checked 90%. Although TV is often criticized for its There seems to be little discernible violence, in our study, however, fifty-four pattern between station market size and station managers reported almost no entertainment complaints, with one ex- complaints on that score. Once again, ception: twelve out of the nineteen sta- the large -market stations (six, or 40%) tions checking under 10% complaints reported no violence complaints, con- were small stations, and only one was trasted with four (19%) of the medium - a large station. market stations and ten (23.8%) of the Although news and public affairs might small -market stations. be expected to generate complaints be- In summary, it appears that there are cause of the controversial nature of some fewer complaints about obscenity and of the material, almost two-thirds of the violence in programming than about sex. station managers reported very few And it is certainly clear that complaints complaints in that category! As a matter about all three types of content are less of fact, twelve stations had received no bothersome to large -market station complaints about news and public af- managers than to managers of stations fairs. Complaints about editorials, sports, in the medium and small markets. and commercials were also few in num- An interesting sidelight: Although the ber as reported by almost all station concern over violence is generally di- managers. rected at entertainment programming, We then asked station managers to one medium -market station manager peruse fifteen possible reasons for pro- commented on negative viewer reaction gram complaints and check what per- to violence in the news. "Extremely vi- centage of audience feedback dealt with olent death, injury, and crime news is a particular complaint. Supposed ob- difficult to cover without offending scenity was the first category to be somebody. " charted. Although 60 of the 78 stations The two aspects of news and public indicated such material generated al- affairs programming which we assumed most no complaints, one small market might generate sizeable complaints are station listed 60% of its complaints as unfairness and inaccuracy. But on the stemming from that cause, and another whole they appear to be only a minor checked 90%. As might be expected, one problem at stations in every market size. half of the stations serving large, cos- For example, 67 of the stations reported mopolitan areas reported no "obscenity" that complaints about unfair content were complaints. almost nonexistent, and 68 reported a

55 similar low concern over inaccuracies. medium market stations. Thirteen man- Only two stations, one in a large market agers indicated that 20% of their com- and one in a small, listed 30% of their plaints concerned these irritants. Three complaints as a concern for fairness. large -market stations emphasized that Another possible source of complaints 30% of their complaints involved can- might be a station's inclusion of pro- celled shows. "Special programs such grams insensitive to women and minor- as Presidential appearances, space ity groups. However, this was not a matter shots, etc., which interrupt regular pro- of widespread concern, at least among gramming, especially soaps, bring an- the stations we surveyed. Thirty-six sta- gry phone complaints for about 10 tions (46.2%) listed no complaints in this minutes." And, of course, as one station category, and another thirty-five (44.9%) manager reminded us, "Heavy com- told us such concerns comprised under plaints always come with fall program 10% of all complaints. changes." Surprisingly, audience complacency The traditional industry defense that even extended to three common charges television must be giving viewers what against television commercials: too they want is reflected in the figures about many, too loud, in poor taste. Despite complaints about subject matter gaps, perceptions of general viewer irritation and other deficiencies in television pro- with commercials, an inspection of the gramming. Regardless of station size, three sub -categories revealed that on 95% of all stations reported that less than average about 80% of the stations had 10% of their complaints dealt with such almost no complaints at all. However, issues. Interestingly, large -market sta- three large -market stations said that 50% tion audiences seemed the most satis- of their complaints dealt with some as- fied, since 60% of those stations had no pect of commercial announcements. complaints at all by contrast with 36% What about audience reaction to sta- of the medium size stations and 39% of tion talent? Negative feedback about the small stations. specific, on -camera individuals was not One station manager characterized this a problem for 55 stations, while 22 men- evidence of majority audience sover- tioned that somewhat over 10% of the eignty with this assertion: "TV is the complaints were about on -air personnel. world's purest democracy, in that we ca- However, three small -market stations ter to the majority. What the public wants checked that anywhere from 50% to 70% is what is broadcast." of their complaints expressed viewer If this kind of managerial compla- dissatisfaction with particular broad- cency were typical, most complainers casters. One station manager said, "Most would probably receive short shrift. To of our complaints deal with on -air news assess the seriousness with which sta- personnel and their appearance." tion personnel take complaints, man- agers were asked to group the complaints on the basis of their validity and on the Changing Schedules Problem emotional intensity with which they were Direct viewer complaints about the voiced. Over half the station managers nature and quality of television pro- said that less than 10% of the complaints grams were significantly less frequent received could be classified as "crack- than viewer agitation over elements of pot" or "frivolous." But they also felt that program scheduling. Said one station 10% to 30% of the complaints, however manager, "The big complaint is about valid, were insignificant. Again, well schedule changes-the disruption of over half the managers reported that very routine viewing particularly of sports and few complaints were angry or denuncia- soaps." tory. In fact, half of them characterized Program preemptions and cancella- most of the complaints as polite and rea- tions were particularly bothersome at sonable. All in all, television station

56 complaint departments would appear to dropped a show during the three years. be operating with respect for the critical Nine medium stations (45% of their group) viewer. had dropped from one to six. Three small "Go right to the top" seems to be ap- stations (7% of their group) had made propriate advice for viewers who want from one to two such changes. It appears to complain, since the largest number of that stations in the medium markets are station managers (20, or 25.6%) indi- much more likely to take the drastic step cated that is exactly where 90% of the of cancelling a program if viewers com- complaints arrive. At fifteen stations, plain. department heads receive the bulk of Internal tinkering with a local pro- complaints, while ten stations have a gram was an even less popular station special office for handling complaints. response to complaints, as indicated by Producers, directors, talent and legal the fact that 60 stations had never at- departments receive very few of the tempted to change elements of a show. complaints. The largest group of those that had tried to make changes were small -market sta- tions, twelve of which reported having Results of Complaints made anywhere from two to ninety-nine No matter at whose desk the com- revisions within a program during three plaints arrived, seldom were they ig- seasons. nored. A written response was the most An interesting pattern is apparent in frequent method for handling com- the changing of program broadcast time plaints, particularly at large stations. On in response to criticism. Forty-eight the other hand, the few phone calls were (61.5%) of all the stations we surveyed apt to be made by persons in the me- had made no time changes, but eleven dium and small markets. As might be (16%) of the small -market stations had expected, almost half the stations re- made several such shifts over a three vealed that complaints never resulted in season period. The activity was even a face-to-face meeting, especially at greater at medium-size stations, with 14 large -market stations. Even if meetings (66%) of their group having made sched- materialized, they concerned less than ule changes. Only three (20%) of the large 10% of the total number of complaints market stations made any time shifts. received. Seldom were responses to Apparently, a stable schedule is more complaints made over the air: forty sta- characteristic of a large -market station. tions checked "never" and thirty-two checked "under 10%" of the time. Finally, very few complaints were re- "Wherehere was relatively little tampering ferred to networks, sponsors, and pro- on -air personnel; 70 (89.7%) of duction companies, although nine all stations listed none. One large sta- stations (six in small markets) made re- tion, however, admitted making 33 ferrals 20% of the time and seven (five changes of personnel in 3 seasons, one in small markets) 90% of the time. As one medium station made 10, and six small manager said, "99% of our complaints stations made ten each. are about network programs. We simply Commercial announcements which forward them." drew viewer complaints were dropped When the buck finally stops we might with somewhat less frequency than pro- ask, "What exactly do viewer com- grams. Three large -market stations did plaints to local TV stations achieve?" so only once, and one large station can- Respondents were asked to check the celled offending commercials fifteen number of times certain actions were times in three seasons. Four medium - taken over three seasons (1980-1983) di- size stations took similar action any- rectly as the result of complaints. Only where from two to five times. However, one large market station indicated it had again the chief center of activity was

57 among the small -market stations, where tionately more complaints about thirteen dropped offending commercials "obscenity," sex and violence in pro- from one to four times over the three sea- grams than broadcasters in the large sons. markets. As might be expected, complaints Also not unexpected was our finding rarely resulted in concrete program that viewers complained more about changes. The usual response: soothing cancellations and schedule shifts of fa- communications from station personnel vorite programs than about specific pro- intended to get critical viewers to un- gram content, production elements or on - derstand station procedures, program- the -air personalities. Audiences, after all, ming operations and attendant problems. select their programs from what is of- The large -market station managers, fered and ignore the rest, usually com- in particular, told us that viewer com- plaining only when their viewing routines plaints were apt to change program- are interfered with by a time shift, pre- ming very little. The medium- and small- emption, or cancellation. The overall market station managers were more in- tendency of television audiences to ac- clined to believe that program changes commodate themselves to what is avail- could be brought about by audience able also probably explains why station complaints. To a direct question about managers report few complaints about the effect of viewer complaints on pro- subject matter or types of programming gramming, no large station checked that are missing from the schedule. "much" or "very much" and one third of Certainly, the concept that local sta- them checked "very little." Five medium tions operate under the tension of con- stations, and five small stations checked stant direct negative feedback from their "much," and three small stations even audience is not borne out by this study. checked "very much," while only 13.6% Complaint offices are not busy, and fre- and 22% of these latter groups checked quent or frantic changes generated by "very little." As we have seen, program viewer dissatisfaction are not the norm; changes do occur more frequently at perhaps the networks are the main tar- small -market stations. gets of audience complaints, and a study of their complaints could be productive. On the whole, the local station seg- The major fact of TV life reflected in ment of the television industry, if not im- our survey is that, with few excep- mune to audience complaints, apparently tions, television stations-whatever the is not badgered by them. It may be that size of their markets-receive compar- the limited negative viewer input into atively infrequent complaints from station programming is effective simply viewers; these are generally handled as a reminder to broadcasters that, al- cleanly and with dispatch, primarily by though public acceptance is widely ac- correspondence; and that seems to end knowledged, it cannot be taken for the matter. Those changes that are made granted, that the service is a trust which in local programming usually are the re- exacts some responsibility from the sult of ratings; general managers may trustee. read complaining mail from the audi- ence, but what they study is Nielsen and Arbitron! If we may be permitted a complaint of Because the responses to this survey our own, addressed to station owners came primarily from the small -market and operators, it is that more of them stations, definite conclusions cannot be should schedule a regular "letters to the drawn about comparative viewer con- station" program. The letters column of cerns in each size market. However, it newspapers are among their best -read came as no surprise that small- and me- features; the same is true of magazines. dium -market stations reported propor- As our survey indicated, few stations re -

58 ply on the air to complaints. R EPL A Y It has been reported elsewhere that those few stations which do provide their viewers with a regular outlet for audi- ence response to programs-pro and con-have found them to be very pop- ular, especially when this feature is handled by the station manager or other key executive. Apparently, such pro- grams can be a valuable device for en- riching audience involvement with a station. A manager who puts on a reg- ular "letters" program may find to his surprise that he has an unexpected rat- Writing for the Star ings winner. "In the early days of television, cynics now say, people would watch anything Ralph L. Smith is a professor of commu- that moved. Sometimes that's all they got. nication at Illinois State University. His We did try to elevate the level of the hu- special interest is studying the relevance mor and make the sketches 'relevant'. of the press ombudsman idea for the But it was soon apparent that we were broadcast media. Suraj Kapoor, an asso- operating under the Big Time Rule: Man ciate professor of communication at the proposes, the Star disposes. same university, is currently involved in cross-cultural research on the use of Amer- "Mr. Television, who invented the hour ican mass media by foreign students in variety show and was a household word this country. long before Spiro Agnew, had a high sense of mission. That is, he knew every camera angle, every writers' angle, ev- ery upstaging trick and every sly device we were employing to lift the humor above the cretin level. He disliked sub- tlety. Also wit, whimsey and the off -beat joke. Topicality made him edgy. His ar- gument was that while he appreciated such jests they were far over the heads of the audience. As he put it, 'The peo- ples won't get it.' "If obliged to cast an eye back over the Golden Years, I'd prefer not to remember the jokes the writers proposed and the star disposed. ..In the three years we wrote for Mr. Television, our brains were not only picked but washed and hung out to dry." -Goodman Ace, Television Quarterly, Fall 1972.

