Chet Huntley on Journalism and His New Radio Program

NBC newscaster Chet Huntley, pictured in his office on March 31, 1967.

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This is U.P.I. audio in New York with the closed circuit announcement from ode earlier we would suggest that you please record this for appropriate persons later listening. We will roll this tape announcement five seconds from Mark this is T. well at New York What follows is a closed circuit announcement for all stations on the audio network we have acquired radio syndication rights to a new radio and television program being put together by Chad Huntly for horizon communications I'll let him tell you about it had occurred to me that we might try to lay out the process they are on the ground rules if you please of these I think pieces I'm going to do arise and communications five days a week beginning September seventh. I'm a broadcaster and I think the word as well DAB did the arrive of course and the old husband Ray of throwing seed to the way and before that I was a mechanical speed drills I see them fall to the ground in the hope that some of them would ultimately germinate and produce an abundant harvest. The development of this calling our trade news broadcasting has taken about thirty five to forty years. And I think the American audience in all its internal wisdom has put us in our proper niche over those years. Today I am certain that a majority of the American people want us and the expect us to be broadcasters of information and ideas Thank heaven we are not accepted as little gods or the final authorities on any subject that I know are ours or the everlasting soundso the wisdom but rather these ideas and this information all of it is accepted mulled over weighed tested considered sometimes rejected sometimes put aside for further consideration and it seems to me that it works well. I'm not at all sure that there's anything really so complicated about the trade of journalism I think we might look upon it as an artless art it is simply the process of distributing true and accurate information of what is going on and what is being said circulating and pointing to the ideas that are current in the marketplace good ones and sometimes some foolish ones. Sure I suppose a bit of skill and experience and wisdom are required frequently in this process of distributing information and ideas because men do have a deplorable habit of saying one thing and doing another are in April a bad habit of not saying all of it or not saying it well. And frequently I am sure a very platitudinous statement or a most developed meant that you might otherwise overlook is the signal for something forthcoming which could be most significant So to translate these obscure statements and developments to interpret them and to extract from them their full and complete value or meaning that is another part they like tronic journalism one final thing I long ago began to. SU all those words which have sometimes complicated my trade editorializing analyzing commenting observing reporting and all the others I think they create confusion and I would offer for your consideration I think a better word judgment judgment by the very nature of our profession I am sure we are required to do as much reading as anyone I know we have to hold our license. And over the thirty five years in this trade I don't know how many million miles I have logged and I've been in most of the countries of the world so we do travel a bit and furthermore it is our function to maintain a lively sense of curiosity and inquisitive because it is nest to ask questions and to listen carefully so in view of all of these things I think therefore occasionally it is the function of a journalist electrifies his judgment about a particular statement in the news or a particular development so our judgment if you please your is to consider way to test things over even reject Now I think it is time for me to go to the desk and do a sample piece that we will start doing in September for horizon. This is Chad Huntly in scores of offices in the chambers and lobbies in the halls of Washington and on several hundred college campuses throughout the country there's been an outbreak of intense student political activity in the past few days more on that in just a moment after this message. In sick one minute commercial. College youngsters are not making an effort to work within one play call list system to see if I can band our shape into their will do any degree they're going to campaign in behalf of senators and congressman and state legislator ours and other officials only admire and like and do work for the defeat of course for those home they don't like so I will use organizations have been formed and presented themselves in this past week or so now one is called Project per Springs aimed at bringing pressure upon the Congress to support the amendments novel in the Congress which would limit federal monies for operations in Indochina another New You are going to sation which has appeared in the past few days is headquartered at Princeton University and is called The Movement for a new Congress this is a rather sophisticated group it's implying a computer located up in the Hanover New Hampshire to supply the group with the voting records of all members of the Congress and the Start out of the good guys from the bad guys in advance of the election campaign later this year another group is called Students of international affairs action committee this one is set up to provide research for anti-war congressional candidates it's operating in Washington D.C. and is made up mainly of State Department personnel. Yet another group in Washington has established a congressional clearinghouse to guide and recruit students for those antiwar congressmen who may need help they share in Layer reelection efforts and in several states college students are collecting funds for the campaigns of candidates whose convictions they applaud and several colleges the graduates have taken the money which otherwise would have gone for the rental of motor boards and gowns and have donated the money for a political war chests. At this juncture of course it's impossible to tell whether the student activity is going to continue raising events on college campuses and in China has suddenly served to recruit large numbers of youngsters who were some want apathetic previously it is difficult to tell if I say whether that apathy is going to return and plan back with a closing thought in just a moment. In six thirty second commercial. The students may learn that reward for hard political work and endeavor is their frequently Senator Lima cap of Montana told me the other day that in Montana for example the posts of precinct chairman for both parties recently had to be filled and out of some one hundred fifty chairmanships for each party about half of the posts went on failed because no one bothered to file for them if the young people of that state had filed for these offices they could have wound up in control of both the political bodies of an entire state. This is gently This is Pete Willett again that basically is what we are talking about there will be five advance programs in the actual start of broadcast shows will be September fourteenth the shows are being offered on a syndication basis. They will not be part of the regular audial service I want to make that clear any station who want to write to use Mr Huntley will have to pay him for those rights through a standard syndication contract however U.P.I. audio stations are being given first crack at this in nearly all markets for some of you this will not be available markets where there are N.B.C. owned and operated radio stations are closed and there are a few markets very few where prior commitments have already been made by Mr Huntley's film syndication firm film syndication has been underway for several weeks. A program identical to the radio program will be appearing on television and film syndication for those of you who are interested in is being handled by Angie films of New York the key questions contract and cost of this program is being offered on a fifty two week basis the weekly cost is your top one time charge for a thirty second spot multiplied by two hundred one half. However we are not allowed to sell this program anywhere for less than fifteen dollars per week you can make an unlimited use of the shows during the week for which they are produced a number of you have asked me over the years why we didn't come up with a name commentator now we have the audio service has been built on the basis of its reporting on that basis only we're not changing we've entered into this arrangement with Mr Hanley because he's a fine newsman and because he has had a great deal of do with the development of the broadcast news industry. If you are interested in carrying it I hope you will let me or the U.P.I. representative you deal with know as soon as possible. Once all of the audio stations have had a chance to look this over the offer then will be extended to other stations in markets where someone has not already taken the program this and the close circuit announcement This is Pete will lead in New York.