Reflecting back on my tenure as the editor of Broadcasting & Cable from 2004 to 2007, I feel a sense of nostalgia tinged with a touch of melancholy. Those years were akin to riding a rollercoaster – exhilarating, terrifying, and ultimately, unforgettable. The media landscape was undergoing seismic shifts, and we had a front-row seat to the action.
In early February 2004, I’d just taken over as editor-in-chief of Broadcasting & Cable when I witnessed the publication’s influence for the first time. A rumor had circulated that Comcast was planning a $51 billion hostile takeover of Disney. Not long after, it was our top journalist, John Higgins, who managed to contact Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and his team directly, as they traveled across the country on their corporate jet, seeking backing from the financial community.
Ultimately, the bid didn’t succeed, but an exceptional article in the current issue ensured that Comcast’s aspirations (which later came true when they acquired NBCUniversal) were included in the corporate media ownership timeline. This demonstrated B&C‘s significant role as a historian and occasional guardian for an industry that has remained the most influential and transformative of the past century.
As a lifelong fan of television and media, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of nostalgia as I learn that Broadcasting & Cable, after 93 years, will cease to exist. I remember flipping through its pages as a young journalist, eagerly absorbing the latest news and insights about the industry that has been such a significant part of my life. The closure of this venerable publication is a poignant reminder of the swift and relentless changes that have swept through media over the past few decades. It’s a bittersweet moment, as I reflect on the wealth of knowledge and connections that Broadcasting & Cable has provided me and countless others in our shared pursuit of understanding this ever-evolving landscape.
Publication of what was then called “Broadcasting” commenced on October 15, 1931, following the decision of its esteemed founder, Sol Taishoff, who believed the radio industry required a publication equivalent to the influential trade journal “Editor & Publisher,” popular in the newspaper world. Known for his wit and firm convictions, Taishoff was an ardent supporter of the First Amendment. While stories about him registering the phrase “The Magazine of the First Amendment” as a trademark might be mythical, there’s no doubt he guided his venture with that ethos in mind, ensuring all viewpoints had a platform for expression.
Similarly, editors who led before me, such as Don West, the late founder of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and Harry Jessell, creator of the influential TVNewsCheck newsletter, consistently emphasized this principle during their tenure. The 75th Anniversary Edition of B&C, which I had the honor to edit in 2006, highlighted the magazine’s history of fervently upholding “the industry’s First Amendment rights.”
Since its inception, this magazine has maintained a discerning perspective on politics, current events, entertainment, and advertising, focusing particularly on their intersections. As radio dominated the airwaves during its infancy, it provided coverage of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s influential fireside chats over CBS and NBC networks in 1933, which proved so impactful to a nation grappling with the Great Depression. In 1941, it shed light on the astronomical $100 per hour price tag for the first televised commercial. The subsequent year, amidst the peak of World War II, it exposed CBS’s decision to eliminate 20% of commercials from news broadcasts and ban jingles, among other measures aimed at reducing excessive cheerfulness.
In the realm of the broadcast industry, Broadcasting was renowned for its unflinching exploration of television’s expanding impact, whether positive or negative. The magazine gained prominence for its in-depth analysis of significant events such as the televised House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, spearheaded by Senator Joseph McCarthy, and the subsequent CBS documentary led by Edward R. Murrow. This coverage played a pivotal role in McCarthy’s downfall. The magazine highlighted that Murrow’s broadcast sparked one of the most significant audience reactions in CBS history, with favorable responses outnumbering unfavorable ones by a ratio of more than 9 to 1.
Reflecting on my time as the leader of B&C, spanning from 2004 to the summer of 2007, it’s clear that my tenure was marked by the tumultuous and unpredictable changes in the media industry that ultimately resulted in the publication’s closure. Memories flood back of YouTube’s rise, ABC/Disney selling their series on iTunes, and the formation of Hulu – all events that signaled a seismic shift in the information and entertainment economy. We were at the forefront of reporting on these changes, often before the broader business press grasped their implications. A particularly insightful article from that period, titled “Wall Street Has Seen the Future and It’s All Tech,” foreshadowed the rise of the on-demand universe. Another piece, published in 2006 under the title “TV to Go,” accurately predicted that mobile phones would play a pivotal role in shaping the future of television.
In 2004, during the peak popularity of American Idol, our exposé titled “Your Vote Doesn’t Matter” exposed how overloaded voting systems were denying countless fans the chance to vote for their preferred contestant. Another major story from that year delved into a groundbreaking “copy-splitting” technology, which was capable of distributing Campbell’s soup advertisements to cable subscribers in cold northern regions and V8 ads to those residing in warmer climates.
We maintained our connection to B&C’s roots in Washington, D.C., due in part to John Eggerton’s insightful reporting on the Federal Communication Commission during a period marked by unchecked mergers and acquisitions and contentious debates about censorship. In 2006, we published an article discussing how the commission’s backlog had grown so severe that media companies were compelled to postpone millions of dollars and years of planning. Earlier in the year, a cover story titled “The FCC’s Full-Frontal Assault on TV” exposed the Republican-controlled commission’s wasteful game of indecency rulings, which were deemed as “confusing, inappropriate, and downright terrifying.” Following the release of an FCC report on television violence in 2007, I was reminded of B&C’s predecessors while writing in my weekly column that when legislators interfere with the marketplace to decide what is profane, excessively violent, or too explicit, it results in poor policy.
Covering the business of news was also essential to Broadcasting & Cable, whether it was good, bad or ugly. Our 2006 story, “Why Journalists Risk Their Lives to Cover Iraq,” spotlighted the sense of mission that drives news at its best. We covered the painful cuts that continue to spread like an incurable virus through the news industry. We applauded when local news stations produced incredible work during hurricanes and tornadoes.
It’s become clear to me now how much I benefited from being part of B&C in the mid-2000s, a time when there was an abundance of financial resources and corporate backing that allowed us to nurture exceptional journalists and designers, propelling a respected magazine into the modern era. Our team was like a formidable batting lineup, filled with seasoned reporters and editors who had previously worked at esteemed publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, among others.
In that moment, I realized how incredibly lucky I felt to collaborate with the remarkable John Higgins, who was known for his fearless nature, never hesitating to pose challenging questions regardless of the person’s rank or position. Just two weeks before his passing in November 2006, we were deeply engrossed in my office, exhausting all our resources to discover the identity of Discovery’s new CEO. When we confirmed it would be David Zaslav, Higgins couldn’t hide his excitement. “You and I enjoy this more than anyone else here,” he said. “We’re not just observers; we get to contribute, we’re part of the action.”
As a seasoned professional with decades of experience in the industry, I can attest to the indispensable role this publication played in my career and the field as a whole. For over nine decades, it has been a trusted source of insight, innovation, and inspiration. Its absence will certainly be felt, and its impact will continue to resonate for years to come. It was more than just a publication; it was a vital pillar in the industry’s foundation, and I will genuinely miss seeing its byline on my newsstand every month.
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2024-08-09 14:55