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A critique of American television by the new head of BBC1 as he returns to London after three years in Hollywood. He's glad to come home. gems from this year's crop, or should it BY MICHAEL GRADE be crock? First, from a network devel- opment executive who offered this rea- The familiar voice on the tele- son for turning down an idea for a movie phone from Fleet Street was pol- of the week about a gripping untold ep- itely persistent. "Yeah, Mike, isode from the Great War: "We did World leaving aside the question of War One and it didn't work." Or how money, can I say you earned a million about this summary of CBS's program- dollars a year poolside in, er, LA? You ming strategy for the coming season from know, round figures sound good ... (si- one of their creative people? "Women are lence) ... and you'll be earning what in this year." They will be pleased. did you say at the the Beeb? (more si- My favourite line of the year is actual lence poolside) say, er, what about a dialogue from the NBC mini-series Lace, hundred grand? Come on, Mike, I don't based on the novel by Shirley Conran, want to get it wrong...." in which the young heroine is required On and on, thick and fast, figures and by the plot (and the writers) to utter in questions were bowled at me that day all seriousness: "Okay, which one of you in June when the BBC press office re- bitches is my mother?" leased the information that Grade was Some humor in Hollywood behind the joining the Corporation. It was the usual scenes is intentional. NBC finished last stimulating, knockabout fun. season way behind ABC and CBS for the There was one question that day, how- umpteenth time. At a press conference ever, that still haunts me. It was a ques- recently, Grant Tinker, the web's head tion I was unable to offer any answer to, honcho (as Variety would describe him), not even a platitude: "What did you learn was asked if he stood behind his pro- in America?" Simple, direct, but one I gram chief Brandon Tartikof f. "Yes," re- was not prepared for. I knew I would plied Tinker unhestitatingly, "as far have to find the answer, if only to justify behind as possible!" nearly three years of my life spent in the NBC may be languishing in third place, rich killing fields of US television. but neither CBS nor ABC has much to be When the telephone stopped ringing, proud of in terms of the quality of its I found some time to think before cross- output. It is generally as mindless and ing the pond to Television Centre and trival as usual, with too few exceptions. the challenges of BBC1. At first all I could New shows are derivative, predictable come up with were negative, cynical ("We have to have the hero in jeopardy thoughts as I recalled with a smug grin by the second act") and, what is worse, all the absurdities of life on the US net- controlled and driven by network exec- work beat. utives with immense power. I cannot, of course, resist quoting some The majority of them cannot compete

63 in an argument with a writer, director, being asked before he went in how much producer or actor since they lack both he responded to the concept of swans, the vocabulary and the perspective, so or if he would prefer ducks! they fall back on the mumbo -jumbo jar- My American mentor, Norman Lear, a gon of research, concept testing, TVQ producer-writer (a "hyphenate" in local (an allegedly outlawed formula for as - slang), has done more than almost any- one in the US to protect the right of the artist to speak to the audience. His style My American mentor was to create brilliant, provocative com- re- Norman Lear, a producer - edies using social concerns, politics, ligion and any current social issues as writer, has done more the fabric for plots. You always know a than almost anyone in the Lear show-it's always about some- US to protect the right of thing, it always has a point of view, a the artist to speak to the concern. Single-handed, he almost com- audience. pensated for the lack of documentaries and contemporary drama on television. His kind of television sitcom needs nur- sessing performers' acceptability to turing. Sadly, the networks are not in a viewers-a blacklist if you ask me), rat- nurturing mood. ings, demographics, and yet more re- In a recent Op -Ed piece in the New search. Make no mistake, the lives of York Times, Norman wrote about this America's creative television commu- "bottom line" mentality: "America is suf- nity are in these people's hands. fering," he wrote, "from an unhealthy The rewards for success are neverthe- emphasis on success as measured by The less gratifyingly obscene, the pressure Numbers. It insists upon evaluating the to comply irresistible, the competition for world through ratings and lists, matri- the favor of a network order fierce, and ces and polls, the bottom line, winners the result inevitably second-rate, bland and losers... . and too often insulting. That is why the "The name of the game for the net- mini-series is such a successful form. By works is: 'How do I win Tuesday night its scheduling over a few nights, by its at 8 o'clock?' When the only criterion for length, by its serial nature and by the airing the show is how it may rate against diversity of subjects chosen, it alone re- the competition in the short term, it isn't tains an ability to surprise viewers good for network business in the long numbed by the endless regurgitation of term. And so, despite the threat of au- formula television. dience erosion from the new technolo- Signs are that even this form is begin- ning to be dogged by research and glib rules of the network thumb: "It's gotta be America has taught me a best-selling book," or "It's gotta be that more channels can American history," or "It's gotta have a equal less choice. sweeping canvas!" Ralph Schoenstein, a very distin- guished American humorist, has de- gies, we see the networks scrambling- scribed US television as a world in which not to innovate, but to imitate, because the audience now speaks to the artist innovation requires risk -taking, and risk - instead of the other way round. He pro- taking is antithetical to winning in the jected a logical extension of research short term. mania (i.e., pre -determining audience "The average network programming taste before "creating") into other art executive is trapped. Imagine yourself forms. He imagined himself in the queue in this job: You walk into your office and for a performance of Swan Lake and a warm Xerox copy of last night's over -

64 night ratings is on your desk. You didn't win a single time period. Now your first appointment of the day is with tomor- row's Rod Serling or Paddy Chayevsky, GG who has a fresh, innovative idea. You are in no condition to hear a new idea. QUOTE What you must have, and quickly, is a new version of something that is work- UNQUOTE ing on one of the other networks. "TV must, of course, pay attention to business and prosper economically. But when it overlooks the human essence, UU that spirit that defies the market place and its economic calculus of motives, it Educational Renewal does so at its own peril." "Television has been a source of both I have seen what can happen in the fascination and concern since its intro- under -regulated free competing market duction, and the length of time children place of US broadcasting, where the voice spend viewing it has increased with ev- of the dramatist is never heard (and this ery decade. A growing body of research at a time when regional theatre is flour- has confirmed earlier speculation about ishing all over the country), where the the role of television in stimulating ag- raison d'être of a news program is not to gressive behavior and turning children offer news and insight, but just to win away from reading. While heavy tele- the time slot and where, even if you of- vision viewing may not be a serious fered them, say, Ben Kingsley in a film problem for children with a diverse and by Tom Stoppard and directed by Roland supportive out -of-school life, the great- Joffe, these three would have to be "ap- est overuse of television by children is proved" and the story concept tested. by children from the lowest -income America has taught me that more households. channels can equal less choice. "For them it may add yet another ele- But television is too valuable and too ment to the arsenal of disadvantages they important in our daily lives to be in the face. The converse, television's educa- hands of anyone but those committed to tional potential, which has been dem- putting programs and the people who onstrated so vividly in the Corporate - make them first. Only in this way is the initiated Sesame Street, remain largely audience served. unfulfilled. In the context of the nation's That is what I learned in America. I'm interest in educational renewal, this glad I went. I'm glad to be coming frontier should be explored with greater home. vigor than ever before." -David A. Hamburg, Annual Report, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Michael Grade, the new head of BBC1, spent three years in the United States as an executive of Embassy television. This article is adapted from an essay he wrote for the 1984 Edinburgh International Tele- vision Festival, and is used by permission of the organizers of that festival.

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A W\RNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY IT HAPPENED IN PORTLAND

Local talent dreamed about producing a television movie in their hometown. The zany saga of how they finally made it. Put Local Program on Air." Said the Jour- BY LARRY COLTON nal: "It was a very nervy thing to have done." As a friend of mine at KOIN-TV was definitely a rookie, without ex- told me when he read the article, "They're perience in the big leagues of tele- telling us!" vision-or for that matter, the "It's a major accomplishment that the minors-so when I first started tell- movie was even made," wrote The Or- ing people in my hometown of Portland, egonian television columnist. Artisti- Oregon, about my idea of producing a cally, the film didn't receive any press TV movie on our home grounds, natu- kudos. rally, they all told me I was nuts. As a More than a year has passed now since novice, I even dared to hope that one of Pillars of Portland aired. The reviews the local network affiliates would have already started to turn yellow, and preempt a couple of hours of prime time I've been working on new scripts. But the to show my movie. A guy can dream, good and bad memories remain. For a can't he? time, I felt like the rookie pitcher who But nine months later, after a lot of has led his team all the way to the World toil, tears and sweat by myself and as- Series, only to bomb out in the big game. sociated friends and colleagues, the You hang your head when you go to the dream did come true. On December 14, locker room, knowing none of the people 1983, a date that will live in my memory, in the stands made it as far as you did if not Portland's, KOIN-TV, the CBS af- ... but it hurts. filiate in Portland, preempted a network movie to broadcast Pillars of Portland, a local independently -produced movie, Here is what happened. During the using Portland actors, technicians and winter of 1983, I was approached financing. It was a movie by, for and about making "Pillars of Portland," a sa- about Portlanders. tirical newspaper column, into an in- I was the writer and co -producer of that dependently produced TV series. Using production, and I'll have to admit it wasn't fictional local characters, my column was a television smash, or a potential na- a satirical look at Portland life, sort of a tional Emmy winner. Maybe it wasn't Northwest version of California's The even My Mother The Car. But damn it, Serial, which began as a Marin County we were on the right track in terms of newspaper column and wound up as a tapping the potential of local program- motion picture. ming. Evelyn Hamilton, our producer, al- "It may have been a television first for though she had not much experience in a network affiliate," commented The Wall television production, believed there was Street Journal in a feature article head- a gold mine to be had in local dramatic lined "Station in Oregon Takes Risks To programming. I had no experience in

69 screenwriting or production, but my col- logger's chance in hell of getting a local umn did have an established following. station to buy our film. At the time, we Hamilton put up $12,000 to start us out, weren't thinking about getting an af f il- and found a director, Tom Chamberlin, iate to preempt prime time. If necessary, who also believed in the concept. He had over ten years of film experience, mostly in educational, documentary and indus- Did we want barter? .. . trial films. The three of us, like three "Barter", I asked. naive freshmen on our way to our first "What's that?" school dance, formed an independent production company, and started doing whatever it is that indies are supposed we would have been willing to settle for to do. Sunday morning, or the hours after the We weren't really sure what we were late -late show. trying to produce. A movie? A weekly When the tapes finally had been ed- series? A soap opera? A sitcom? We were ited down to about 40 minutes, I got an- betting that the dream and the talent other assignment: to take the rough would be enough. assembly tape around to the local sta- Business savvy was not one of our as- tions to see if anybody would buy, or sets; our naive strategy was simply to even nibble. sell a station on the potential, and let My experience in sales was the same them tell us what they wanted. as it was in screen-writing-zero. Nor- Chamberlin scouted the local thea- mally, I'm a jeans and sweater kind of tres, looking for the best actors in town. guy, but for the sales pitch I was advised The auditions were improvisational. to wear a more impressive outfit. I didn't Forty-five actors tried out for ten roles. have any three-piece Madison Avenue After a cast had been assembled, we suits, but I did manage to come up with tackled the next urgent problem-or at a blue corduroy jacket, a pair of grey least I did. At this point, there was no flannel slacks, a faded oxford button- script. down, and a ten -year -old rep tie. I spent a week at my typewriter, stay- The first station we went to was KOIN, ing up late into the night, night after the CBS affiliate. For 40 minutes the gen- night, cranking out approximately 25 eral manager, station manager and pro- scenes, unrelated vignettes, to serve as gram director sat stonefaced across the the basis for a kind of pilot. room, watching our tape. Nervously, I Next, with a rented Sony camera, we watched their reaction. went to work, shooting scenes on loca- "It's good," said one of them as soon tion, all over town; the idea was to pro- as the tape ended. "But it needs more vide a very Portland look to the sex." production. Scenes were shot at the li- "No problem," I assured them. "We can brary, a college, airport, unemployment add it." office, city hall. They liked what they had seen. Steve Production lasted eight days-and so Currie, the program director and a past did our $12,000. After the actors, crew president of the National Association of and equipment had been paid for, there Television Program Executives, appar- wasn't anything left either for further ently saw the same potential we did. "The filming or to complete editing. Rick Wise, directing, writing and camerawork are former major league baseball player who all good," he said. "And the acting is had become a friend when I had been a very good. We have the promise of pro ballplayer, came to our rescue and something unique and very good here." invested an additional $5000 to become He asked what kind of a deal we were a limited partner. looking for ... did we want to barter? Skeptics told us we didn't have a dirty "Barter?" I asked. "What's that?"

