1. RTV 3007 • Intro to Television
The McCarthy Era:
RTV 3007 • Intro to Television

2. Red Channels
Red Channels named dozens of TV and radio writers, actors, producers, directors, executives as Communist sympathizers.
Shows began disappearing from TV and radio.
Actors and actresses were suddenly dismissed from series.
Blacklist management became part of the industry.

3. TV News in 1953
Today Show stars David Garroway and J. Fred Muggs
NBC’s Camel News Caravan and CBS TV News – 15 minutes of filmed newlsreels with anchor readings
Television news emphasized visual stories: press conferences, photo opportunities, local disasters
Stringers, loosely allied with networks, provided most news coverage
Radio’s tradition of news analysis was absent from TV. Exception: See It Now

4. Murrow vs McCarthy
Edward R. Murrow established himself as a journalist by reporting from London during the World War 2 blitz
Murrow and Fred Friendly create See It Now
See It Now covers the dismissal of Lt. Milo Radulovich from the Air Force because his family was thought to be Communist sympathizers
See It Now runs several segments against McCarthy
“The line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly.”

5. Good Night and Good Luck
David Straithaim plays Edward R. Murrow
George Clooney plays CBS producer Fred Friendly
Film uses actual footage of Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI)
Other characters
William Paley, CEO of CBS
Don Hollenbeck, CBS News anchor accused of being a “pinko”
Lt. Milo Radulovich, separated from the US Air Force in 1953
Annie Lee Moss, Pentagon worker accused of being a Communist
Film begins and ends with Murrow’s speech to the RTNDA in 1958