MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO UNIVERSITY SATELLITE SEMINAR SERIES, THE: TELEVISION: THE CREATIVE PROCESS: THE CBS NEWS WITH DAN RATHER {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. This seminar, held in New York and moderated by Museum president Robert M. Batscha, features a discussion and questions relating to news broadcasting and the production of "The CBS Evening News."
Batscha opens the seminar and introduces a tape of Dan Rather's evening news broadcast, which is screened. He then introduces the panelists, all members of the "CBS Evening News" production team: Dan Rather, anchor and managing editor; Jeff Fager, executive producer; Eric Shapiro, director; Michael Whitney, senior broadcast producer; Michael Rosenbaum, senior producer; Janet Leissner, senior producer; and Pat Shevlin, senior producer. (Several panelist biographies immediately follow this summary.) The panel members discuss their work and respond to call-in questions from students at colleges and universities across the country, during which they address the following topics, among others: the role of each producer in putting together the broadcasts; the production of that evening's broadcast; the process of selecting stories for the news; beginning and ending a broadcast; the work of news correspondents; the difficulties of getting a reporter into Baghdad; ways in which aspiring writers can avoid tabloid journalism; the place of editorial commentary at the end of a broadcast; the change from a fifteen-minute to a half-hour broadcast; the effect of ratings on news content; the CBS news budget; Rather's relationship with other networks' evening-news anchors; the most surprising story Rather has ever reported; and the power of television news.
Biographies Dan Rather succeeded Walter Cronkite as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News" in 1981. He joined CBS in 1962, after working in both print and radio in his native Texas. In 1963 he became chief of CBS's Southwest bureau in Dallas and broke the news of the Kennedy assassination when it happened in that city on November 22. During his tenure at CBS his many positions have included co-editor at "60 Minutes," CBS News bureau chief in London and Saigon, and White House correspondent during the Johnson and Nixon administrations.
Jeffery Fager has been the executive producer of "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" since February of 1996. Prior to joining the newscast as senior broadcast producer in 1994, he had been a producer for other CBS News programs including "60 Minutes," "48 Hours," and "Nightwatch," and was a producer at the CBS News London bureau from 1985 to 1988, covering stories in Europe and the Middle East.
Eric Shapiro has been director of "CBS Evening News" since 1995. He began his career at CBS as a page in 1964 and in 1969 became director for the six-o-clock news for WCBS-TV. In 1978, he joined CBS News as director of the morning program. Mr. Shapiro has been director for "CBS Special Events" since 1986, and from 1988 to 1995 he also directed "48 Hours."
Michael Whitney became senior broadcast producer of the "CBS Evening News" in 1996. He began his career at WOR radio and in 1973 became a news writer for "CBS News Radio." He joined the "CBS Morning News" in 1979 and went on to become senior producer and senior broadcast producer of that program. From 1988 to 1993, Whitney was CBS NewsÕs Miami bureau chief, and from 1993 to 1996 he was senior broadcast producer of "CBS News Sunday Morning."
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: November 18, 1997 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:22:09
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:51352
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert M. Batscha … Host, Moderator
- Jeff Fager … Guest
- Janet Leissner … Guest
- Dan Rather … Guest
- Michael Rosenbaum … Guest
- Eric Shapiro … Guest
- Pat Shevlin … Guest
- Michael Whitney … Guest