This winter I read “The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Front Lines of Broadcast Journalism,” by Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson (1996.) A friend had recommended it. The book, as encapsulated in its title, tells the story of Edward R. Murrow and the other radio reporters he teamed up with to experience, observe and
report on the events, culminating in war, unfolding in Europe in the thirties and forties. Murrow and his “boys” were young, resourceful, and visionary, and
they basically invented ways on the fly to tell their stories -- embedding themselves in the events for a first-hand account, recording actual live action, reporting close to the scene, etc. The challenges of finding and using
adequate transmission facilities meant that sometimes a story got through, sometimes not. Yet enough got through to make a huge difference in how the war
was understood and vicariously experienced by their listeners. Their reporting broke new ground and challenged the former preeminence of the carefully
written newspaper narrative.
The authors recount how radio was fairly quickly overtaken by television after the war, and how the commercial aspects of both media in short order began to favor entertainment over information sharing. They also describe the challenges that Murrow and the men who worked with him experienced, adapting, with varying levels of success and accommodation, to the exigencies of
commercial television after the war.
report on the events, culminating in war, unfolding in Europe in the thirties and forties. Murrow and his “boys” were young, resourceful, and visionary, and
they basically invented ways on the fly to tell their stories -- embedding themselves in the events for a first-hand account, recording actual live action, reporting close to the scene, etc. The challenges of finding and using
adequate transmission facilities meant that sometimes a story got through, sometimes not. Yet enough got through to make a huge difference in how the war
was understood and vicariously experienced by their listeners. Their reporting broke new ground and challenged the former preeminence of the carefully
written newspaper narrative.
The authors recount how radio was fairly quickly overtaken by television after the war, and how the commercial aspects of both media in short order began to favor entertainment over information sharing. They also describe the challenges that Murrow and the men who worked with him experienced, adapting, with varying levels of success and accommodation, to the exigencies of
commercial television after the war.
And they discuss Murrow’s arguably late confrontation of Senator Joe McCarthy’s anti-communism campaign in a March 9,1954, episode of his CBS show “See It Now” (later dramatized in George Clooney’s 2005 black and white movie, “Good Night and Good Luck.”)
Click the link embedded here for a You Tube clip of Murrow’s final summation in his March 9, 1954 piece.
I found “The Murrow Boys” a fascinating read. Its protagonists were true pioneers in using, adapting, and expanding the opportunities posed by what were in fact very new technologies: Radio, recording, and later television. As I thought about the story being told, I started musing on ways that early radio and television intersected with my own life. And that got me thinking about Dad, a sort of television pioneer himself.
Click the link embedded here for a You Tube clip of Murrow’s final summation in his March 9, 1954 piece.
I found “The Murrow Boys” a fascinating read. Its protagonists were true pioneers in using, adapting, and expanding the opportunities posed by what were in fact very new technologies: Radio, recording, and later television. As I thought about the story being told, I started musing on ways that early radio and television intersected with my own life. And that got me thinking about Dad, a sort of television pioneer himself.
In 1950, at the age of 20, Dad moved from Chicago, where he had been working as a radio announcer, to Myrtle Beach, SC, to work as a radio announcer at WMRA there. Myrtle Beach at that time was a small beach town, nothing like it has since grown up to be. Mom, also 20 years
old, flew to Myrtle Beach to marry him, once he was settled. Subsequently Dad
moved to radio station WCOG in Greensboro, and then in 1953 he moved to WFMY-TV, channel 2, in Greensboro, where he became its first news director and on-the-air news announcer. At that
time there were only two television stations in the state, the other being WBT-TV in Charlotte. Dad was with WFMY until 1959, when he left broadcasting.
In writing this blog post, I waded through a box of career clippings and the like that Dad had kept, and came upon a June 15, 1953, copy of a magazine called “Broadcasting, Publishing” (cover price 35 cents) where a short paragraph appears on p. 98 announcing Robert W. Stroh’s move from WCOG radio to WFMY-TV. (Also of interest in this publication is a story on p. 9, headed “McCarthy
Would Make Broadcasters Keep Records,” regarding a bill introduced by Senator
McCarthy “to require radio and television studios to make and keep recordings of
all broadcasts… Legislation proposed would go further than wartime….” )
Here's a pamphlet from June, 1954, summarizing Dad's first year at WFMY-TV.
(Page 3, where the story is continued, goes on to mention that he and Mom had "a
girl, Karen, 2 1/2, and a ten month old boy, Robert Francis." Dad and Mom of course would go on to have five more "girls" and two more "boys," but that's another story....)
old, flew to Myrtle Beach to marry him, once he was settled. Subsequently Dad
moved to radio station WCOG in Greensboro, and then in 1953 he moved to WFMY-TV, channel 2, in Greensboro, where he became its first news director and on-the-air news announcer. At that
time there were only two television stations in the state, the other being WBT-TV in Charlotte. Dad was with WFMY until 1959, when he left broadcasting.
