Word: cbs
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...debut next week is an earnest if unexceptional docudrama that exhibits most of the genre's virtues and vices. The script, by Ernest Kinoy (Roots), cogently dramatizes many of the issues that faced TV's news pioneers, from blacklisting to the gathering pres sure for ratings. When CBS Chairman William Paley (Dabney Coleman) breaks the news to Murrow that his acclaimed documentary series See It Now is losing its weekly time slot, he tries to soften the blow by lavishing praise on the program and promising a series of specials instead. TV news veterans will wince at the familiarity...
...dodging bombs and ignoring pleas for his safety from superiors. Later he is a fearless David tackling government Goliaths and a high-minded defender of journalistic integrity in the face of TV's mounting concern for profits. "Something is dying, Bill," he tells Paley as he prepares to exit CBS. "It may take a long time, but it's dying...
That line does not square with the memory of many CBS veterans, who considered Stanton one of the network's bulwarks of integrity. Fred Friendly, Murrow's longtime associate, admits that "the relationship between Murrow and Stanton was strained" but asserts that the CBS president later became one of the news division's firmest defenders: "He was willing to go to prison rather than submit outtakes of [the CBS documentary] The Selling of the Pentagon. " Stanton, who retired from CBS in 1971, has not seen the movie but says that, in general, "I feel negatively about docudramas." Despite the unflattering...
Still, there is more than a little irony in the cries of foul coming from CBS's corner. TV's fact-based dramas frequently heighten conflict in their pursuit of entertainment. Complex issues are simplified; black hats and white hats are clearly marked. Indeed, Murrow's dramatic liberties are less egregious than those of many other recent TV docudramas, among them CBS's own The Atlanta Child Murders. The problem with Murrow is that its chief black hat is attached to a real-life figure, Frank Stanton, who is still widely admired. As always, the toughest audience for television...
Competition for the journalist's berth is fierce. Although ASJMC would not reveal the names of any applicants, those vying to become the first reporter in space were rumored to include NBC Anchorman Tom Brokaw, The Right Stuff Author Tom Wolfe and ABC White House Correspondent Sam Donaldson. Former CBS Anchorman and veteran Space Reporter Walter Cronkite proudly announced that he was in the running. To be considered, applicants must be U.S. citizens and have five or more years of full-time professional experience reporting contemporary events in print or on television or radio. There is no age limit...