History of Broadcast News

1. Which video resonated with you the most and why?

   1. This assignment allowed me to view journalism from different angles and perspectives. From seeing the coverage of the civil rights movement to gaining the insight of a journalist who was the first Black woman anchor on the TODAY show, there is so much to learn about this field. The first video that resonated with me was “A Day In the Life of a Newsroom”. Though straight to the point, this 9-minute video captured everything there is to know about the news and how it operates. From the morning meetings with producers, reporters checking in with managing editors about stories, and the control room making sure the newscast flows, the video accurately depicted the busy life of news. Besides that video, another one that I was intrigued by was, “Tamron Hall Discusses Her Career & Challenges as a Black Woman in Media”. As a Black female journalist, there are always disadvantages when it comes to the media, how we’re represented, and the anxiety of being stereotyped due to the hue of our skin. Tamron Hall discussed all of this in her interview, and the most impactful quote she had when asked what she would say to little Black girls is, “And still I rise.” This quote, taken from renowned civil rights activist, writer, and poet, Maya Angelou, shows Tamron’s admiration for her and commitment to pouring back into the community. Tamron also describes how she feels she has a responsibility to Black boys and girls to show them that they can do what she does one day. 

1. How did broadcast news impact the Civil Rights Movement?

   1. Broadcast news impacted the Civil Rights Movement in various ways. Because the Civil Rights Movement was at the beginning of when broadcast journalism was becoming more recognized, this allowed journalists to capture, on video, the injustices that were commonly missed, looked over, or ignored. Many films today about the Civil Rights Movement like Selma, Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls, The Help, and Hairspray, are based on the fact that there is video evidence of this traumatic era and how Black people were treated during that time. Contrary to print or newspapers, Broadcast television programming provided an eerie yet important view of what was happening in history without needing extra explanation on paper. Also, though broadcast news was important, the Black press was even more crucial to the spread of awareness and action. Many Black people believed that education would help overcome discrimination and injustice. During this time, many Black journalists and reporters feared to do their job, as it was necessary but incredibly dangerous. Between the lynchings and public violent beatings, many Black journalists feared what would happen to them in case that they reported on this story or topic. However, because of the Black press, this mobilized action in the community and awareness that many may have previously overlooked, ignored, or failed to participate in. Fast forwarding to broadcast today, there is an increased sense of responsibility and diversity in the field that helps make the awareness of Black topics, people, and stories, knowledgable on a national platform. 

1. What are the similarities and differences between the first 30-minute newscast and those on air today? What was unique about that first broadcast? How did Cronkite end his newscast?

2. On September 2, 1963, the first 30-minute newscast, which started as 15 minutes but soon doubled, revolutionized journalism. The first shot shows anchor Walter Cronkite, followed by text on-screen of the reporters who would be featured in the show, including Nelson Benton in Tuskegee, Dan Rather in Plaquemine, Bernard Kalb in Saigon, Peter Kalisgher in Tokyo, and Eric Sevareid in Washington. As described in the video, though 30 minutes may not seem long in this era of three-hour-long newscasts, television series, and documentaries, this was a revolutionary moment in journalism. This was such a pivotal moment in journalism history that even President John F. Kennedy gave an exclusive interview with Walter Cronkite which aired in the premiere newscast. The interview consisted of many topics, but one of the most intriguing was the discussion of the Vietnam War and what President Kennedy would have done about it. One of the most interesting parts of this video was discovering the location of the newsroom. The control room was located in the Grand Central station, and reporters, especially Walter Cronkite, had to walk down a long hall to get from the CBS newsroom to the studio. The video goes on to explain how the newscast expansion to half an hour was liberating. Not only were more Americans getting their news from the TV and not the newspaper, but this also allowed reporters for more air time and exposure. After a long career, Cronkite ended his final newscast in a witty way, saying, “I’ll be away on assignment and Dan Rider will be sitting in here for the next few years. Goodnight.”

3. How has CNN revolutionized the news industry? What stood out specifically about the first day of coverage? Who were the anchors and what made them unique? What was the first news story about?

4. CNN made history and revolutionized the news industry by becoming the first network to be 24-hour cable. This was a pivotal moment in journalism, because as we see in other videos, newscasts started at 15 minutes, then doubled to thirty, and then soon became 24 hours. This set the standard and competition high in the news industry. The first newscast, with anchors David Walker and Lois Hart, was extremely interesting. I was surprised to find how much the network covered Black topics, as this was the prime era of racism, bigotry, and injustice. Lois Hart introduced the story of Vernon Jordan’s shooting. “President Carter visited with Vernon Jordan after suffering gunshot wounds. Jordan is in serious condition. Richard Bloom takes a look at how a small Black town is handling the shooting of a prominent Black leader.” Even after Lois said prominent Black leader, I truthfully paused the video. I was so shocked that in a world full of ignorance, she addressed how important Vernon Jordan was to the community, and focused on the impact this shooting left on a small town. Although this was a tragic era full of murders, racism, and injustice, I am glad that a national 24-hour network decided to focus on the importance of Black issues without ignoring or glossing it over. One of the interesting factors that I noticed while watching this video was the lack of teleprompters. In today’s world where technology is so advanced, we often take for granted the accessibility we have versus 50 years ago. You often see anchors Lois and David looking down at their paper and then talking to the camera, as that is their script. 

