The Known World Of Broadcast News: International News And The Electronic Media

Comedia Series editor: David Morley THE KNOWN WORLD OF BROADCAST NEWS Roger Wallis is BBC correspondent in Sweden, a journalist for Swedish radio, and a frequent contributor to National Public Radio in the US. He has covered news-making events all over the world. He is also currently completing a PhD in Mass Communications at Gothenberg University, Sweden. Stanley Baran is Head of the Theatre Arts Department, at San Jose State University, in the US. He has published numerous books and articles on the effects of the media. THE KNOWN WORLD OF BROADCAST NEWS International News and the Electronic Media Roger Wallis and Stanley J.Baran A COMEDIA book published by ROUTLEDGE London and New York A Comedia book First published in 1990 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 1990 Roger Wallis, Stanley Baran Data converted by Columns Design and Production Services Ltd, Reading All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Wallis, Roger The known world of broadcast news: international news and electronic media. 1. Television programmes. News programme I. Title II. Baran, Stanley 791.45′5 ISBN 0-203-40039-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-40082-8 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-03603-8 (hbk) 0-415-03604-6 (pbk) Contents List of illustrations vi List of figures and tables vii Preface x 1 A day in the life of the world 1 2 Broadcast news in the USA: turmoil, realignment, and restructuring of the traditional operators 17 3 The traditional news broadcasters in Britain: new establishments fighting older institutions 43 4 Medium-sized traditional operators in Europe: the example of broadcast news in Sweden 71 5 Challenging the traditional broadcasters: new players in the news game 93 6 The international news broadcasters: information, disinformation, and improvised truth 113 7 Meeting the elephant: broadcast news views the world 147 8 Which news and why? Understanding the forces that shape the news 203 Epilogue: What will we know? What should we know? Comparing broadcast news to developments in other media sectors 239 Postscript: A challenge to European traditions of broadcasting 249 Appendix 251 References 257 Index 263 v Illustrations 1 Av Westin in his office at ABC television warns colleagues in the News Division of impending days of penury 2 Head of Foreign News at CBS, Don DeCesare, surveys his section of the circular network news studio 3 Staff compiling television news bulletins at the BBC’s television centre in London work in a maze of monitors, video display terminals, and telecommunications equipment 4 The view from the BBC television news presenter’s desk. Promp