In writing this blog post, I waded through a box of career clippings and the like that Dad had kept, and came upon a June 15, 1953, copy of a magazine called “Broadcasting, Publishing” (cover price 35 cents) where a short paragraph appears on p. 98 announcing Robert W. Stroh’s move from WCOG radio to WFMY-TV. (Also of interest in this publication is a story on p. 9, headed “McCarthy
Would Make Broadcasters Keep Records,” regarding a bill introduced by Senator
McCarthy “to require radio and television studios to make and keep recordings of
all broadcasts… Legislation proposed would go further than wartime….” )
Here's a pamphlet from June, 1954, summarizing Dad's first year at WFMY-TV.
(Page 3, where the story is continued, goes on to mention that he and Mom had "a
girl, Karen, 2 1/2, and a ten month old boy, Robert Francis." Dad and Mom of course would go on to have five more "girls" and two more "boys," but that's another story....)
And here's a newspaper clipping from January 2, 1955, mentioning Dad's upcoming summary of events (presumably in North Carolina) of the just-concluded year of 1954. See the bottom of the first column. Also interesting to note near the top of that column a reference to Edward R. Murrow's 1954 retrospective, to air earlier in the day. The headline refers to the opening of a new studio for WFMY:
As Dad himself described in a 16 page autobiography he wrote for the family at the age of 71 (four years before he died), the news department at WFMY-TV when he was hired consisted of two people: cameraman Buddy Moore and Dad. Dad served as “the on-the-air talent (a position now called
anchorman), reporter, news film editor and copywriter.” A second cameraman, Bill Gordon, later joined the department, but a second reporter was not hired until Dad left in 1959.
The picture below shows Sports Director Charlie Harville on the left, and Dad on the right.
anchorman), reporter, news film editor and copywriter.” A second cameraman, Bill Gordon, later joined the department, but a second reporter was not hired until Dad left in 1959.
The picture below shows Sports Director Charlie Harville on the left, and Dad on the right.
Here are Charlie Harville, Buddy Moore, and Dad, looking at film:
Dad recounts in his autobiography that he, Buddy Moore or Bill Gordon, “[travelled all over the state covering news stories and bringing back film for the newscasts.” Events that Dad touched on in his bio included covering hurricanes (including the historic Hurricane Hazel), a mill workers strike, maneuvers at Fort Bragg and of an aircraft carrier off the coast, a visit of President Eisenhower to Raleigh, the accidental dropping of an atomic bomb on a South Carolina farm, the reconstruction of the Colonial Governor’s mansion in New Bern, a test of architect Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome design to see if it could be flown to the Arctic.
Bill Gordon (I assume), Dad, and Buddy Moore in this photo:
Bill Gordon (I assume), Dad, and Buddy Moore in this photo:
Below, Buddie Moore and Dad reporting on Fort Bragg Army maneuvers, 1955:
Election Day:
Dad had occasion to interview a number of well-known personages, including “Former President Truman, [then] Senator John F. Kennedy, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (twice), two time
presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, Philippine statesman Carlos Marcos, former movie star Gloria Swanson, CBS news legend Edward R. Murrow, union leader Walter Reuther, [then] ex-moviestar Ronald Reagan, CBS television star Raymond Burr, North Carolina Governor Luther Hodges….”
Here he is with Raymond Burr:
presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, Philippine statesman Carlos Marcos, former movie star Gloria Swanson, CBS news legend Edward R. Murrow, union leader Walter Reuther, [then] ex-moviestar Ronald Reagan, CBS television star Raymond Burr, North Carolina Governor Luther Hodges….”
Here he is with Raymond Burr:
Among Dad's clippings, a brochure of about 70 pages, called "The Story of WFMY-TV," from December 1957, was fun to see.
I found photos of Dad on p. 68, showing election night coverage, and in a large fold-out at the back of the brochure, showing the entire staff at that time. Also interesting was to note a piece on Edward R. Murrow on p. 7:
In 1958 Dad became producer/director of live shows at WFMY, while retaining some of his News
Director duties, and in 1959 he was offered an opportunity to change careers and go into theater management, which ultimately landed him here in Charlottesville, and led to an active and varied series of career choices and civic engagement.
Until reading “The Murrow Boys,” I hadn’t really internalized the pioneering aspects of Dad’s early career. He was young, bright, well-spoken, intelligent, and driven. And he had a chance both to touch history and to make a little of his own.
Today would have been Dad’s 84th birthday. Dad was hyper-cognizant of the logo attached to this date on the calendar. He ended his 16 page autobiography by describing himself as “a very lucky and blest April Fool.”
Happy Birthday, Dad !!
Director duties, and in 1959 he was offered an opportunity to change careers and go into theater management, which ultimately landed him here in Charlottesville, and led to an active and varied series of career choices and civic engagement.
Until reading “The Murrow Boys,” I hadn’t really internalized the pioneering aspects of Dad’s early career. He was young, bright, well-spoken, intelligent, and driven. And he had a chance both to touch history and to make a little of his own.
Today would have been Dad’s 84th birthday. Dad was hyper-cognizant of the logo attached to this date on the calendar. He ended his 16 page autobiography by describing himself as “a very lucky and blest April Fool.”
Happy Birthday, Dad !!