70 It didn't take Currie long to realize this bank. By Portland standards, this was wasn't MGM/UA he was dealing with. bigger than Ben Hur. He offered us $2,000 to make it into four I switched to my jeans and sweater half-hour episodes. He was toying with and went back to the typewriter. With the idea of bumping Hee Haw at 7 p.m. only six months left to produce a two- on Saturday evening. hour movie, there wasn't any time to I was encouraged, but I took the tape waste, especially because we didn't have to the other stations in town, hoping to a shooting script. For the next month, I stimulate some competitive bidding. The hammered away, pouring down coffee NBC affiliate said No Thanks, after seeing and pumping out new or revised scenes, five minutes of our tape. and more of them. The phone would fre- The ABC affiliate wouldn't even let us quently ring in the middle of the night- in the front door. At KPTV, an indepen- an anxious director eager to start the dent Chris Craft station, they offered us production. $10,000 to make it into two hour-long Only four weeks had been allocated shows. We tentatively passed on that for writing the full screenplay-another deal. major mistake. Less than 35 days after the signing of the contract with KOIN, filming began. The corrections were Negotiations were new turf to every - hardly dry on my first draft. The plot to one. By the end of a couple of weeks tie all those vignettes together was of tossing proposals back and forth, mostly missing. Portland executives were getting tired of Of course, if only we had known then my corduroy jacket and rep tie. Finally, what we know now .. . an agreement was reached with KOIN. Instead of bumping Hee Haw, they agreed to preempt two hours of prime re -production planning was bush- time. They wanted a movie! league. In the rush to shoot, bud- Instead of the $2,000 that they had geting and scheduling, location originally offered, the bidding had taken arrangements and other logistics were it up to $24,000 ($12,000 in advance, handled with a blithe "We'll deal with $12,000 on completion). They would also it when we get to it" attitude. The busi- provide production assistance and one ness side of our operation was strictly Ikegami camera and the sound equip- amateur, and KOIN voiced concern on ment, as well as post -production help in several occasions. For the most part, they editing and promotion. were remarkably patient and even sym- In return, they received rights of script pathetic. Since they were not the line approval, first refusal, exclusivity and producers, there wasn't much they could three showings. The contract also gave do but try to keep their hopes high. them sole rights to serve as our agent in From the very start of shooting, my own any attempt at syndication, with a 25% patience was severely tested. For in- cut of the net profit. stance, on the first morning, my phone Currie had no pretenses about Pillars rang. It was an actor. He had been given making an immediate one-shot windfall the wrong location-did I know where for KOIN. "We're not looking to make any he was supposed to be? When he finally money on the first effort," he said. "It's showed up, the camera broke down. The a high risk gamble. Any real payoff for whole day had to be scrapped. It turned this kind of a venture has to come in out to be one of our better days. syndication." Scheduling conflicts arose. An actor A December air date was tentatively might only be able to get off his/her reg- set, six months away. Currie took a deep ular job on Tuesday but that might be breath and crossed his fingers. The ac- the day the cameraman had to be in court. tors took a deep breath and ran to the Once, the crew showed up at a restau-

71 rant location, unloaded all the equip- Melissa Marsland, the publicist for the ment only to find out nobody had called project, we were able to raise $40,000 for to arrange it. Another scene at a high continued production. school had to be cancelled; somebody We persuaded our contributors that we would film one of the remaining short scenes either at their place of business, About halfway through or with their product prominently in view. production, our $12,000 We also allowed them a credit at the end ran out. of our movie. Getting the support of the business community meant that we could pay the actors again and buy tape, but it also forgot to get permission from the school meant scenes had to be changed. district. A lovers' tryst, originally supposed to Needless to say, anxiety ran high. The take place outdoors in a wooded park, up -front money from KOIN was going fast. was rewritten to take place in the Safe- way frozen food section. A business meeting scene was changed to take place The storyline involved about ten peo- around a swimming pool so several ple, all members of a therapy group. women in Jantzen bathing suits could Each character was intended to spoof a stroll by in the background. The scene local stereotype: the unemployed log- between the blackmailer and his rich ger, the high -rolling lumber baron, the victim, first written to take place in a restless housewife, the uptight busi- seedy bar, was switched to the posh nessman, the single mother. Originally, lounge of the Sheraton. A love scene in the decision was to introduce all of the front of a cozy fireplace was moved to a characters and their problems in the first noisy bakery with loaves of Franz bread movie; we figured this was just the pilot, chugging down the conveyor belt in the and the public would scream for more. background. Local celebrities were used as extras Because an airdate had been set and or in cameo roles. A city commissioner was rapidly approaching, we had to go sat in the background in a restaurant into post -production before we finished scene. A popular disc jockey had a walk- production. KOIN assigned an editor to on in a computer shop scene. The owner work fulltime on the project. They of a bakery and a bank president played squeezed us into the editing schedule themselves. whenever possible, and that usually Two days were spent filming on lo- meant late at nights and on weekends. cation at Rajneeshpuram, the controver- The director made the editing decisions, sial Oregon religious cult. The scene and the KOIN technician did the hands- involved the lumber baron, about to go on work. bankrupt because of the bad economy, The station launched a fullscale pro- trying to sell the guru a couple million motional campaign for the show two dollars worth of plywood; the deal fell weeks before the airdate. They put to- through. gether 12 promotional spots, running two About halfway through production our or three an hour. They printed a couple $12,000 ran out. It had all gone for wages thousand large, color posters and dis- for the actors and crew. My phone rang tributed them all over town, and ran full - again; there was no money left to even page ads in the TV sections of the news- buy video tape. papers. They booked actors on radio and Back came my "salesman's" corduroy TV talk shows. Publicity releases poured coat and old tie. I went to the Portland out daily. They even hosted a large party business community for support and they at a swank restaurant, inviting all the responded. In ten days, with the help of real pillars of the community to come

72 and mingle with the actors. If the show come out of Portland, Oregon, or Port- was going to flop, it wouldn't be from land, Maine ... or even Peoria. lack of promotion. The station's sales department ag- gressively sold the program. "The re- sponse was very positive," said Loren Freelance writer Larry Colton's credits in- Neuharth, the sales manager. "It was clude Sports Illustrated, Northwest Maga- very close to a sellout." The fee for a 30 - zine, and columns for The Oregonian and second spot was comparable ($1,600) to Willamette Week. He has also taught High what the station normally charges for a School and played professional baseball. spot in the network movie. He graduated from San Diego in the Pacific Our movie wasn't in the can until 24 Coast League to the Philadelphia Phillies for a brief stint as a pitcher, until sidelined hours before airing. When I sat down to by an injury. He still plays ball, but now watch the complete film for the first time it's strictly local softball. the night before broadcast, the fatal flaws jumped off the screen. It lacked a clear vision; there were too many characters. Unfortunately, the thin thread that tied the characters together-group ther- apy-had been completely cut.

Well, Pillars of Portland did get on the air, replacing a prime time net- work movie on the schedule. According to the ratings, our movie did pretty well, coming up with a respectable 23 share, outdrawing Facts of Life, Family Ties and St. Elsewhere on the NBC affiliate and running slightly behind a Fall Guy spe- cial on the ABC station. Financially for KOIN, according to Steve Currie, the station's program di- rector, "We did a little better than break even on our investment." I guess that's not bad for one local sta- tion's pioneering effort in dramatic pro- gramming. And, of course, there were many intangibles the station received in the form of goodwill, community re- sponse, and station prestige. Pillars also put some money into cir- culation in our town. The entire Pillars of Portland project from start to finish, not including the $50,000 or so KOIN pro- vided in overhead and equipment, cost $81,000, Most of that $81,000 went di- rectly to the actors and the crew. Ob- viously, by Hollywood standards, that's chicken feed. But it showed what is pos- sible. I'm still a dreamer. I like to hope that someday a regular network series will

73 TELEVISION

© 1985 MGM/UA Entertainment Co. All Rights Reserved. , . _

..;

TOKYO BROADCASTING SYSTEM INC. EeestA. TBS

THE ART OF TV DIRECTING: CALLING THE SHOTS AT THE SUPER BOWL

What was your fill-in job with SANDY GROSSMAN CBS Sports? INTERVIEWED BY GROSSMAN: A production assis- tant.... Right before the football sea- JACK KUNEY son was over, Frank Tarkanian, the director, needed an A.D. on a remote he One of the last great stands of true live was doing. In those days, Sports never television is on the football field. For the had its own associate directors, they director, as well as the crew, it calls for would always use program department skill of a high order and for a rare degree A.D.'s. I said, "Frank, I can do that!" He of coolness under pressure. It also takes said, "Do you have a Union card?" I said, remarkable planning and leadership. How "Sure, I do." He said, "OK, you're on." it's all done, in the booth and on the field, Well, it turned out that Frank and the is revealed in this exclusive interview for producer had an argument on the re- Television Quarterly, with Sandy Gross- mote, and the producer left before the man, who for many years has directed show was finished, so I wound up in- the NFL games for CBS Sports, as well as volved in post production. Frank didn't the biggest of the big games, the Super want to let me go until after the show Bowl. Here, he discusses the problems and had aired, and the show kept getting pleasures of his job with a fellow director, postponed. Soon it was almost summer, Jack Kuney. and I became a permanent part of the operation.

KUNEY: Sandy, you studied television And you began directing? at college? GROSSMAN: No, I didn't direct for a long GROSSMAN: I went to the University of time. It was '63 when I first came to Sports Alabama with the thought of being an and it was at least five years later that announcer. At that point, I started think- I began directing. ing about other things. After graduating and serving in the Army for two years, Do you remember your first I came to New York and got a job as a directing job? production assistant at WCBS-TV, where GROSSMAN: Well, they wanted to see I worked for several years. Then, CBS whether I could direct, so they gave me Sports needed somebody to fill in on col- the second period of a hockey game to lege football for six months so I switched do. At the end of the first period, the to the network and I've been there ever director just got up, and I sat down and since. called the shots for the second period. Unfortunately, when I came back to New © Copyright 1984 Jack Kuney York, nobody had seen it. Obviously, I

