THE PROBLEMS AND mamas or nocumsmm Paanuc'nou AT WOOD-TV, GRAND amps THESIS FOR ME DEGREE 0F [1%. k. MEGHEGAN STATE UNIVERSITY NELDA BA. SHIGK I 9 6 9 L I B R A R Y Mic' Ligan Stave University 7thli THE PROBLEMS AND PRACTICES OF DOCUMENTARY \ PRODUCTION AT WOOD-TV. GRAND RAPIDS BY -Nelda M. Stuck Television documentary production in the United States has been increasing since the early 19603, particularly on the network level. However, many stations in the medium- sized markets have been reluctant to produce documentaries on a frequent and regular basis. This thesis addressed it- self to a study of some of the pertinent problems and prac- tices of documentary production in a medium-sized-market television station. The writer hOped to identify some of the problems which might be encountered in the production of documentaries in comparable stations. WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, Michigan, was selected for study. This station emphasizes news programming and produces docu- mentaries at frequent intervals. The author interviewed WOOD-TV personnel and documentary sponsors. In addition, she 'reviewed eight WOOD documentary films produced 1967 through 1969. The background and purposes, approaches. problems. and reactiOns to these eight programs were discussed. I i I Nelda M. Stuck The study of WOOD-TV documentaries was most fruitful. The major findings of the study include: 1) Although WOOD-TV management had encouraged documen- tary production on a regular basis since 1965, a successful combination of elements for production was not found until , 5"".‘April, 1968 . 2) Since 1968, WOod-TV documentaries have had ample sponsorship., Two Grand Rapids banks have competed to sponsor the programs. WOOD-TV, however, is willing and able to pro- duce documentaries unsponsored if necessary to carry out what management feels is their broadcasting responsibility. 5) The WOOD-TV documentary unit of three men is salaried under the news department budget, but operates as an autono- mous unit. 4) Learning from experience, WOOD-TV personnel recognize that documentaries in the medium-sized market are subject to economic and geographic limitations, if such are to be suc- cessful. Grandiose films produced in distant locals are now felt to be beyond the limits of practicality for the station. 5) The WOOD-TV documentary unit seeks a local angle for production--the more local the subject matter, the more successful the documentary. ' ‘1 6) WOOD-TV seeks "balance" in documentary films, that is, a fair presentation of the issues at hand, but recognizes that stations have the responsibility of making their views known on any particular subject. THE PROBLEMS AND PRACTICES OF DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION.AT WOOD-TV. GRAND RAPIDS BY Nelda MQ{Stuck A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Television.and.Radio 1969 .I‘IE .I' .9" Accepted by the faculty of the Department of Television and Radio, College of Communication Arts, Michigan State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. (2.12.4 (4% ,Director of Thesis ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author is most grateful to Mr. Roderick D. Rightmire, thesis academic advisor, for his many kindnesses extended the writer. Especially does she wish to acknowledge his counsel- ing whereby the thesis was narrowed in sc0pe to specific objectives. .Also, through him, introduction to personnel of WOOD-TV were made. Immeasurable appreciation is expressed to members of WOOD Broadcasting Company whose interest in the project and hospitality made the thesis research an enjoyable task; to ‘Mr. Herbert A. Thurman, who not only spent hours relating the problems-and practices of his department but who also arranged for all the documentaries-which were produced under him (all of which were available only on video tape) to be viewed through the WOOD-TV color closed circuit system, and who smoothed the way for other related interviews; to Mr. Willard Schroeder, vice-president of Time-Life Broadcast and manager of WOOD-AM-EM-TV, who took time from a full schedule for an interview: to Mr. Richard.E. Cheverton, WOOD news director,. to members of the documentary unit and promotion department; and to Bill Gill, public relations director of Union Bank and Trust Company, Grand Rapids. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ‘ Page I. .INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Purpose of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . -1 Definition of Documentary. . . . . . . . . 2 -WOrking Definition of Documentary. . . . . 5 Background of Documentary Films. . . . . . 6 The Documentary on Television. . . . . . . 9 Some Documentary Concepts. . . . . . . . . .15 II o ' mOD-TV' GRAND RAPIDS o o o o e o o o o o o o -17 Station Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Deve10pment of the News Department . . . . 20 DevelOpment of the Documentary Unit. . . . 22 Role of Documentaries at WOOD‘TV . . . . . 53 Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 III. .RECENT WOOD DOCUMENTARIES . . . . . . . . . . 66 "Close-up: George Romney" . . . . . 66 ~"Tell it Like it is: Black Grand Rapids Speaks" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 "House Upon a Rock". . . . . . . . . . .'. 74 -”My Bac-Si Swanson". . . . . . . . . . . . 77 ”New Style in the Statehouse". . . . .-. . 77 "watchdog Comptroller, Yes or No?" . . . . 85 "The Quiet Majority" . . . . . . . . . . . 87 "An Atlantic Adventure". . . . . . . . . 