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Murphy Martin Commentary
July 28, 2005

"Television: Then and Now"

Television is the most powerful social instrument yet devised! In its early days, it even acted as a unifying force in American society. With only three major networks, Americans were united by the shows they watched; after all there were only three options on any given night. But with more and more local stations, cable networks, the booming internet, movies, it's no longer the unifying force it once was. It is, nevertheless, a prominent, if not preeminent, source for information, including news today.

I have actively participated in, or closely observed, television news since 1960. In the early days, most people who staffed television news rooms came from print or radio journalism, with little or no college training in the world of television journalism. As television sets made their way into more and more American homes, the news anchor position became a seat of honor, prestige, and later, power.

After nearly three years in the anchor job at WFAA-TV in Dallas, ABC-TV hired me to move into the late night news anchor job in February 1963. It is the same spot filled so capably today by Ted Koppel and Nightline . Koppel also began his ABC career in 1963. When I arrived at the network there were only a handful of network anchors: Huntley-Brinkley at NBC, Walter Cronkite at CBS, and Ron Cochran at ABC all did news programs at the dinner hour while I anchored the only late evening network news program then scheduled.

Looking back one finds many changes have taken place. Dan Rather moved in at CBS before giving way to Bob Schieffer. Tom Brokaw replaced stayed in the Huntley-Brinkley spot for a number of years and Peter Jennings has held down the ABC anchor job since the early eighties until lung cancer forced him to take some time off. But the changes that have taken place have not just been personnel-wise, there have been many other changes---some good and many not so good.

Since its inception television news has dominated American life, telling us what to eat, what to drink, what to drive, who and what we should support and who to vote for. But television news is facing new problems. According to recent surveys, the number of television sets in use is dwindling as people find other ways to occupy their time. An increasing number of cable networks, the Internet, video games, and a resurgence at theater box offices.

Fewer people are watching the three basic networks for the news even in a time of rising population. Yet despite the dilution of their total audience numbers, the masses still depend on television news of some form or other for answers to the day's pressing concerns whether it's the economy, terrorism, health issues, war on the other side of the world, or whatever. That's no different than the pattern set with the advent of television. But something IS different.

In the early days, television had earned the trust of the viewing public. Viewers believed it if they saw it on the news. The most expensive advertising rates were those within and adjacent to the news because advertisers knew that was when viewership peaked. But somewhere, somehow, there began a subtle shift in trust. It's hard to pin down exactly when this trust of the media began to be questioned. Maybe the 60's during the Vietnam war and all the demonstrations in the streets of America, but for sure people began to question what they heard on television and radio and read in newspapers. Or maybe it even postdates that time frame, arising out of Watergate. In any event since then it has been all downhill.

Networks are trying everything to regain lost viewers. Newscasts today are loaded with entertainment news and magazine pieces and features and not a lot of news from that particular day. Check your next local or network half-hour news program and see if you get much more than seven to nine minutes of hard news stories. Most of the program will be entertainment news, feature stories that have been sitting on the shelf waiting for the ratings period time to be used and heavier sports and weather segments than usual. Whatever is happening the numbers continue to drop. A USA Today Poll in 2003 showed public confidence in the media at an anemic 36-per cent.

Is television still the most powerful social instrument yet devised? Yes but it is losing it's huge audience numbers. Next week we will look beneath the surface and see if we can locate more reasons trust in media is more questionable than ever.

Murphy Martin

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