77 hadn't screwed up. So I started doing the Give me a breakdown of just what it pre -game show and then, the following takes to do an NFL game. How much year I got a chance to direct some foot- preparation is entailed? When do you ball. begin your work? When do you arrive at the site of the game? When does the crew You remember your first game? arrive? When does your talent show up? GROSSMAN: It was one of those times Your color guys? Your play-by-play? when you say to yourself, "I've been GROSSMAN: OK. Lets assume you're on talking about doing this all these years, a regular week -to -week basis, directing Can I really do it?" I was lucky; we had a normal game, not a Super Bowl. a great game. It was unbelievable. I re- member Frank Gifford was doing the tel- Do you do a game every week? ecast, the New York Giants vs. the GROSSMAN: Yes, I do. But let's back up Minnesota Vikings-an overtime, ter- a bit. Let's say that it's ten days before rific game. To this day, I wonder how I the game. I will have already checked was able to do it. Anyway, it worked out with my people here in New York and well and Gifford came back and told my gone over who my crew will be. On Mon- boss what a great job I did. That was day morning of game week, I'll talk to my first game, and I've been building on the producer and review what we're going it ever since. to be doing. Next, I go to work on the details. That's mostly a lot of phone work; Did you participate in sports I find out who was injured the week be- in college? fore, who's going to play and who's not GROSSMAN: I was always a sports fan, in shape, the condition of the field, and but not much more. To this day, I think so on. By Thursday it's time to finalize that's helped me more than anything; I whatever details remain incomplete. On still direct from the standpoint of the fan. Friday, we go out to the remote site- normally our trucks arrive the same day, You see things from the fan's and they will have already started their perspective? initial set-up: powering up, putting the with GROSSMAN: I think so. I could jam a lot cameras in position. We also meet of "X's and O's" down viewers' throats, the PR people. but they might not want to see that. I try On Saturday, we'd probably go to the to be selective about what I show. I tell home team practice, which is about people that I give them maybe 90 or 95 eleven o'clock in the morning. The vis- percent of what they want to see, and iting team doesn't get in until maybe four maybe five or ten percent of what they or five o'clock in the afternoon and rarely don't want to see. practices on the site. We will talk to the coach first, maybe get an assistant coach When you say "X's and O's" you mean to brief us. At the end of the practice, the technical side of the game? we'll go into a film session. GROSSMAN: Yes. ..being very com- Summerall and Madden and myself, will screen game films plex. . ."He did a zig-out...watch the plus the producer, trap, or the pull..." et cetera. By react- of both teams from the preceding Sun- ing as a fan, I can visually show some day to see what they did the week be- of those things, without getting so tech- fore. Madden will point out things he nical that you lose your audience. notices that might translate into "isola- tion" shots for the next day. Anyway, we Do you only direct football? look at film for a couple of hours. Then GROSSMAN: Football and basketball. we go back to the hotel and set up a Between the two sports, I'm tied up from meeting with the other team's coach. the middle of August, until almost the Somehow, we also manage to squeeze second week in June of the next year. in a production meeting. Finally, we all

78 go to dinner together, and over the meal It's the kind of excitement he brings to wrap up everything we're planning to the game: "Look at those guys, my God, do. they're biting, they're kicking, they're On Sunday, if it's a one o'clock game, punching, I love it." That's his kind of I'm on the remote site by 9 A.M. At that thing. He can also talk about the finer point, I'll probably have a camera meet- aspects of the game, but he excites the ing, spend about an hour with the cam- viewers when he gets carried away with eramen, go over what each camera will some of those replays-especially when be covering and what my isolation cam- guys are really bashing each other. The eras are going to be doing. Next I go up one replay he never wants to see is a in the booth, check the pictures and make receiver going down ten yards with no- sure there are no problems. I take spe- body on either side of him, who just turns cial care to make sure communications around and catches the ball. John says, with all the technicians and the produc- "I won't even talk over that. Next time I tion people check out. Then, we break see that kind of boring replay, all you'll for lunch. The talent will be there, and hear from me is heavy breathing." we fill them in. Next, we go over all the graphics-show everyone what we've Who's in the normal cast of characters prepared. Finally, we talk through the that covers a football game? on -camera opening, get ready with the GROSSMAN: We usually have two an- top of the show-maybe even pre -record nouncers. One does play-by-play, the it. other is an analyst. Play-by-play, in the case of Summerall and Madden, is Pat You obviously do a lot of homework. Summerall. Even though he's an ex - Have you ever gone into a situation player, and an ex -analyst, he does the where you had no preparation and had play-by-play from the snap of the ball to to wing it? the moment it's down. He's the reporter; GROSSMAN: Sure, but nobody else he describes what's happening on the would know it. There are certain simi- field. John Madden is the analyst and larities with all NFL teams, and you learn color man, he brings in all the other as- what those similarities are. You get to pects of the game: why a play worked, know the strengths and weaknesses of why it didn't work, all the color. But it's the players-also certain tendencies of the blend of these two, since Pat was the teams and players. For example, you also an analyst, that brings a lot of in- keep in mind certain key defensive play- formation to the telecast, and makes their ers that you're going to get some good coverage so good. replays on. And you go with it. What do you specifically look for with So your game plan changes with Summerall? Mainly following the de- each broadcast? tails of the game? GROSSMAN: With each game, and with GROSSMAN: Pretty much. Pat is on his each set of announcers. You try to work own, he knows what has to be done. What with the strengths of different announ- I will do is leave him sometimes on shot cers. I do the kind of replays that John I take. I will hit the key and say, "Hey, Madden likes, and when I work with a shot of Youngblood"... "A shot of Lan- somebody else, I can't give them John dry"... or whatever I'm going to take, Madden replays. I have to give them just so he'll know that this is the shot something else that helps them. that's coming up. Usually, that triggers some kind of response, something he's What kind of replays does got in his head he might want to talk John Madden like? about. GROSSMAN: Well, John loves the ones where the guys are grovelling in the pits. Do you have a basic rhythm,

79 a basic pattern for the game? one of the cameras along the sideline- GROSSMAN: Oh, sure, I have a pattern call them One, Two, Three-depending of who's following what, but I'll vary on where they are on the field, doing the where the camera cuts on different plays. play-by-play. I don't want it to get so that somebody I look at the field and I say, OK, Cam- sitting at home can just predict every era One, you're play-by-play. That im- cut. There used to be a theory in early mediately triggers off some other television, which they got from the mov- responses: Camera Two knows, because ies, that the cuts had to go from wide to I've already briefed him, that he gets the medium to tight. Well, that sort of for- far -side receiver, meaning the one on the mula shooting is all out the window now. far side of the field. And Camera Three Going from very wide to very tight can gets either the near side receiver or a be just as dramatic, and maybe have a defense isolation which I would call. If greater effect on what's going on than Camera Two is doing the play-by-play, those traditional three stages. Camera One shoots the far side re- ceiver, and Three takes the near side Dynamic cutting? receiver or defense. It changes with ev- GROSSMAN: Right. It's very exciting to ery situation on the field. cut from a wide stadium shot to a tight shot of somebody. To me, anything that So what you have essentially is a you can put up on that screen that in- three -camera show working the game. forms the viewer without driving him GROSSMAN: Right! And whenever I call crazy, works. on Camera One, the others fall in place. Each individual viewer will see it dif- ferently. Some say, "Hey, show me all Can you go back a step and just ex- twenty-two guys all the time." Well, that plain the nature of the equipment that doesn't work; showing them all once in you have supporting you in the booth? a while will work. You try to cater to How many video recorders, for example? It three, different segments of your audience. GROSSMAN: It varies. could be Some understand the game better than it could be four, it could be five. It could others. be more. The more available "iso" de- vices you have, the more sophisticated How many cameras do you have you can get with replays. in the stadium? GROSSMAN: In a regular game, any- Who makes the decisions to air those where from five to seven. replays? Is there an assistant director in charge? Do you give these cameramen shot lists GROSSMAN: An assistant director has of any kind? nothing to do with any of that. GROSSMAN: I give them isolation shot lists and also break down what I expect You make all of those decisions? from each of them. GROSSMAN: Most of them.

Can you be more specific? Isn't that like patting your head and time? GROSSMAN: Let's say it's a normal six - rubbing your stomach at the same camera game. You have a camera on the GROSSMAN: It isn't really, because what left 20 -yard line, the 50 -yard line, the right happens is that certain actions on the 20. In the high end zone there'll be a field trigger certain other responses. I fourth camera; a golf cart on the sideline will give my cameraman and my vid- will hold the fifth camera, and maybe a eotape operators a sheet that says what hand-held camera will be number six. we're going to do in certain routine sit- The hand-held cameras can work any- uations. Also what we do in goal -line where. My instructions might be for any situations, punting situations, kick-offs,

80 and goal -line stands. them to stay on those basic huddles; the The process triggers off responses in other cameramen can hunt. If they hear everybody. It's up to me to make sure the announcers talking about some- that they're all doing what they're sup- thing, they go get that shot. I don't want posed to be doing. Of course I will also to have to yell at them. do a lot of winging within that structure. I've had cameramen who, when I said I tell the crew before the game, this is "Get me the defensive huddle," wound just where I'm starting from. We'll jump up on the offensive huddle. I've had peo- off from there depending on what other ple on camera that just didn't know the things happen on the field. I like to throw game, and I've had to talk them through shots in that are just nice to look at. Not every shot. You have the good and the everything has to have a high meaning. bad, but you still have to make your game I think it's just a kind of fun way to look look right just the same-no matter who at the game. you've got out there.

1 was going to ask you that-if you do How much input do you have in de- any "beauty" shots? termining which cameramen are as- GROSSMAN: Sure. signed to you? GROSSMAN: When it comes to the play- Well, it all sounds terribly compli- offs, I handle my own crew, and I com- cated to me. Isn't this a great drain per- bine the East Coast and the West Coast. sonally on you? I suppose it helps when I do the same for the Super Bowl. You you and your crew are so experienced. just can't use people you don't know when GROSSMAN: Well, you don't always have you get into a situation where you're us- the same cameramen every week. There ing twenty-four cameras and maybe are periods when I have different people twelve "isofeeds" for replays. The guys every week. have to understand your system. You just can't break them in at the last minute. Do you do all your own spotting, or does someone else spot for you? Twenty-four cameras! That's amazing. GROSSMAN: No, I do all my own. GROSSMAN: All the cameras and VTR's have different functions. Maybe Camera Are you the only man in communica- Three in a normal game would have four tion with the cameras on the field? or five different functions; in the Super GROSSMAN: Yes, I am. Bowl, he'll have less. Each camera can be so much more exact-more specific Is there an A.D. with you in the booth? on what it's going to get. With the Super GROSSMAN: The Assistant Director does Bowl system, the same play you could most of his communicating with the stage only shoot one way before, when you managers and with the studio for com- had the normal complement of cameras, mercials. It gets too confusing with an- can now be shown with several different other voice in there besides mine. Mine kinds of isolation or angles. has to be the only voice when it comes to talking to the cameramen and the How much color do you try and get? announcers. GROSSMAN: Coming out of a commer- cial you may want to get that pretty sky- How much do you count on your cam- line, or some kind of dramatic shot and eramen to get shots for you? make a nice move to it. There's a lot of GROSSMAN: I tell my Number One, Two things you like to shoot, often depending and Three cameramen that from whistle on just how creative your cameramen are. to whistle, from the time play starts until You can talk them through just so many it stops, they must do exactly what I tell shots; you can't talk them through good them. Once the whistle is blown, I want taste all the time.

81 Are there any esthetic principles that could hear them talk to each other on you apply or is it just a question of eye- the field. It was an electric moment-it balling something? was terrific. I got permission from one GROSSMAN: You know, sometimes a of the teams to have an unmanned cam- camera will shoot between the legs of era in the locker room, so when John an official, to the kickoff team. Well, to Madden said that when he was in a locker me, that's interesting to look at, or it might room before a Super Bowl, he just couldn't be worthless. Nobody in the stands is wait to bust out of there, as he felt like watching from that aspect, but if I think the walls were closing in-at that mo- it is esthetically pleasing I go with it. It's ment, I cut to a shot in the locker room not something you want to do every time with the players sitting there, holding there's a kickoff, but once in a while it's their helmets, tensely awaiting the start a nice thing to throw in. You know .. . of the game. I mean, you could just see storm clouds coming over the stands, it happening! well, it's important, because it could be These are the things that you've got to a weather problem coming up, affecting take a chance with, if you want to con- the game. But it's also very pretty to look vey the total impact of the game. And at... A sunset in San Diego, in an eve- you can't just get it by pointing cameras. ning game, also beautiful to look at.. . You've got to really think it through, A full moon ... who knows why, but I You've got to feel what the emotions of think it adds something. the moment are.

