The man behind Murrow and much more.Engelman (Journalism/Long
Island Univ.; Public Radio and Television in America: A Political
History, 1996) examines the life and career of influential and
controversial news producer Fred Friendly (1915 - 98), best known
for his long association with crusading journalist Edward R.
Murrow. Born Ferdinand F. Wachenheimer, Friendly was one of the
most profoundly influential figures in the history of broadcast
journalism. After successfully producing a series of innovative
news programs for radio, he caught the attention of CBS News, where
he teamed with Murrow to create Hear It Now and See It Now, radio
and TV documentary series that re-created historic events for
audiences. The Friendly/Murrow partnership capitalized on these
successes to pursue increasingly provocative subject matter, such
as an investigation of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist
campaign, that frequently brought them into conflict with CBS
founder William Paley. Named head of CBS News in 1964, Friendly
resigned his post two years later when the network refused to
preempt a rerun of I Love Lucy for live coverage of the Senate
Foreign Relation Committee's hearings on Vietnam. Dramatic,
outsized, principled and self-promoting (he sent his letter of
resignation to the New York Times), this action encapsulated the
many contradictions at the heart of Friendly's persona. Quotes from
colleagues and friends describe him by turns as dynamic and
domineering, warm and bullying and passionately idealistic and
wearyingly petulant. Friendly continued to wield vast influence
over his field after leaving CBS. He taught at Columbia's
Journalism School, established a highly regarded series of public
seminars on media and virtually invented the concept of public
television. Engelman's comprehensive research - he cites the
dyslexic Ferd Wachenheimer's school report cards - brings his
driven subject into vivid relief. The prose may be dryly academic,
but the man, his times and his achievements come through.A
substantial and useful study of the underknown pioneer whose
conviction and energy did much to shape the content and character
of American broadcast journalism. (Kirkus Reviews)
Fred Friendly (1915-1998) was the single most important
personality in news and public affairs programming during the first
four decades of American television. Portrayed by George Clooney in
the film "Good Night and Good Luck," Friendly, together with Edward
R. Murrow, invented the television documentary format and
subsequently oversaw the birth of public television. Juggling the
roles of producer, policy maker, and teacher, Friendly had an
unprecedented impact on the development of CBS in its heyday,
wielded extensive influence at the Ford Foundation under the
presidency of McGeorge Bundy, and trained a generation of
journalists at Columbia University during a tumultuous period of
student revolt.
Ralph Engelman's biography is the first comprehensive account of
Friendly's life and work. Known as a "brilliant monster," Friendly
stood at the center of television's unique response to McCarthyism,
Watergate, and the Vietnam War, and the pitched battles he fought
continue to resonate in the troubled world of television news.
Engelman's fascinating psychological portrait explores the sources
of Friendly's legendary rage and his extraordinary achievement.
Drawing on private papers and interviews with colleagues, family
members, and friends, "Friendlyvision" is the definitive story of
broadcast journalism's infamous "wild man," providing a crucial
perspective on the past and future character of American
journalism.
General
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