5. What did you learn most from “A Day in the Life of a Newsroom?” and which role would you feel most comfortable with? 

6. In “A Day in the Life of a Newsroom”, one can truly understand the daily tasks assigned to everyone in the newsroom. What I like to refer to as the “beehive”, the newsroom is a constantly moving machine, and as the anchor mentioned, “The news show waits for no one.” Starting the day off is the morning meeting with producers and the news director to pitch and assign stories for the newscast that day. During this meeting, reporters can call in by phone to pitch ideas. Afterward, each reporter is assigned to a photographer who then goes out in the field and starts reporting on that story. Following their morning meeting, producers format their shows, meaning they assign which story appears where in the newscast, how long it is, and what is most likely to be taken out if the show is running over time. The video producer has a tedious job of overseeing the editors, making sure any SOTs, VOs, or packages, are being run and edited smoothly. While this is happening, reporters are most likely still out in the field gathering facts for their stories, preparing for their live shots, or interviewing subjects. They are on a strict deadline and often a very quick turnaround, as they are often assigned stories in the morning. Back at the news station, breaking news often occurs, meaning anchors have to quickly prepare with notes and prep for their live cut-in. Once that is over, the newscast typically starts and the control room is how it all happens. Containing a show director, assistant director, technical director, and audio technician, the control room’s role is to take all the newscast elements and electronically mix them into one smooth newscast. Production Assistants, often called PAs, run scripts to anchors promptly. While the newscast is happening, evening news reporters are out in the field getting stories for the day, writing, and then checking in with the managing editor who double-checks the story's content. The role that resonates with me the most is that of the reporter. I have always been intrigued by capturing a story and being able to convey it to a group of people, so seeing the daily duties the reporter has to make a story come to life further confirms my interest in broadcast journalism. 

7. What were the lead stories on BET Nightly News and what stood out about the news anchor and newscast? How long was BET Nightly News on air?

8. Before beginning this assignment, I was pretty unfamiliar with BET Nightly News. I had always grown up watching the award shows, and movies that were streamed on the platform, but after watching the video, “BET Nightly News with Jacque Reid, Reaction to R Kelly interview, Juvenile Justice, etc. 2002”, I was thoroughly intrigued by the network’s newscast. Starting in 2001 and ending in 2005, the newscast provided a perspective of many different topics, especially those catered to Black people. The first leading story in the newscast was that of R&B singer, R. Kelly. The anchor, Jacque Reid, described how the singer finally breaks his silence and responds to the allegations of having sex with underage girls. Later in the newscast, Ed Gordon sits down with Kelly for an exclusive one-on-one interview addressing the singer’s claims that he is innocent in the situation. Following that story was the package about Predatory Lending Settlement and how loaners were primarily targeting Black, underpaid families. In this package, I learned more about what exactly Predatory Lending Settlement was. In layman’s terms, predatory lending is a tactic loaners use to target primarily underpaid, Black families into a loan more than they could afford, or raising the price, where there were more affordable options. The interviews discussed how there is little to no protection for consumers in these situations, and how by engaging in these deals, many consumers give up their right to sue loaners. One factor that particularly stuck out to me was the anchor, Jacque Reid. Unlike other anchors, Jacque stood out to me because of her style of clothing and comfort in front of the camera. During the early stages of broadcast television, many anchors were white, male, and conservative in their choice of clothing. However, Jacque Reid provided a different and fresh face in front of the camera, definitely inspiring those to come after her. 

9. Finally, what are your thoughts about Tamron Hall’s comments, and why?

   1. In Tamron Hall’s interview, she opened up about all aspects of her life, especially personal and career-wise, following with how she came to be the woman she is today. One of Tamron Hall’s first responses to a question was, “Media is not as diverse as it should be”. Tamron goes on to explain how she was stunned at the fact that she was the first Black woman anchor on the TODAY Show in 2014. She was a trailblazer for many who aspired to grow up and do what she did. She confirmed this fact by saying she felt that she had a responsibility for every child of color watching her daily and that they could do it too. Throughout Tamron’s career, she emphasized the importance of her support system. Her mom and stepfather raised her, always showing her examples of kindness and love. Her stepfather unfortunately passed away but she recalled a time when he was in the hospital and happened to be waking up and seeing Tamron on the television. Not only did this mean a lot to Tamron, but it further confirmed her passion for what she was doing in life. As she discussed family, Tamron spoke about an event she attended regarding domestic violence and how it encouraged her to start a fund for domestic violence victims in honor of her late sister. Titled “The Tamron [Heart] Renate Fund”, this foundation serves as an aid for victims of domestic abuse. Toward the end of the interview, Hall shared more about her talk show and what she wants her viewers to gain from it. “I want people to watch the show and be like oh that’s my girl, or that’s my friend,” says Hall.