I still remember vividly a shot of yours In other words, you have two game I once saw. I don't know what the game plans: one is a highly technical plan was, but a black defensive lineman, when which involves the actual coverage of his team was on offense, was kneeling the game, and the other involves that at the sideline leaning on his helmet, emotional charge you yourself get out and you had your hand-held camera take of the game, and want the audience a shot of the game over his shoulder. It to share. was a most effective picture, and when GROSSMAN: Correct ... I also like to the game was finished, I checked the have fun and share that with the viewers credits and saw your name. Do you at home. For example, I've been criti- usually have time to set up something cized because in a championship game like that? in San Francisco, I showed those whacky GROSSMAN: Well, thank you, but I don't fans who came to the stadium in cos- always have time to do that sort of thing. tumes and painted faces. It was part of A creative cameraman can feed you a the crowd, part of the electricity, so I cut shot like that once in a while. Not all to them. If a spectator in the stands is directors are looking for those kinds of free to look at anything he wants, in- shots, but I encourage them cluding the cheerleaders, including the I got knocked by one critic for Super nuts, I also want to give that aspect of Bowl XIV-which I happened to win an the game to the television viewers. That Emmy for. He said that some of my shots way, I think they really get a better feel looked more like a football movie than of what's going on out there. a football telecast. Well, I thought, what's wrong with that? But, Sandy, isn't it possible to overdo The Super Bowl I did in Detroit in '83, the light stuff? I mean is it necessary to even the player introductions were ex- shoot the pretty girls in the stands? Is it citing as hell. I got great tight closeups. necessary to shoot the Dallas Cowgirls? You could see the guys' faces, eyes, you GROSSMAN: Well, you have to under- could see the drama in it. Then you saw stand, in football, there's at least twenty the reactions to their teammates. I had seconds in between every play, and there the mike right on the camera, and you are lots of things that you can show:

82 coaches, huddles, players ... There's some people who'd like to change your plenty of room for everything. I guess face around." there are some people in the viewing audience who don't even want to see the That's a no -win situation. crowd. But I think that it takes a little bit GROSSMAN: I do talk to the cameras of everything to make a whole telecast, about the kind of crowd that they get. and I think the pretty girls are very im- There are certain people constantly trying portant to that total picture. to mug the camera. You see them in ev- There's a small segment of the audi- ery arena. You'll see the guy with the ence that says, " I love when you show multicolored hair, the guy with the ob- those Dallas cheerleaders." It's impor- scene T-shirt-the kooks. There's one tant to them; it makes their Sunday after- woman who sends me pictures and let- noon more enjoyable. By the same token, ters and shows up at every game. She one of the exciting shots in the Detroit could be a sporting event all by herself. Super Bowl was a woman who must have She calls herself "Miss Body Beautiful," been eighty years old, wearing a San and I avoid her like the plague; I won't Francisco 49'ers sweatshirt, holding up put her on camera. one of those souvenir fingers saying "number one". And she was a real fan- You talked about the rhythm of the not a crazy. game. Do you have time in the middle Or take the NBA Championship last of a game, as chaotic as it may be, to year, when I had pandemonium on the relax as the game develops? floor-people standing up, screaming, GROSSMAN: I rarely find time to relax. yelling, carrying on. I dissolved to a lit- When I'm on one shot, I'm working on tle kid sleeping. You know, it kind of put the next one. I'm talking as much as the everything into perspective. Things like announcers are during the game, con- that are going on all the time at most stantly readying shots and talking cam- sporting events, and if you're sitting at eramen into shots and going with what's home, you want to see them. happening on the field. I don't really want to relax. You want to keep that certain high that you go into a game with. You said that you got some hate mail on the Dallas Cowgirls? I hadn't been to a Giants game in about GROSSMAN: A guy wrote to me, and it eight years, and my son got me a couple was obvious that he was a religious fa- of tickets last year, and I was surprised natic. At the time there was a big exposé at the game-things that should have on about how some of the girls from one been obvious to me. I've worked in tele- of the other teams had posed for Play- vision all my life, and it never occurred boy. And he wrote, how dare you show to me that there would be a pause on the them; they're nothing but whores and field when the Stage Manager's cueing sluts, ... And he went on and on. a commercial. I rarely answer that kind of mail, but GROSSMAN: Sure, I've sat in the stand this time I did. I wrote "I have two myself and I've said, "Damn those tele- daughters, and I would never put some- vision guys!" thing on the air that I would not allow my own children to watch. In fact, they Has television changed the can't wait to see the Dallas cheerlead- game much? ers. They think they're beautiful, and they GROSSMAN: I don't think so. They might love watching them. I appreciate your have put more commercials in over the letter, but I really don't think it's indic- years; but look, we're paying for the ative of a lot of people's feelings." Well, rights. If the NFL were to say, we'll cut I got a letter back: "I don't care about those rights in half, you cut back on the you or your snotty daughters, and I have commercials, we could do it. But they're

83 not going to do it, so we can't do it. It's mys. There are lots of events like that, the price you pay for watching the game that seem to be just geared for a sports at home, free. director. I've also got a good feel for mu- sic, and I'd like to do some directing in But all I'm suggesting is that there the music field. But I like what I'm doing might be subtle changes going on in the now. You have to ask yourself: Do I want game that come as a direct result of tele- to go from the top of one field to the mid- vision, and in basketball too. I mean the dle or the bottom of another? It's a major "grandstanding," for example, that takes step and I'm not sure if I want to take place. The little dances in the end zone- that chance. you never saw anyone spiking a football in the end zone ten years ago. GROSSMAN: You're right, to some ex- tent. It's the younger players. The kind Jack Kuney, a veteran television director of kids that are playing now are differ- and producer, is an Associate Professor in Col- ent. I mean we used to have guys before the radio/TV department at Brooklyn this who were the good old farm boys. lege, and a frequent contributor to TVQ. one of ten he has done The now are all show biz. They're This interview is guys with outstanding directors, each a spe- just a different breed. In general, they're cialist in a different field of programming. more outgoing. In the old days, you had athletes that couldn't even talk. Now, all of them get through college. They're all talking; they're all doing things better. And not just in public appearances-the calibre of the athletes has improved ev- ery year. They're running faster, and jumping higher. The linemen are run- ning as fast as the backs used to run.

Where is all of this going? Will CBS Sports coverage change in the future? Will television sports change? GROSSMAN: There's no way I can an- swer that. Who knows what tomorrow's going to bring? Just like nobody, twenty years ago, could foresee what the in- stant replay would do to television sports. Look at the lenses we're using now. With low light, they get more close-ups and tighter close-ups every year. Equip- ment is getting smaller, and the lenses more powerful. We're getting places that we couldn't get before. And there are tremendous technical advances still going on.

One last question. You're at the top of your field right now. Do you want to stay in sports, or are there other things you'd like to be doing in the next three or four years? GROSSMAN: Well, I'd like to do a Miss America Pageant, the Oscars, the Em-

84 Fine Tuning.

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WORTV WHem KHJ-TV Secaucus, NJ M p isBCTV Los Angeles Thirty years ago, network news was an idea whose coverage of major events than CBS, NBC and time had come. But today, the world moves too ABC put together. fast to wait for an evening report. Watch Cable News Network. And leave the The issues are too complicated for superfi- past behind. cial simmaries. And most of us are just too busy to plan our lives around the networks' rigid schedules. That's why CNN gives you the news when- ever you need it, 24 hours a day, With programs you can sink your teeth into. On topics from sports Anything else to politics, money to medicine. And more live is old news. .;o Vyl91'1 9831. Turner Brnmicasting Syslem.Jnc REVIEW AND COMMENT

half an hour after I had been moved into CLOSE ENCOUNTERS/MIKE the smallest of three dormitories in the WALLACE'S OWN STORY women's section of the jail, WNEW-TV's by Mike Wallace and Gary Paul Mike Wallace suddenly appeared on the Gates scene. "How'd you get in, Mike?" I asked, New York: William Morrow & Co., to $17.95 genuinely surprised see him. He wouldn't say. Instead, his shrewd eyes surveyed the room for signs of special BY MARIE TORRE privilege which he felt might have been extended to me (and wouldn't that make IIDo you know," said the unexpect- a juicy addenda to my jail story!). It was edly cheerful matron who ac- a cold January day, and the old radiator companied me to jail, "there are more in the room emitted not only noisy heat reporters and photographers for you here but also the asphyxiating smell of fresh today than there were for Frank Cos- paint. tello?" "Did they paint the place just for you?" A dubious compliment, I thought, but Mike asked suspiciously, on the trail of probably true. It was the first time that an exposé. I did not know whether the an American reporter was to serve time paint had been applied in anticipation for refusing to reveal a news source. The of my visit, but I would have preferred networks, local television stations, no paint. The smell was foul, and there newspapers and news services were all was no place else to go. Mike continued represented as I was taken from Man- his probe. To no avail. There was really hattan's Federal Court House to Jersey nothing to uncover-but that happens City's Hudson County Jail to begin a 10 - sometimes in our news pursuits. day sentence for refusing to name the Nevertheless, even though the reality CBS executive who had given me the of jail preoccupied me, I was impressed information for a New York Herald Tri- by the fact the Mike Wallace, then a rel- bune column I had written about what ative newcomer to TV news, was the only was to be Judy Garland's first CBS tele- reporter in the crowd to see me in what vision special. was to be my home for the next ten days. Some of the reporters tried to get into In the intervening years, through the the jail as I went in, but all were denied same kind of persistence, diligence and entrance. All but one, it turned out. About enterprise, Wallace has continued to be "the only reporter in the crowd" for many Marie Torre went from newspapers to tele- a story-and successfully. Now, his sta- vision and has been a TV reporter, pro- tus as the nation's premier television ducer and anchor. correspondent is so entrenched that when

89 he turned 65, CBS did something it didn't to deal with, not to mention the embar- do even for Walter Cronkite: it made an rassment of self -praise. And there's a lot exception to its policy on retirement so of that here, although only in Gates' that Wallace could remain as the senior chapters. When not quoting endorse- correspondent on 60 Minutes. ments for Wallace from colleagues Thus, a book of Mike Wallace's mem- ("We've all learned from Mike, no ques- oirs is something to anticipate, if only tion of that," says Dan Rather), some of for the behind -the -scenes view of his the Gates' chapters make Wallace sound many assignments in the Middle East, as if he were the Superman of journal- his interviews with the famous and in- ism. This, for example, about 60 Min- famous, and his early adventures in utes: television controversy with the pioneer- ing Night Beat program, where he de- With Wallace and his team of pro- veloped the tone and style that were to ducers leading the way the program become his trademarks. evolved into a television descen- Wallace doesn't disappoint us with his dant of the muckrakers, that vigor- anecdotal accounts of those past events ous breed of reformers who brought and insights into what happened at the a rare combination of courage, dil- interviews, offering the reader what igence and moral passion to the craft might be called informal history. He lets of journalism back in the early us in on the unforeseen incidents that 1900's. . .their (the Wallace team's) were part of his interviews with world vigilance and probing served the best leaders like the Ayatollah Khomeini, interests of the commonweal. Menachim Begin, Anwar Sadat, the Shah of Iran, and here at home, top people in Probably Wallace would not have been politics and the arts, from U.S. presi- able to say such a thing about himself dents to Vladimir Horowitz and Johnny without causing the reader to experi- Carson. ence some distaste. But he obviously be- Wallace reveals the idiosyncracies of lieves it, or he wouldn't have approved the famous and infamous and the prob- of Gates writing it, along with a few other lems they presented before, during and matters for which Wallace obviously after the interviews with them. He also preferred to play ostrich. supplies salient excerpts of actual dia- As a result, the Gates chapters are not logue from the interviews, which helps as interesting as Wallace's. The book increase our understanding of his sub- comes alive when written in the first per- jects. son; it bogs down in the third -person chapters-more because of the subject matter than Gates' writing ability. With Still, with all its intriguing bits and a notable exception: there is intriguing pieces, Close Encounters could have candor in Gates' writing about relation- been a better book. The main problem ships between Wallace and his col- is that Wallace tells us only half the story; leagues and superiors at CBS News. No the other half is written by Gary Paul punches are pulled, for example, in ac- Gates: each writes alternating chapters, counts of open hostility between Wal- so that the narrative changes between lace and Morley Safer. Wallace is said first and third person throughout the to have favored Safer as Harry Reason - book. It's a distracting device for the er's replacement when the latter moved reader, who with every chapter uncon- to ABC early in the seventies. sciously feels a need to shift gears. "But as time went on and it became Why did Wallace choose to write his more and more evident that Wallace was re- story this way? I can only guess that the perceived as the star of 60 Minutes," format provided him with an easy way ports Gates, "an element of strain began out of issues and subjects he did not want to infect their relationship. Many years

