By: T.R. Slyder, TRSlyder@yahoo.com
One thing I haven't heard about Walter Cronkite yet is his similarity to Johnny Carson.
They will forever be historically similar (whether history pairs them or not) as the last famous men to be the only show in town in their respective fields.
Cronkite WAS the news back then. Him and your local newspaper, and maybe the your local news, was the only news you knew. Oh, and maybe the odd magazine you picked up. Such news bottle-necking will never again be repeated. The internet and cable news have ensured that. But it wasn't just that he was the only show in town- he was also phenomenal at his job. If he were on today, he'd still be a success, there would just be other options, and the nation's conscious wouldn't run through him alone.
Johnny Carson was the same. He was the only show in town. Back then there wasn't a comedy central, or the internet, or comedy DVDs, or even Comedy VHS. There wasn't much political comedy at the time, and if Carson wasn't acting as the nation's satirical watchdog, who was? No one else was doing the kind of show that he was doing. Furthermore, he had little competition. If you were watching TV at 10:30, he was the only entertaining show on. It wasn't that he was the only show in town per se- he was also phenomenal at his job. If he were on today, he'd still be a success, there would just be other options and the nation's conscious wouldn't run through him alone.
And that's why they'll always be linked. At least to me.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Walter Cronkite
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Also important to note that J. Car. and W. Cron were the end all be all in getting a career legitimized. If a comedian did a segment on the Tonight Show, he/she had arrived. If a politician was running for national office, had to be interviewed by Cronkite. With all the technology and tv shows in existence, there isn't going to be a definitive platform that announces an individual has arrived like these two men's shows did.
Post a Comment