"Some day," Charles Kuralt gave away in 1986, "I'll write my on-the-road memoirs." The book was published in 1990. Charles' television news career began in 1956. Since 1967 he started traveling throughout America reporting on real people and their contributions to society for the 'On The Road' news special. Speaking at a convention in Dallas in 1975, Charles amplified, "Society depends for its life on an informed citizen. Most people get their information from television. Therefore, substance in an anchorman counts more than style."
"Television news has only come into its own in the last 10 to 15 years," one news analyst declared in 1978. "But its impact is staggering...It is no exaggeration to say that during those 4 days in November 1963, TV journalism came into full maturity." By 1980 television's capacity to inform and the demand for up to date news (local, domestic and foreign) gave rise to the News Information Weekly Service (NIWS) which catered to the small-market stations. The service supplied subscribers with 15 stories each week primarily focussing on health-fitness, money, entertainment, environment and astrology topics. Linda Evans said aside from acting she also practiced numerology. "I have done thousands and thousands of readings for people. It is just startling how much you can tell someone about themselves with numerology...It's wonderful for helping people to help themselves." One science teacher made the comment, "Actors and actresses seem to have more psychic experiences than other people because they are imaginative and must by nature be impressionable."
'Today' host Matt Lauer told 'Time' magazine in 1999, "It used to be that if there was a major statement, a politician would come out at 4:00 p.m. because it'd be on all the nightly newscasts at 6:30. Now they're going to give it to one of the morning shows first." When Soviet Premier Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev died in 1982, there was no announcement made at the time of his death. Speculation intensified when Russian TV network began showing documentaries in place of regular programs and newsreaders wearing black on the air. Leonid Brezhnev's political career thrived under Josef Stalin's regime. In the 1960s, he became the protégé of Nikita Khrushchev and then succeeding him as Premier when Khrushchev was forced from power. CNN observed, "When Brezhnev died on November 10, 1982, at age 75, the Soviet Union itself had less than 10 years to live." Norman Lear made the observation in 1985, "...I’m afraid that news, events and sports will be all the networks are left with if they refuse to innovate and take risks." His argument, "...just before automobile sales started to slide downward, General Motors, Chrysler and Ford had their highest profits ever. I think network television is in a similar situation. That may be true for most of American business and education, politics, publishing, all of our institutions. This obsession with the need to win in the short term is choking the entire society."
The popularity of '60 Minutes' made way for reality-based programs such as 'That's Incredible' which ran from 1980 to 1984. Co-host Cathy Lee Crosby outlined, "Our show is about people demonstrating what they do, how they survive or why they are involved in a variety of situations...The material is real human interest which can't be described as news and certainly not comedy. Some of the subjects we're dealing with are education, ESP, medical advances, inventions, superhuman feats – all verified – and assorted human predicaments and their solutions, experiences which aren't ordinarily reported." The early morning news were usually shown between 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock. It was described as the "all-news radio with pictures" because "we’re in competition with morning news radio." Viewers of early morning news programs were described as "move-about, no-nonsense, hard-news, hard-information audience." Bob Keeshan had starred in the children's program 'Captain Kangaroo' since 1956. In 1982 his show was moved from 6:30 weekdays to 7 o'clock on Saturday and Sunday mornings. On reflection he said at the time, "6:30 in the morning...we've been doing so badly in that hour...Now I'm not under the pressure to be a lead-in for an adult news show..." One producer pointed out, "The audience at that hour is not up to watch TV but to get going. Viewers at 7 to 9 also have to get going but some are a little more sedentary." Norman noted, "...the need to win in the ratings is increasingly the only motivating force for writers and studios and producers. Everyone is desperate for a hit, so a successful show like 'Dallas' immediately begets – name them – 6 quick children."
"Television news has only come into its own in the last 10 to 15 years," one news analyst declared in 1978. "But its impact is staggering...It is no exaggeration to say that during those 4 days in November 1963, TV journalism came into full maturity." By 1980 television's capacity to inform and the demand for up to date news (local, domestic and foreign) gave rise to the News Information Weekly Service (NIWS) which catered to the small-market stations. The service supplied subscribers with 15 stories each week primarily focussing on health-fitness, money, entertainment, environment and astrology topics. Linda Evans said aside from acting she also practiced numerology. "I have done thousands and thousands of readings for people. It is just startling how much you can tell someone about themselves with numerology...It's wonderful for helping people to help themselves." One science teacher made the comment, "Actors and actresses seem to have more psychic experiences than other people because they are imaginative and must by nature be impressionable."
'Today' host Matt Lauer told 'Time' magazine in 1999, "It used to be that if there was a major statement, a politician would come out at 4:00 p.m. because it'd be on all the nightly newscasts at 6:30. Now they're going to give it to one of the morning shows first." When Soviet Premier Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev died in 1982, there was no announcement made at the time of his death. Speculation intensified when Russian TV network began showing documentaries in place of regular programs and newsreaders wearing black on the air. Leonid Brezhnev's political career thrived under Josef Stalin's regime. In the 1960s, he became the protégé of Nikita Khrushchev and then succeeding him as Premier when Khrushchev was forced from power. CNN observed, "When Brezhnev died on November 10, 1982, at age 75, the Soviet Union itself had less than 10 years to live." Norman Lear made the observation in 1985, "...I’m afraid that news, events and sports will be all the networks are left with if they refuse to innovate and take risks." His argument, "...just before automobile sales started to slide downward, General Motors, Chrysler and Ford had their highest profits ever. I think network television is in a similar situation. That may be true for most of American business and education, politics, publishing, all of our institutions. This obsession with the need to win in the short term is choking the entire society."
The popularity of '60 Minutes' made way for reality-based programs such as 'That's Incredible' which ran from 1980 to 1984. Co-host Cathy Lee Crosby outlined, "Our show is about people demonstrating what they do, how they survive or why they are involved in a variety of situations...The material is real human interest which can't be described as news and certainly not comedy. Some of the subjects we're dealing with are education, ESP, medical advances, inventions, superhuman feats – all verified – and assorted human predicaments and their solutions, experiences which aren't ordinarily reported." The early morning news were usually shown between 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock. It was described as the "all-news radio with pictures" because "we’re in competition with morning news radio." Viewers of early morning news programs were described as "move-about, no-nonsense, hard-news, hard-information audience." Bob Keeshan had starred in the children's program 'Captain Kangaroo' since 1956. In 1982 his show was moved from 6:30 weekdays to 7 o'clock on Saturday and Sunday mornings. On reflection he said at the time, "6:30 in the morning...we've been doing so badly in that hour...Now I'm not under the pressure to be a lead-in for an adult news show..." One producer pointed out, "The audience at that hour is not up to watch TV but to get going. Viewers at 7 to 9 also have to get going but some are a little more sedentary." Norman noted, "...the need to win in the ratings is increasingly the only motivating force for writers and studios and producers. Everyone is desperate for a hit, so a successful show like 'Dallas' immediately begets – name them – 6 quick children."