90 later, in 1981, Wallace asked Safer to But then Gates devotes much space to drop plans to do a story on Haiti because Wallace's opinions on a number of fronts. it might prove embarrassing to his wife's Vietnam, for example: "He had come to family, who live there and have real es- Vietnam as a hawk."... "By 1967, he had tate holdings there." come to regard Vietnam as a tragic waste As a result, the friction between them of lives and resources." The Middle East: became aggravated and "the two cor- "He was staunchly pro -Israel." Richard respondents would go several months M. Nixon: "They did regard me-quite without speaking to each other-except accurately-as one of the few reporters in the line of duty." Eventually, they be- who did not carry a grudge against Nixon came friends. and who was, if fact, generally sympa- There is an equally blunt account of thetic to him." Wallace's reaction to former CBS News Strangely enough, Wallace exhibits president Van Gordon Sauter when he pride over the fact that he had "never announced an in-house investigation of succumbed to the Kennedy mystique" and charges against The Uncounted Enemy: yet he makes no attempt to hide the fact A Vietnam Deception in the Gen. Wil- that he was, in his own words, an "apol- liam C. Westmoreland case, after a TV ogist" for Nixon. During Nixon's 1968 Guide article charged irregularities in presidential campaign, he even went so the CBS Reports documentary, for which far as to arrange for the candidate to Wallace was the narrator. make a speech at a small CBS News "Conspicuous by its absence was a luncheon. Wallace evidently wanted statement of support for the documen- some of his skeptical colleagues, among tary," writes Gates, adding that by them Eric Sevareid, Roger Mudd and Dan "making a big deal in public about the Rather, to see "the new Nixon" in person internal investigation he ordered, Sau- and judge for themselves. Journalistic ter transformed a minor irritation-the objectivity? TV Guide article-into a major cause célebre, which, in turn, helped provoke the acrimonious libel suit that fol- All this is pointed out not in criticism lowed." but to focus on the improbability of Through Gates, Wallace presents reporting that is totally free of bias. Until spirited and convincing arguments news jobs are given to unfeeling robots, against the Westmoreland charges, fac- there really can be no such thing. For, ing the criticisms head on and, in a cou- as humans, we nurture certain built-in ple of instances, admitting regrets about attitudes and prejudices about people, production decisions made for the doc- places and philosophies, and these do umentary. Otherwise, Wallace stands have a way of influencing news reports fully behind the Vietnam program.' in print and in TV. Our biases also be- Letting Gates handle internal prob- come apparent in the placement of sto- lems at CBS gives Wallace an out of sorts. ries, how much time or space is allotted Wallace is not as meticulous, however, to them, how we tell the stories and the on the subject of reportorial objectivity. parts we leave out. One reads in the Wallace chapters such So when Mike Wallace proclaims his allegiances to impartiality as "I was a objectivity, he is saying something all reporter, nothing more" and "None of this journalists profess to have, but never has anything at all to do with my profes- really achieve in its purest form-and sional responsibility." not because of any plan or conspiracy but because of limitations, some of which are inherent in the media, others which ' The CBS/Westmoreland case was still in are forced upon us. But I do find myself court at the time this magazine went to agreeing with Wallace in his explana- press. tion as to why TV news often must

91 approach its material in its own way: called the newspaper game. He's a prod- uct of the electronic media, and all those There's no denying that we go after early years of knocking around radio and the most articulate, the most per- TV, the minor leagues to majors, have suasive, the most villainous and the developed special skills that make him most heroic figures we can find to uniquely a television reporter. people our stories. For we have It's curious: a newspaperman who learned, through trial and error over starts out as a gofer (they used to call the years, that the most effective way them copyboys) somehow is still consid- had to deal with complex subjects-like ered-by newspapermen-to have chemical warfare, the insanity plea, a glamorous and useful background. Be- new economic theories or the ques- cause the youthful Wallace began as an tion of safety in nuclear power announcer, quizmaster, and jack -of -all - plants-is to place them in the con- broadcasting -trades, some critics have text of graphic and compelling sto- put him down. The prejudices of oldline ries, stories told engrossingly by the newspaper guys and journalism profs die participants, the people who have hard. first-hand knowledge of the tale we're Until recently, TV reporters and edi- telling. If that's showbiz, then so tors usually were expected to have had be it." newspaper training. (Anchor people .. . well, that's another story.) Now TV has The unprecedented success of 60 Min- demonstrated that it can grow its own, utes is the most convincing argument for and a young generation of talented TV Wallace's position. More than any other news men and women finally is coming news magazine show in TV history, 60 into its own. As kids, they grew up with Minutes has consistently delivered fea- the medium, and they are at home with tures that are purebred products of elec- it; the best of them, few as they still may tronic journalism. It has been the only be, are beginning to develop journalism program of its kind to rid itself of tra- that is focused not only on skill with ditions and conventions imposed by the words, but with sight and sound. print media. Television cannot-and should not-attempt to cover a story the way The New York Times does; it's not Iwish Mike had given us more about The New York Times. Television news the old days when he was learning needs a style of its own, and 60 Minutes his craft in Chicago and later New York, has done more than others to build an when two scrappy independent Man- identity. hattan stations, WNEW-TV and WNTA- Although sometimes, in its zeal 60 TV, built exciting local news programs Minutes has relied on controversial pro- around Wallace that, for their time, were cedures, such as the ambush or confron- far ahead of the stodgy local news shows tation journalism, engrossing television of the network affiliates. More remem does result from confronting an unsus- brance of things past in TV's neglected pecting miscreant with evidence of his early history would give his book some illegal activities. And Mike Wallace did needed lightness. Perhaps it could have this better than anyone else. But public softened the tough Mike Wallace image. opinion has discouraged further resort- But obviously that's not what he wants. ing to the practice of ambush interviews, Asked what he would like to choose he and I'm glad. There is something in- for an epitaph, Wallace once said nately cruel about it. could think of no finer tribute for the kind In perspective, Mike Wallace stands of work he's tried to do than to have it out as television's own, and his achieve- said about him: "Tough-but fair." ments demonstrate that it's not neces- sary to have started in what used to be

92 The book is divided into three major BLACKS AND WHITE TV: sections. The first entitled 'The Promise AFRO-AMERICANS IN Denied", covers the period from the in- troduction of television in the late 1940's TELEVISION SINCE 1948 through the late 1950's, a time when many by J. Fred MacDonald black performers appeared on television Nelson -Hall, Chicago because it had such a voracious appetite $11.95 paperback, $23.95 hardcover for talent. There were hopes that Amer- icans would develop color -blindness as a result. BY MARY ANN WATSON The popular variety shove format like Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town was an More than two decades after televi- important outlet for black (entertainers. sion journalism forced the civil The liberal spirit of post-war America rights movement on to our national contributed to a greater acceptance of agenda, many black Americans claim black musicians, dancers, and singers the television industry has turned its back across the country. Dramat: c portrayals on minority progress. While the visibil- of blacks, however, continued to spring ity of black characters has improved, im- from a tradition of prejudice. age continues to be troublesome. Content Mammies and butlers were already analysis of prime time television indi- familiar figures in other forms of popular cates that even the 1980's blacks are most entertainment, from which television likely to appear on TV in roles subser- borrowed heavily. The Negro domestic vient to white characters. became a key character in the situation Programming which attempts to re- comedy genre. MacDonald offers de- flect honestly the richness and unique- tailed descriptions of the programs he ness of the black experience in America cites as examples, such as the classic is virtually non-existent. It is surely a maid show Beulah. The inc. usion of ac- crisis situation for black performers and tual dialogue and photographs helps the scriptwriters. But the misfortune is one reader better understand the true nature we all share. The absence of positive of these programs. role models, black men and women who MacDonald's assessment of the succeed in the world because of their Amos'n'Andy controversy takes an inter- own intelligence and resourcefulness, esting turn. He summarizes the NAACP hurts just as deeply as the presence of objections, yet he points ou the show's age-old stereotypes. redeeming features. Many Episodes in- Why has the television industry ig- volved family loyalty, and characters of- nored its potential to promote racial un- ten expressed genuine affect ion for each derstanding through the power of other. In the annual Christm xs show, for entertainment? It's a long, sad story, and example, Andy works as a department J. Fred MacDonald tells it well in Blacks store Santa to earn the money to buy his and White TV: Afro-Americans in Tele- goddaughter a beautiful black doll. Such vision since 1948. display of emotion, MacDonald writes, Since television history is rarely writ- "was never part of the minstrel show tra- ten by historians, this book is special. dition". MacDonald, a professor of history, ex- The dozens of live studio dramas pro- amines the relationship of the race and duced by the networks each rzonth in the the medium in a political as well as a mid -1950's could have been the most nat- social context. ural and effective vehicle for stories based on minority themes. It was in Mary Ann Watson is on the faculty of the drama, however, that the pressure not Department of Communication at the Uni- to offend Southern sensibilities was most versity of Michigan. keenly felt. MacDonald reviews the

93 disgraceful ways in which the networks Black portrayals, of course, were not accommodated the sponsors' fears of flawless during the "Golden Age". White consumer boycotts. One black actor was writers created middle class blacks, such told by an advertising executive repre- as the title character in the controversial senting Pillsbury, for example, that the series Julia. MacDonald offers insightful company would be hurt if its product be- criticism of these series. He also relates came known as "nigger flour". the themes of several shows to the grow- The second section of Blacks and White ing fear of black militancy in American TV covers the period from the late 1950's culture. through 1970-an era of tremendous However imperfect the attempts to en- change in racial attitudes. As program courage social reform were in the late production costs escalated and the 1960's, television held the best promise structure of television sponsorship for success. But, according to Mac- changed, advertisers wielded less power Donald, Nixon's election to the presi- over program content. The medium was dency in 1968 began to reverse the trend. slowly beginning to challenge, rather An anti -black backlash gained validity than contribute, to Southern traditions. in the phrase "The Silent Majority". In the early 1960's the growing eco- The book's final chapter, "The Age of nomic power of black consumers cou- the New Minstrelsy, 1970-Present," is pled with the Kennedy administration's provocative and depressing. Spiro Ag- demands for an end to the "vast waste- new's infamous attack on the mass me- land", created the right climate for dra- dia had an intimidating effect on matic series to incorporate stores built entertainment television as well as TV around black issues. MacDonald notes news. Social drama lost its appeal to the 1963-64 season stands out in this re- program producers. Comedy dominated gard. Ben Casey, The Defenders, and Mr. prime time. Novak were among the many series to Flip Wilson found enormous success include at least one racial story. And the with self -depreciating humor and a rep- epitome of this period's socially relevant ertoire of characters based on demean- series was East Side/West Side starring ing stereotypes, and MacDonald writes George C. Scott and Cicely Tyson. about this development with respect for MacDonald, whose research was clearly Wilson's talents, but sadness over the extensive, provides episode titles, guest way he chose to use them. For some, it performers and a brief plot synopsis for became "a mark of fashionable out- each illustrative show. spokeness" to deliver bigoted slurs. By the second half of the 1960's, en- "Wilson reached back to an earlier time," tertainment television was regularly re- the author says, "and reviewed many of flecting the cultural changes brought the pejorative cliches associated with a about by the civil rights movement. No less sensitive time in American history". longer limited to guest appearances or With All in the Family Norman Lear servant roles, black performers were lead and Bud Yorkin created a comedic for- players in dozens of prime time series. mula in the early 1970's that generated I Spy, co-starring Bill Cosby and Robert more employment and exposure for black Culp, premiered in 1965 and began what performers. But The Jeffersons, Sanford MacDonald calls the "Golden Age" for and Son, and Good Times, in Mac - blacks in American television. But it was Donald's view, did not represent true not to be long lived. progress. "Here was the coon charac- The five year period from 1965 through ter," he contends, "that rascalish, loud, 1970 was a traumatic time in American pushy and conniving stereotype." history. MacDonald is at his best eval- Many hoped the Roots phenomenon of uating the medium's performance dur- 1977 would signal a change in direction ing this era. He is as analytical as he is for blacks on television. The impressive descriptive. mini-series was not a catalyst for a new

