U. S. Radio (Oct 1957-Dec 1958)

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DALLAS S. TOWNSEND JR. Has been with CBS News since 1941, holding a variety of positions: news writer, news editor, director of special events for radio, manager of tv news broadcasts. He is now New York anchorman on the CBS World News Roundup (Monday through Saturday. 8 to 8:15 a.m. EDT). He graduated from Princeton U. in 1940 and from the Graduate School of .Journalism at Columbia U. in 1941. them on the typewriter complete with cryptic abbreviations, at the last possible moment. One night, I remember, Elmer handed his script to the editor, and somehow it became mislaid. Air time came and still no script, so Elmer strolled into the studio with his pencilled notes and delivered the broadcast without a fluff anyway. Newsman's Nightmare Some of us remember another occasion, more recent, when the same thing happened to Bob Trout. In this case Bob didn't even have pencilled notes, so he ad-libbed the entire broadcast from memory. Anyone who thinks this is easy is hereby invited to try it sometime — when nobody is listening. Radio news has indeed had its great men and its great days. The questions now are: Are the great days over? Where does radio news go from here? My answer to the first question is a decided "No." I am happy to plead a certain amount of personal bias, but it seems clear to me that radio news — or to be more specific, network radio news — has a great future, and I am not setting any time limits on it. I specify network radio news not because of any prejudice against local stations, which in many instances have been doing a brilliant job of expanding the coverage of their immediate areas. I have seen some local news operations that frankl) made me envious. And then I have seen other local operations which consisted entirely of the announcer tearing off the latest fiveminute wire service radio news summary and going on the air with it. In general, I think that only a network has the facilities, the staff and the money to provide really first-rate news coverage of a world situation which has become increasingly complicated. But — and here I ttnn to the second question — radio news cannot maintain its position merely by standing still. This is a great temptation, I know, but the times and the circumstances will not allow it. To stand still now is in effect to retreat. The great danger is that radio news will simply stick with a formula that has been successful up to now, but which threatens stagnation if it continues. This is not to say that the formula itself will not continue to pay off financially, at least at some levels. However, from a point of view of public service and responsibility, it seems to me that now more than ever we have a genuine obligation to keep the public well and thoroughly informed. As I look at the state of radio news todav, I detect some disturbing: trends. One of these, I think, is the growing reliance on five-minute shows, which are all very well in their own way, but do not in themselves constitute more extensive new's coverage. Another is the tendency to slough off explanatory detail on complicated stories. Radio news, especially in the prime listening hours, is faced with tremendous competition. This is a challenge which the networks will have to face with new ideas, and new treatment of old ideas. This means more programming aimed at adidt, intelligent listeners, covering important news in greater detail. It means more special reports on subjects which cannot be covered adequately in regular news programs: For example, the one-hour special program on Korean prisoners of war which Ed Murrow narrated in Jmie. More Editorializing It may mean more use of the right to editorialize, although, as CBS President Frank Stanton pointed out in a speech to the National Press Club last year, "Editorializing over the air involves a \\hole cluster of problems that call for nuich wiser solutions than we now have, and not until they are found do we at CBS feel that we can exercise this significant right fully and in the public interest." But it certainly means greater emphasis on the stupendous medical, scientific and technological advances which up to noAV most of us have tended to give the once-overlightly. In short, if radio news is to maintain the reputation it has built up over the years, it has got to ^vork for it, and work hard. I feel sure that it will. • • • U. S. RADIO September 1958 37