87 "Student Revolt and Jim Dukarm". . . . . . 91 "Right Here in Grand Rapids" . . . . . . . 95 "The Quest". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 "Deadline 1990". . . . . . ... . . . . . . 100 Pr0posed Documentaries . . . . . . . . . . 103 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued CHAPTER -Sponsorship . . . . . . . . Promotion . . . . . . . . . V. -CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . Elements for Success. . . . Future Trend in Documentary Production at WOOD -TV 0 O O O O O O O O .Evaluation-and Implications BIBLIOGRAPHY... .. Page 105 .105 -115 .119 .120 .122 .124 .128 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Broadcasters at the network level produce manykdocumen-z~ taries which are artistic and financial successes. Also, stations in the major markets take pride in the number of documentaries they are able to produce. But stations in the medium-sized markets often lack the funds or initiative or talent to produce documentaries on themes and problems of importance to viewers in their markets. Why are these medium-sized markets often reluctant or unable to produce documentaries regularly? Seemingly, the stumbling blocks 4 could be easily and economically overcome. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the practices - and problems in planning and producing documentaries at a medium-sized-market station that was producing documentaries ~f”on a fairly regular and successful basis. In looking closely at the procedures used in documentary production at such a station, some helpful guidelines might be drawn which could prove beneficial to stations which now avoid facing up to the problems of documentary production. y ‘ ,‘. x.‘ .In recent months, a successful medium-sized-market station in out-state Michigan in the news-documentary field has been.WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids. ~As a subsidiary of a news- oriented corporation,-Time-Life Broadcast, WOOD-TV has ‘increasingly emphasized the importance of news and public affairs in.its total programming. .Now after several bleak documentary_years and two abortive attempts to produce docu- mentaries on a regular basis, WOOD appears to have found a i . successful combination of elements for documentary production. Definition of Documentary "Documentary," as used at WOOD-TV, is a term that has evolved through years of cinema and television film produc- tion. 'Documentary films, according to the Academy of S'Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are defined as those deal- ing with significant historical, social, scientific, or economic subjects, either photographs in actual occurrence or re-enacted, and where the emphasis is more on factual :’content than on entertainment.1 John Grierson first brought the word documentary into modern usage when he adapted it from the French documentairg. 1Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rule 12, Section One: Special Rules of Documentary Awards. A. William Bluem, Documentar in.American Television (New Ybrk: pHastings~House, Publishers, 1965 , p. 55. and employed it to describe a certain idea and concept in human communication.2 The word implies the presentation of socially useful information to a public. ,From such informa- tion comes knowledge, and from knowledge is deriVed the understanding which can lead to societal action. -Documen- taries seek to initiate a process which culminates in public action by presenting information and by making this presenta- tion persuasive. They seek to inform, but above all, to influence.3 Years ago Grierson had defined documentary as "creative treatment of actuality." In this decade the word has new concepts: Today the term has come to refer to a far wider range of films than its originator intended. .The purists rebel and remind us of the original definition. But language is a live, changing thing, and when a word becomes pOpularized and used by all and sundry, no power can stOp it subtly changing and acquiring, as in this case, a wider meaning. .'Factual film' is a more correct description of many of the films described today as 'documentary." .At the first regular forum of the New YOrk chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences devoted to television documentary, Lou Hazam reported that Pare Lorentz once defined the documentary as 'the dramatic presentation of factual material.‘ That's a pretty broad term. -With that definition you could 'ZIbid., p. 9. 3122-: p--14- ‘W. Hugh Baddeley, The Technique of Documentar Film u Production (New“YOrk: Hastings House, Publishers,-19635, p. 9. take Cary Grant into a Hollywood studio and, on an ersatz set, dramatically present factual material. I would like to try this one: 'A documentary is a dramatic presentation of factual material made on location where the events-are happening or have hap- pened and the peOple concerned (or their equivalent) are doing what comes naturally.‘8 Gloria waldron in a report on information films defined documentary as including all factual and information films. .Originally 'documentary film' meant a film that por- trayed real pe0ple in real social situations: 'Nanook of the North,‘ 'The City,‘ 'The River,‘ 'Night Mail,‘ 'Song of Ceylon,‘ and 'The Plough That Broke the Plains' are fine examples of true documentary. John Grierson . . . is the father of the term and did a great deal in England and Canada to pioneer the use of the documentary technique.