94 "Golden Age", however. It was an ex- ception, whose success likely stemmed ELECTRONIC MEDAL/A from the fact it was well -produced soap GUIDE TO TRENDS IN opera, rather than a desire to educate BROADCASTING AND ourselves about the history of slavery. NEWER TECHNOLOGIES MacDonald examines the story lines of both Roots and Roots: The Next Gener- 1920-1983 ations and concludes they were de- by Christopher H. Sterling signed to be "unthreatening to white Praeger, New York: $34.95 'iardcover, audiences". $17.95 paperback As the 1970's came to a close, preju- dicial stereotypes flourished on com- mercial television, from the ever -smiling BY RONALD SIMON black bartender on The Love Boat to the wheeler-dealer child -deserting father on Numbers have been a mainstay of the Baby, I'm Back. MacDonald gives sev- broadcasting industry since the days eral examples of the networks' lack of of the crystal set. Whether expressing willingness to stand by impressive pro- markets, advertising rates, or average grams which featured blacks in positive daily use, statistical information has roles. Most notably among these was been compiled by an array of industry Paris, starring James Earl Jones as Woody concerns, federal agencies and private Paris, a police captain and university researchers. Christopher H. Sterling has instructor. CBS cancelled the series, collected more than 150 numerical ta- produced by MTM Enterprises, after only bles with short interpretatior s in his for- eleven episodes. midable new reference work, Electronic At the moment, the prospect for a new Media/A Guide to Trends in Broadcast- "Golden Age" looks very bleak. Today's ing and Newer Technologies 1920-1983. most popular TV blacks are those with The numbers offer valuable insights into the appeal of side show attractions-the the evolution of media ownership and freakish Mr. T, the impish Emmanuel economics as well as the changing land- Lewis, and the enormous, boisterous Nell scape of programming develo Dments and Carter. audience patterns. MacDonald closes his book with a half- Sterling is director of the CE nter for Te- hearted look to the future. Perhaps, he lecommunications Studies at George hopes, new video technology will change Washington University. This new work things for the better. Perhaps greater mi- is a revision of Mass Media: The Aspen nority involvement in broadcast man- Institute Guide to Communication In- agement will. Perhaps. dustry Trends, published in 1978. Blacks and White TV is an important Sterling has expanded the section on contribution to the study of our national pay systems and included a new chapter video heritage-a heritage which has on regulation. Sterling has also updated enriched and inspired at the same time charts on the growth, ownership, train- it has caused pain. Commercial televi- ing, audience characteristics and inter- sion's lack of initiative in promoting ra- national trade of the electronic media. cial equality is a tragic aspect of One of the major trends documented contemporary American life. is the tremendous concentration of group ownership in commercial television. During the early sixties less t:zan 50 per- cent of the stations were group con- trolled. As fewer new stat ions were

Ronald Simon is curator of the Museum of Broadcasting.

95 established and the sales of older chan- ness beyond the specific events with nels increased, the figure now ap- which it deals; and Ron Powers' The proaches 75 percent. A more recent Newscasters for its cogency, and the re- phenomenon is communication compa- sulting, positive impact it had on the nies whose reach extends to other me- problem it described. dia. Presently, there are over 15 firms That first of Powers' two books to ex- who are leaders in two or more media. amine an area of TV programming, was Ironically, Sterling's book is published important because it was so accurate in by a division of CBS Inc. the critical judgements it rendered of its The tables also belie commonly ac- subject, the state of television news- cepted notions. The precipitous decline especially at the local level. Many em- of S.A.T. scores among high school stu- barrassed TV news directors suddenly dents has been attributed to excessive recalled that the "news" in their job titles television watching throughout child- was at least equal in importance to the hood. According to the Nielsen Televi- "TV," and there resulted an almost im- sion Index, there has been a steady mediate-if eventually only tempo- decline of children watching television rary-deceleration in the 'happy talk' and for the last 30 years. In five of six day - other cosmetic debasements of televi- parts, there is less than half the children sion news. viewership than there was in 1955. In In Supertube, Powers appears to be fact, the major increase has been men completely caught up in what he per- watching television prior to prime -time. ceives as the overwhelming awesome- Sterling warns that efforts in collect- ness of the lash-up between television ing information may be hampered in the and sports, and the synergistic out- future. Government cutbacks have made comes of that combination. The result is federal agencies less active as data a preoccupation with creating a rhetoric gatherers and compilers. Deregulation which itself matches the scope and mag- has also caused the gathering of less nificence he imagines in the phenome- concrete information for the new deliv- non he is describing. Everything else- ery systems such as cable and pay tele- especially judgement-seems to suffer. vision, than the older services. Let us Case in point: his description of how hope that Sterling's admirable service Roone Arledge took charge of the very may be updated in another five years. first sports event he produced for ABC, a college football telecast in 1960:

SUPERTUBE: THE RISE OF It was as though Arledge stood at the TV SPORTS control of some private spacecraft. .. . It was an otherworldly performance... . by Ron Powers in the ABC New York. When it was over, every man Coward -McCann, day knew he had been looking $16.95 truck that at the future.

BY DAVE BERKMAN The only event which ever took place There have been three outstanding in a collegiate athletic setting to merit books about television: Erik Bar- prose like this, was when Enrico Fermi nouw's Image Empire for its scholar- created the first controlled, atomic chain ship, insights and definitiveness; Les reaction, in a laboratory located under Brown's Television: The Business Behind the stands of the University of Chicago's the Box for its significance and timeli- Stagg Field, in 1942, and began the Atomic Age. soon, is Chair and Professor, De- Just because CBS or NBC (and Dave Berkman us that partment of Mass Communication, Uni- ABC) in alternate years assures versity of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. the next Super Bowl will be a battle never -

96 to -be -forgotten, does not mean that in his "gee-whizisms," that he ends up someone as perceptive as Powers, should contradicting himself. "DuMont," he lose all critical detachment and accept states, "carried television's first prime - that this is literally the case. Even Super time football telecasts in 1953 and 1954." Bowl III, when Joe Namath and the New But later on, he tells us that DuMont was York Jets destroyed the myth of NFL in- telecasting night games of the Dan Top- vincibility, wasn't quite up there with ping -owned, NFL, Brooklyn Dodger Hastings, The Plains of Abrahams, Wa- team-which became the All-American terloo, or Stalingrad. Conference's New York Yankees at the Powers has been co-opted by his sub- end of World War II. I remember watch- ject. Whereas what he should have given ing evening telecasts of the All -America us was a book which provides a valua- Conference Dodger franchise, as a kid ble history, and a critical exploration of back in the fall of '47. the significance, of the merger between On page 205, he states that ABC had TV and sports, what we end up with is to fly its films of the '64 Innsbruck Winter a work which becomes ludicrous in its Olympics back to the States for broad- attempts to elevate the evolution of tele- cast, because while "Communication vised athletics into a phenomenon of satellites were in orbit by 1964, ... they mythic proportions. (Indeed, this tone is were not yet synchronized with the earth's set in the book's opening sentence, when rotation to provide a continuous ... sig- Powers asks, "What would Zeus have nal." On page 206, however, he writes- made of Los Angeles in 1984?") this time, accurately-that "Early Bird, Obviously, TV sports does have sig- the first synchronous satellite, had been nificance: for television; for sports; and locked in orbit above the Earth since for those of us who spend large numbers 1963." of hours watching televised athletic Anyone writing about TV should know events. But Powers overstates the first, that if a TV image did, in fact, only "shift is inadequate in his treatment of the sec- ... at the rate of once very fifteenth of ond, and virtually ignores the third. a second," then both television and si- For example, he tantalizes us when he lent films would be known as "flickers." makes the following allusion to what An American TV image provides 60 in- many feel is the major sociopolitical terlaced fields, and 30 complete frames, function which televised sports has per second. played-as refuge and re -assurer for But, then, given that this error oc- those unable to deal with the social, and curred in the following paragraph of political, counter -cultural manifesta- McLuhanistic pseudo -profundity, one can tions which originated in the '60s: understand why concern for fact came in second. Clearly dominant was a con- TV sports became a kind of psychic ref- cern with achieving rhetorical flights of uge for millions of Americans, a way of fantasy into perilously thin atmospheres numbing themselves to the horrible con- of language: vulsions that threatened to disintegrate society as they understood it. At the same As a medium, television (along with ra- time, TV sports provided Americans the dio) uniquely retains no trace of a past. pretext of engaging their hopes in some- On its flat screen, the field of electro- thing real, something vital, something magnetic dots, shifting at the rate of once collective and large ... and embla- very fifteenth of a second, is constantly matic of the status quo. rearranging itself into a new time -pres- ent. Roone Arledge-whose own frec- Here was a chapter. It got a page. kled face and penchant for polka-dotted shirts and ties imitate that field to an There are at least two occasions in Su- almost satirical degree-may well have pertube where Powers is so caught up grasped, at some point, that television

97 in its own way stands outside time. Es- even in New York City, its two greatest pecially "linear" time and the accumu- successes had Southern accents? lation of cultural values that have accrued The aloof attitudes and practices of to linear time. CBS and NBC toward sports during the early years of television, which practi- cally gave ABC its ascendency in this realm by default. How ABC won the '60- If one brings to his or her reading of 61 NCAA football contract by a pure Supertube the detachment which Pow- 'psych -out' of the gentlemanly competi- ers failed to provide in its writing, there tion, makes for some of the book's better is a lot of material-especially the his- reading. torical-that is both fascinating and fun to read: Most of all, there is Roone Arledge- How Gillette achieved its virtual mo- he of the mobile unit's flight deck, nopoly over televised sports in the me- back there in 1960, "looking at the fu- dium's early years through the ture." machinations of the earliest of Powers' Let's accept that Roone Arledge is patheon of sportsvideo heroes, Gillette's good-as television executives go, out- advertising head, A. Craig Smith. (Al- standing. After all, it was Arledge who though, one has to question whether took what was not even the third-but Smith's 1939 signing of an exclusive more like the sponsor -contract for radio broadcast of work, and propelled it to the top in one the World Series, quite constituted "a realm of programming years before ABC business deal that would alter the social could claim it was a legitimate third habits and articulate the folk values of chain. I'll even concede that Arledge oc- his country for the last half of the twen- casionally displays what, in the realm tieth century.") of corporate television, constitutes in- The rise (and, in the case of the latter, tegrity. (How many of those who've crit- the decline) of those two early, behind - icized Arledge in his other domain, as the -mike greats, Red Barber and Mel Al- president of ABC's News Division, have len. But one has to wonder why Powers stopped to notice that it is the ABC prime - makes allusions to mysterious and al- time Evening News which, for all of its ledgedly aberrant behaviors by Allen to- alleged hyper -graphic concern with ward the end of his New York Yankee going -only -for -the -numbers, has consis- years, when these are dropped as sud- tently provided the most, and the most denly as they are raised, with no expla- serious, coverage of foreign affairs?) nations provided. The result is that the Yet, as I write this thinking back on reader is left with what comes across as the excessive rhetoric about Arledge, why a National Enquirer -like, cheap shot. is it that the summary impression of The financial achievements of NFL ABC's sports head that I'm left with, is Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, whose that Arledge's videosports genius, masterful playing -off of the three net- stripped to its bare essentials, was little works against each other, has multi- more than to cut away from the playing plied their contributions to the League's field to show side -line close-ups of emo- coffers 160 -fold in just 20 years. tionally -drained players, and medium What is the one, truly incredible suc- shots of pretty bossomy women? And, cess story in this book-that of Howard given such technical advances as port- Cosell. Just how many of us in our mid - able cameras, fast re -wind VTRs, and '30s, and with a speech pattern which the unlimited special effects which mi- leaves no doubts of its Brooklyn origins, crochip circuitry makes possible, is would embark on a career as a sports- Powers implying that without an Ar- caster and commentator in a field where, ledge to show it the way, TV sports would

