See It Now
Encyclopedia
See It Now is an American newsmagazine
and documentary
series broadcast by CBS
from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow
and Fred W. Friendly
, Murrow being the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, See It Now won four Emmy Award
s and was nominated three times. It also won a 1952 Peabody Award
, which cited its
, also produced by Murrow and Friendly. Its first episode, on November 18, 1951, opened with the first live simultaneous coast-to-coast TV transmission from both the East Coast (the Brooklyn Bridge
and New York Harbor) and the West Coast (the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
and San Francisco Bay), as reporters on both sides of the North American continent gave live reports to Murrow, who was sitting in the control room on CBS' Studio 41 with director Don Hewitt
.
One of the most popular of the See It Now reports was a 1952 broadcast entitled Christmas in Korea
, when Murrow spoke with American soldiers assigned to the United Nations
combat forces.
See It Now focused on a number of controversial issues in the 1950s, but it is best remembered as the show that criticized the Red Scare and contributed to the political downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy
.
Murrow produced a number of episodes of the show that dealt with the Communist witch-hunt
hysteria (one of the more notable episodes resulted in a U.S. military officer, Milo Radulovich, being acquitted, after being charged with supporting Communism), before embarking on a broadcast on March 9, 1954 that has been referred to as television's finest hour.
By using mostly recordings of McCarthy himself in action interrogating witnesses and making speeches, Murrow and Friendly displayed what they felt was the key danger to the democracy: not suspected Communists, but McCarthy's actions themselves. As Murrow said in his tailpiece:
No one familiar with the history of his country can deny that Congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating. But the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly.
The broadcast provoked tens of thousands of letters, telegrams and phone calls to CBS headquarters, running 15 to 1 in favor of Murrow. Friendly later recalled how truck drivers pulled up alongside Murrow and shouted, "Good show, Ed. Good show, Ed."
The show's probe of the McCarthy-led anti-Communist era is the focus of the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck.
Murrow's hard-hitting approach to the news eventually cost him influence in the world of television, although his celebrity talk show
Person to Person
remained a top-rated program with much better numbers than See It Now ever had. See It Now occasionally scored high ratings (usually when it was approaching a particularly controversial subject), but in general it did not score well on prime-time television.
When the quiz show
phenomenon began and took the world of TV by storm in the mid-1950s, Murrow realized the days of See It Now as a Tuesday-night fixture on CBS were numbered. The weekly version of See It Now ended in 1955 (after Alcoa
pulled out its sponsorship), but the show remained as a series of occasional TV special news reports that defined documentary news coverage.
During the years See It Now was an occasional series of specials [mostly appearing on Sunday afternoons at 5:00pm(et) by 1957], Murrow became upset by the network repeatedly granting (without consulting Murrow) equal time to subjects who felt wronged by the program. After CBS granted another such request—regarding a See It Now show on whether or not Alaska and Hawaii deserved statehood—Murrow complained to CBS head William S. Paley
he could not continue doing the program if CBS continued to accede to such equal-time requests under those circumstances.
Eventually, according to co-producer Friendly, Murrow and Paley had a blazing showdown in Paley's office. The CBS chairman told Murrow that he was tired of the constant "stomach aches" the program caused when it covered controversial subjects. That marked the beginning of the end of See It Now, the last episode of which aired on July 7, 1958.
The show lives on in its spiritual successors, such as the CBS News broadcasts Sunday Morning
, 60 Minutes
(created by Hewitt and once also featuring former See It Now producers Palmer Williams
and Joe Wershba) and the recurring documentary series CBS Reports
.
In September 2006, "See It Now" has also become the slogan for a relaunched CBS Evening News
with new anchor Katie Couric
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
and documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
series broadcast by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
and Fred W. Friendly
Fred W. Friendly
Fred W. Friendly was a president of CBS News and the creator, along with Edward R. Murrow, of the documentary television program See It Now...
, Murrow being the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, See It Now won four Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s and was nominated three times. It also won a 1952 Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
, which cited its
- simple, lucid, intelligent analysis of top news stories of the week on television … a strikingly effective format for presenting news and the personalities involved in the news with humor, sometimes with indignation, always with careful thought.
Synopsis
The show was an adaptation of radio's Hear It NowHear It Now
Hear It Now, an American radio program on CBS, began in December 1950, ending in June 1951. It was hosted by Edward R. Murrow and produced by Murrow and Fred W. Friendly. It ran for one hour on Fridays at 9 pm Eastern Time.- The show's beginnings :...
, also produced by Murrow and Friendly. Its first episode, on November 18, 1951, opened with the first live simultaneous coast-to-coast TV transmission from both the East Coast (the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
and New York Harbor) and the West Coast (the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge is a pair of bridges spanning San Francisco Bay of California, in the United States. Forming part of Interstate 80 and of the direct road route between San Francisco and Oakland, it carries approximately 270,000 vehicles per day on its two decks...
and San Francisco Bay), as reporters on both sides of the North American continent gave live reports to Murrow, who was sitting in the control room on CBS' Studio 41 with director Don Hewitt
Don Hewitt
Donald Shepard "Don" Hewitt was an American television news producer and executive, best known for creating 60 Minutes, the CBS television news magazine, in 1968, which at the time of his death, was the longest-running prime-time broadcast on American television...
