HOW TELEVISION IS WAGING A SUMMER CAMPAIGN FOR RACIAL UNDERSTANDING
By Richard K. Doan
(from TV GUIDE August 17, 1968)
If Americans by the millions wind up this summer feeling that, next to politics, the topic they’ve been deluged with on television is black-vs.-white attitudes, that will be just fine with a lot of TV people—black and white. It's exactly what they've hoped for: to make as many people as possible painfully aware of deep-seated racial biases and maybe grimly determined to outgrow them. By next month's end, at least 17 1/2 hours - most of them in prime time - will have been devoted by three networks to a concentrated TV campaign to root out U.S. racism. ABC's Time for Americans, CBS's Of Black America and NET's Black Journal may, of course, add up to a drop in the bucket as far as the massive job of unprejudicing a whole nation is concerned. Yet, who's to say what the impact of such a TV effort, measurable though it might not be, must be inconsequential?
If TV has helped promote a climate of violence, as some critics claim, is it not equally capable of helping to cool a long, hot summer? As this is written, it is too early to know how much and how well these TV programs got through to the people they needed to reach. The unpredictability of events in these days of joltingly unexpected developments rules out comfortable expectancies. But causes and motives can be examined.
what went into these TV undertakings, in the way of hopes and aims?
A strikingly common note was sounded by the individuals prominently involved: They liked to think what white America might come away acutely conscious of prejudices it wasn't aware of, and that black America might be helped in its search for identity by being shown the heritage it might not have been aware of.
The motivating idea was phrased in many ways:
CBS News president Richard S. Salant: “My own test is whether I can sleep a little better nights because we [whites at CBS] tried to do something. I want our series to penetrate the thinking of whites who haven't really paid much attention to the problem. And I want the Negro community to be able to turn its TV sets on seven times and see something that tells them the White Establishment cares.”
Stephen Fleischman, co-executive producer of ABC's series: “We’ve got first to shock people, white people, into watching. Then we’ve got to show them latent racism with which they can identify, and make them realize they’ve got these attitudes.”
Lou Potter, Negro editor of the NET programs: “I’m a big believer in one of the keys to the problem being respect. I think our Black Journal can make a strong contribution by stressing dignity for the Negro. Secondly, I hope it will blaze a trail for networks and local stations - especially local stations — to do more programming for and about the black community.”
Wardell Gaynor, Negro associate producer of the CBS project: “My friends express a lot of cynicism. They don't think these programs can say much, really. I hope we will end up saying something, something that might make them sit up and say, 'Hey, that was all right!’”
Don Dixon, NET vice president of public affairs: “We want to give whites a view of Negro life they don't see on TV. We see the Negro as a maid in a situation comedy or as a rioter in the news. But we don't see him as he really is most of the time. As for the Negroes, we want to show them the world they are part of, a world they don't see much of on TV."
Perry Wolff, executive producer of the CBS series: “We’ve got to change some attitudes. The people we've got most to move are the lower middle-class whites, We've got to show them that the Negroes aren't a monolithic slab, all alike, aŋy more than whites are all alike. We've shown too much of the Saturday-night Negro; we've got to show the Monday-morning Negro, the Tuesday Negro.”
Might all this concentration on exposing biases do much to cool Summerracial tensions? People involved doubted it but agreed with Wolff's sentiments: “I just don't want to be fiddling when Chicago burns."
The networks were mostly "fiddling" however, it has to be noted, prior to this rash of concern over boiling tensions. They had aired an occasional documentary, to be sure, but hadn't turned on a massive push. What, then, triggered it?
“Panic," replied ABC's Fleischman in candor. “Just plain panic.” Others preferred, though, to trace it to the Kerner Commission inquiry into civil disorders and its disquieting indictment of “white racism.” Salant and his ABC News counterpart, Elmer Lower, say a three-day brainstorming session with the Kerner group last November touched off planning of these series. The final push to “do something" this summer to help ease white-vs.-black strains came, however, from the White House via Vice President Humphrey. He invited the top brass of the three commercial networks to Washington to urge them to help out. Humphrey staffers visited NET president John F. White to enlist his aid.
NBC, alone among the networks. made no plans to contribute in any special way to the summer cool-it campaign. NBC spokesmen said their contribution would come in an “urban crisis" series of four specials, the first in September, the second late in December, the last two next year.
ABC blocked out six editions of its Time for Americans, the last booked for July 29, CBS's seven Of Black America specials, all in prime time, were to be spread from July 2 through Sept. 2. NET's monthly Black Journal, started in June, was to conclude in September unless underwriting was found to continue the series.
What did Negroes taking leading on-camera roles in these bias-busting efforts think of them?
Bill Greaves of Black Journal: “It's unfortunate this sort of program should have to come to pass, but we have been the victim of white journals. If we can't have black-and-white journals, then we'll have to have black journals until this country matures, and particularly until the media people mature. . . . You bet your sweet life I agree with the Kerner report. The black man has been kept out of the mainstream of American life, and the white community has got to get on its bicycle and try to reverse this. One thing these programs may do generate enough interest by the white community in the black man's concerns to help restrain those white morons who are throwing fuel on the black community.”
George Foster, CBS correspondent: “My concern is that it's possible to do a show like this without it being relevant, without it making a difference. I feel people are honestly tired of the racial strife and they're looking for answers. I hope to some degree that our programs will at least aim people in the direction of answers. Television has been far too nonconmittal. I think people have had enough of this. They want strong statements. I must say I admire George Wallace in a way because he's making a strong statement for his side. We’ve got to make strong statements for our side, too.”
END
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