98 have continued to cut between three and thus in our living rooms (if not in cameras pointing at the field from high the management suites of the fran- atop the stands, and never tried any- chises, the leagues, or the network sports thing more? division)-a consistent presence of Blacks Here is a litany of representative in what is that one realm of contempo- quotes: rary America where they have achieved a status somewhere between parity and Powers introduces us to Arledge, as superiority? "A man prodigiously equipped to exploit What are the effects, often TV -moti- his particular moment in time, ... [who] vated, and frequently racist as well, created a unified and fundamental theory when large central cities lose their uni- of television itself." fying symbol of a major league team due Arledge takes on characteristics of to a franchise shift? It is no accident that deification when we are told by Powers, it has been mainly in those cities where that his "entree into the medium was Blacks dominate, or soon will come to, consistent with his reputation as a sort that teams pick up and leave, as did of a Messiah. baseball clubs in Brooklyn, Manhattan A rather commonplace put-down of and Washington, D.C., and football Howard Cosell by Arledge at a staff teams in the Bronx, Oakland, and now meeting, is cited by Powers as an ex- in Baltimore. ample of the former's "Algonquin Round Table -like skill at deflating with the well As Powers notes in his concluding chosen mot." chapter, A memo Arledge wrote early in his ca- reer at ABC Sports outlining his ideas Television rules American sports utterly; about how TV must do more than just there is no contemplation of sports that gaze at the playing field, so that instead is not bounded by an imaginary frame, "of bringing the game to the viewer- the soft -cornered rectangle that contains now we are going to take the viewer to the flat cathode field, the true playing the game," is introduced by Powers as field of sports now. encompassing "a completeness that al- most approaches a tableau in a John dos This is a thesis with which one cannot Passos novel." argue.

Such are the excesses of a book flawed Entertainment television, however, not by excess. television sports, dominates two-thirds And also by omissions: of American living rooms in prime time (even on fall Monday evenings). And it What did the increasing popularity of is a TV -dominated politics which has so televised sports during the so-called '60s profoundly influenced the American revolution, have to tell us about an electoral process. In other words, it is America which, anyone looking else- television-and only in small part, tele- where on TV could never have imagined vision sports-which dominates. 12 years later would elect a Ronald Rea- Thus, while the inevitable melding of gan as President? sports and television may have more than What are the reasons and the impli- mere passing significance, in no way cations-especially for youthful male does it constitute the majestically myth- audiences-of the increasing share of ical manifestation which Powers' rhe- televised sports advertising -time bought torical excesses imply. by alcohol beverage makers? Why not a mention of what may be one of the legitimate significances of vi- deosports-at least on the playing fields,

99 In his acknowledgements the author CAREERS IN CABLE TV offers "a major bow" to his editors. I'm inclined to think that either they never by Jon S. Denny saw the manuscript or else they exerted Barnes & Noble Books (A Division of such a light editorial hand as to be guilty Harper & Row), New York, $7.95 of criminal neglect. It is my firm belief that an editor has a responsibility to help an author who is not a professional writer TELEVISION WRITING with his language and his structure. In by Richard A. Blum fact the book reads as if it had been slung Focal Press, Boston together by a breathless, semiliterate press agent who mixes metaphors in a Cuisinart. BY FRITZ JACOBI For example: " 'How do I get into cable TV?' That's a question that has been put With the possible exception of cer- to me a dozen or more times, by warm tain splendid cookbooks, one or two bodies and bright minds interested in woodworking manuals and some in- slicing of a piece of the video pie." Or door-gardening tomes, how -to -do -it books this: "We had conceived of a show called tend to promise a lot more than they de- 'The John in Society,' and felt that the liver. Such an effort, I'm afraid, is Ca- time was right for a visual inquisition" reers in Cable TV, by Jon S. Denny, an (he means "investigation"). And this: "Her alumnus of the Turner empire who now show seeks out the rich and powerful for heads an independent cable -television interviews, usually in discos and other production company. On the other hand, glittery and insoucient (sic) spots." there is an impressively helpful surprise The book also abounds with lapses of in Television Writing, by Richard A. Blum, taste, as if the author couldn't bear to an experienced practitioner as well as eliminate a single quote from any of his a scholar. tape-recorded interviews, no matter how First the bad news. Careers in Cable scatological. TV is subtitled "A complete guide to get- Far more inexcusable, however, is the ting a job-from receptionist to pro- complete lack of information about qual- ducer-in America's fastest growing ifications required for specific jobs which entertainment industry." Anyone who the author describes. While he does re- plunks down $7.95 in the fond hope of port on the background of certain indi- finding out how to do this must wade viduals whom he has interviewed, each through a welter of rambling and dis- one is a special case. No clue is given cursive historical and anecdotal back- about the education, training or expe- ground information before gleaning a rience necessary for the vast majority of scintilla of knowledge about how to get jobs listed in this book about how to get a job in cable TV. Granted that the neo- a job in cable TV. phyte can benefit from an understand- From accountant to trunk technician, ing of the genesis, growth and the author describes what these people development of cable, still the manner do but not what they must know to get in which Mr. Denny's information is (or the job. He also provides a ridiculously is not) organized makes it a confusing loose salary estimates (a system man- jumble for anyone eager to learn the ager, for example can earn from $25,000 ropes. to $75,000 a year, with equally broad ranges for more mundane jobs). The au- observing the thor makes no mention of union imper- Fritz Jacobi, who has been individuals television scene for nearly 35 years, is Di- atives. He interviews some rector of Public Affairs for Columbia Busi- with high profiles, but while these sto- ness School. ries may be marginally interesting as

100 interviews they are really not useful to works for television, he/she should be the job seeker. certain to investigate the copyright sit- Nearly 200 pages into the book, which uation thoroughly before blocking out a totals 237 pages of text (the rest is glos- filmic approach. sary and appendix), we find some useful As a good teacher, Dr. Blum illustrates advice: where to learn about cable tele- the difference between episodic and epic vision at various institutions of higher writing, gives examples of character de- education and how to go about looking velopment, and defines "The Method," for a job. These two chapters are solid, an American adaptation of the Stanis- meaty, authoritative, and so different layski system of acting, a section I found from the rest of the book as to seem to particularly fascinating. have been written by somebody else. And the author displays real ingenu- This is not a good book and that's a ity when he combines a sample film script pity. Some of the anecdotal material is format with instructions on how to write fun, it's clear that the author worked such a script. He also explains why film mightily to put this guide together and and videotape demand different script it's also clear that he has an abiding formats. And he goes on to list some re- enthusiasm for cable television. He just alistic checkpoints for script revision: Is needed more editorial assistance. it visual? Is it produceable or does it call The good news is that Television Writ- for $35 -million worth of sets, period cos- ing-From Concept to Contract is a re- tumes and worldwide locations? Is the alistic, logically organized, thoroughly story focused and well developed? researched and crisply written guide to In eight pages on marketing Dr. Blum an enormously complex discipline. The succinctly provides a more vivid and in- advice the author gives appears to be formative view of cable television than accurate and reliable. Mr. Denny does in 198 pages. He shows why cultural cable failed. He even gives realistic advice on how a writer can get an agent (I should know: I'm married to Richard A. Blum teaches film and TV one). writing for the American Film Institute. For an aspiring script writer or a He has served as senior executive pro- professional who has never before as- ducer for Rainbow Programming, a ca- saulted the ramparts of television, ble outfit, as program officer for the broadcast or cable, Television Writing National Endowment for the Humanities must be a useful and helpful guide. A and as a writer -producer for Columbia nagging question, however, remains: can Pictures TV. one really find a job or sell a script by Dr. Blum divides his book into four reading a book? parts: program proposals and series pre- sentations'; story and character devel- opment, the script; and marketing. In each segment he provides such nuts -and - bolts information as how to write a pro- posal, what are the acceptable formats, how to interest a packager in a variety special or a quiz show, how to navigate the turbid waters of public television and its funding agencies. He shows how to develop a story line, defines "action points," plots the course of audience interest in a given script, and does not neglect to remind the tyro that in the process of adapting literary

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MAIL TO: TELEVISION QUARTERLY 110 WEST 57th STREET NEW YORK,NEW YORK 10019 FOX'S ARE APPEARING ALL OVER THE WORLD. At any given moment, somewhere in the world, people are watching Fox's television shows. M*A*S*H, Trapper John, M.D., The Fall Guy, Planet of the Apes, Batman and a hundred more.

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Copyright (C' 1883 Twentieth Century -Fox Film Corporation. All rgnts reserved THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES A Non-profit Association Dedicated to the Advancement of Television

OFFICERS BOARD OF TRUSTEES TRUSTEES -AT -LARGE Richard R. Rector Joe Abrell Alfred Plant Chairman of the Board Stan Burford Robert Wussler John Cannon, President June Colbert Richard Schneider, Michael Collyer HONORARY TRUSTEES Davidson Vice Chairman Jeff FORMER PRESIDENTS Paul Rich, Vice President Dave Debarger Ed Sullivan Jo Subler, Secretary John Douglass Linda Hobkirk, Treasurer Micki Grant Harry S. Ackerman Martha Greenhouse Walter Cronkite Michael Hardgrove Robert F. Lewine Linda Hobkirk Rod Serling Ralph Hodges Royal E. Blakeman Jim Karayn Seymour Berns Beverly Kennedy Mort Werner Arthur Kent Ann Loring FORMER CHAIRMEN Alice Marshall OF THE BOARD George Mousaian Paul Rich Irwin Sonny Fox John Schimpf Thomas W. Sarnoff Dick Schneider John Cannon Marty Schultz Richard Rector Robert G. Simon Robert I. Wussler Howard Shapiro Joel Chaseman Christine Spencer Lee Polk Frank Strnad

THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL

OFFICERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert E. Mulholland, USA Mark Cohen, President and William F. Baker, USA Sam Nilsson, Sweden Chief Executive Officer Julius Barnathan, USA Herman Perez Belisario, Venezuela Renato M. Pachetti, Chairman Vittorio Boni, Italy Lee Polk, USA Edward Bleier, Vice Chairman John Cannon, USA Herbert Schmertz, USA Donald L. Taffner, Treasurer Murray Chercover, Canada Dietrich Schwarzkopf, Fed. Rep. of George Movshon, Secretary Alexander H. Cohen, USA Germany Richard Carlton, Executive Mark H. Cohen, USA Koichi Segawa, USA Director Bryan Cowgill, England James T. Shaw, USA Pierre Desgraupes, France Aubrey Singer, England Michael Fuchs, USA Zlatko Sinobad, Yugoslavia Lawrence E. Gershman, USA Michael Solomon, USA Bruce Gordon, USA Raymond J. Timothy, USA Kenneth F. Gorman, USA George T. Waters, Ireland Karl Honeystein, USA Jeremy Isaacs, England FELLOWS Gene F. Jankowski, USA Pierre Juneau, Canada Ralph Baruch, USA Edward Bleier, USA Mikio Kawaguchi, Japan Irwin Sonny Fox, USA William H. Kobin, USA Ralph C. Franklin, USA Kay Koplovitz, USA Robert F. Lewine, USA Thomas F. Leahy, USA George Movshon, USA Won -Hong Lee, Korea Roberto Marinho, Brazil Richard A. O'Leary, USA Kevin O'Sullivan, USA Marcel Martin, USA Renato M. Pachetti, USA Len Mauger, Australia David Webster, USA Diana Muldaur, USA VPR-3 VIDEOTAPE RECORDER

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