.
One of the most popular of the See It Now reports was a 1952 broadcast entitled Christmas in Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, when Murrow spoke with American soldiers assigned to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
combat forces.
See It Now focused on a number of controversial issues in the 1950s, but it is best remembered as the show that criticized the Red Scare and contributed to the political downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
.
Murrow produced a number of episodes of the show that dealt with the Communist witch-hunt
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
hysteria (one of the more notable episodes resulted in a U.S. military officer, Milo Radulovich, being acquitted, after being charged with supporting Communism), before embarking on a broadcast on March 9, 1954 that has been referred to as television's finest hour.
By using mostly recordings of McCarthy himself in action interrogating witnesses and making speeches, Murrow and Friendly displayed what they felt was the key danger to the democracy: not suspected Communists, but McCarthy's actions themselves. As Murrow said in his tailpiece:
No one familiar with the history of his country can deny that Congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating. But the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly.
The broadcast provoked tens of thousands of letters, telegrams and phone calls to CBS headquarters, running 15 to 1 in favor of Murrow. Friendly later recalled how truck drivers pulled up alongside Murrow and shouted, "Good show, Ed. Good show, Ed."
The show's probe of the McCarthy-led anti-Communist era is the focus of the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck.
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Good Night, and Good Luck. is a 2005 American drama film directed by George Clooney. The film was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S...
Murrow's hard-hitting approach to the news eventually cost him influence in the world of television, although his celebrity talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Person to Person
Person to Person
Person to Person was a popular television program in the United States that ran from 1953 to 1961. Well-respected news reporter Edward R. Murrow hosted it until 1959, interviewing celebrities in their homes from a comfortable chair in his New York studio Person to Person was a popular television...
remained a top-rated program with much better numbers than See It Now ever had. See It Now occasionally scored high ratings (usually when it was approaching a particularly controversial subject), but in general it did not score well on prime-time television.
When the quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
phenomenon began and took the world of TV by storm in the mid-1950s, Murrow realized the days of See It Now as a Tuesday-night fixture on CBS were numbered. The weekly version of See It Now ended in 1955 (after Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
pulled out its sponsorship), but the show remained as a series of occasional TV special news reports that defined documentary news coverage.
During the years See It Now was an occasional series of specials [mostly appearing on Sunday afternoons at 5:00pm(et) by 1957], Murrow became upset by the network repeatedly granting (without consulting Murrow) equal time to subjects who felt wronged by the program. After CBS granted another such request—regarding a See It Now show on whether or not Alaska and Hawaii deserved statehood—Murrow complained to CBS head William S. Paley
William S. Paley
William S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
he could not continue doing the program if CBS continued to accede to such equal-time requests under those circumstances.
Eventually, according to co-producer Friendly, Murrow and Paley had a blazing showdown in Paley's office. The CBS chairman told Murrow that he was tired of the constant "stomach aches" the program caused when it covered controversial subjects. That marked the beginning of the end of See It Now, the last episode of which aired on July 7, 1958.
The show lives on in its spiritual successors, such as the CBS News broadcasts Sunday Morning
CBS News Sunday Morning
CBS News Sunday Morning is an American television news magazine program created by Robert Northshield and original host Charles Kuralt. The program has aired continuously since January 28, 1979 on the CBS Television Network, airing in the Eastern US on Sunday from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m...
, 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
(created by Hewitt and once also featuring former See It Now producers Palmer Williams
Palmer Williams
Palmer Williams was an American broadcast journalist and documentary film maker. He worked closely with Edward R. Murrow.- Williams with CBS :Williams spent most of his career at CBS News working in both radio and television...
and Joe Wershba) and the recurring documentary series CBS Reports
CBS Reports
CBS Reports is the umbrella title used for documentaries by CBS News which aired starting in 1959 through the 1990s. The series sometimes aired as a wheel series rotating with 60 Minutes , as a series of its own or as specials. The program aired as a constant series from 1959 to 1971...
.
In September 2006, "See It Now" has also become the slogan for a relaunched CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
with new anchor Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
See also
- Person to PersonPerson to PersonPerson to Person was a popular television program in the United States that ran from 1953 to 1961. Well-respected news reporter Edward R. Murrow hosted it until 1959, interviewing celebrities in their homes from a comfortable chair in his New York studio Person to Person was a popular television...
, Murrow's companion, "lite fare" program - Good Night, and Good Luck
External links
- See It Now from the Museum of Broadcast CommunicationsMuseum of Broadcast CommunicationsThe Museum of Broadcast Communications is an American museum that currently exists exclusively on the Internet and not in any physical capacity. Its stated mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain...
- Complete text and audio of Senator Joseph McCarthy's Prosecution of Edward R. Murrow on See It Now from AmericanRhetoric.com
- Complete text, audio, and video of Edward R. Murrow's Response to Senator Joseph McCarthy on See It Now from AmericanRhetoric.com
- The script from See it Now, March 9, 1954 and Senator Mc Carthy's response on April 6 hosted by the University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, (Official Website)