° Robinson suggested documentary can have two aims: either it can describe or explain, in factual terms, the phenomena of contemporary life (the expository documentary), or it can express an attitude, formulate a view, enrich pe0ple's ways of thinking and feeling. .It can in fact help them to interpret that life.7 Grierson felt that "the democratic idea, after all, demands no more than that the affairs of our time shall be brought to the screen in any fashion which strikes the 5Lou Hazam, Appendix I, A. William Bluem' 3 Documentary In American Television, p. 260. °Gloria Waldron, The Infbrmation Film (New’York: Columbia University Press, 1949), p. 22. 7David Robinson, "Looking for Documentary: The Ones that Got Away,” Sight and Sound, XXVII (Autumn, 1957), p. '71. 5 ‘ ‘- \ imagination and.makes observation a little richer than it was."8 .WOrkinngefinition offpocumentary ,For the purposes of this television study, a more limited definition of documentary films seems desirable. «"Documentary" is an edited taped or filmed news or public affairs program which broadcasts socially useful information..‘ -Excluded from this are hard news, regularly scheduled accounts of day-to-day developments, panel discussions, and interview programs. .The documentary can be basically-informative, it can seek to persuade, or it can initiate a process which culminates in public action for social change. Documentary as defined above refers to film content. — However, the word also can refer to film form, i;g;, applying the techniques of news and public affairs documentary films to subjects of a less ponderous nature. While these films using documentary form are basically informative, their main purpose is either entertainment or presentation of informa-. tion without the element of persuasion. -With one exception (a sailing film) the WOOD-TV docu- mentaries discussed herein relate to "documentary content." 9Edgar E. Willis, writing Television and Radio Programs (New'York: -Holt, Rinehart and‘Winston, Inc., 1967), p. 237. Background of Documentary Films .The first important demonstration of the photographer's role in influencing social change took place 100 years ago when William Henry Jackson in 1872 took pictures of Old Faithful and submitted them as evidence in the successful fight to establish Yellowstone National Park.9 But Robert Flaherty is considered the father of docu- mentary films. The whole movement had its origins in Flaherty's film, "Nanook of the North." Sponsored by a fur company, in 1922, it was the first American film to use documentary technique throughout.1° However, Flaherty's was a personal technique rather than.a "cause," more.documentary form than content. .In the early days of documentaries, there was a good deal of dispute between the "aesthetes" and the "documentar- \ . ians," between those who were primarily concerned with film .as art and an instrument of subjective experience, and those who saw film as the portrayer of social reality. .Some over- emphasized the intellectual aspects of film. Occasionally aesthetes-and documentarians overlooked the necessity for 'intellectual objectivity and clear, hard thinking.n 9Bluem, p. 18. 1°Waldron, p . .18 . 11;bid., p. 44. Grierson was influenced by a conclusion Walter Lippman had made--that because the citizen under modern conditions could not know everything about everything all the time, democratic citizenship was therefore impossible. "we set to thinking how a dramatic apprehension of the modern scene might solve the problem, and we turned to the new wide-reaching instruments of radio and cinema as necessary instruments in both the practice of government and the enjoyment of citizen- ship,“ he wrote.12 Paul Rotha says that in the beginning days of documentary films, mainly because of the sheer lack of money needed fOr good technical facilities, "we had to make do with the most primitive equipment and a minimum allowance of filmstock, and public transport was the rule for travel." Only imagi- nation and improvization saved them.“-3 The depression of the 19303 was, in one aspect, a rich periOd for documentary growth. .It was a time of social con- cern when documentarists found important areas on which to make significant comment. "The PIOW'that Broke the Plains") and "The River," produced for the Resettlement Administration .in 1936, were the first American films to present ideas in a visual, emotion-provoking form of documentary to arouse lzJohn Grierson, Grierson on Documentar (rev. ed.: _London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1966 ,.p..207. 1aBaddeley, p. a. community action.“ These films of social reconstruction and the growing points thereof became a powerful force for the public good. They found their place in the cinemas; they had a vast audience outside the cinemas: they were attracting more and more attention and prestige abroad.15 _After the social unrest in the Thirties came WOrld.War II, and documentarists began to extoll the virtues of democracy instead of excoriating its.imperfectures.1° 0n almost every side, documentary was deliberately allowed to avoid the existence of the human being as the main factor in civilization, wrote Paul Rotha.17 Grierson pointed out that, in addition, obstacle after obstacle impeded the documentary film whenever it set itself \ to performing a public service. "Sometimes it came in the cry of the censor that the screen was-to be kept free of what was called 'controversy."'18 Grierson's statement would serve to prophesy one problem ”in present television documentary production--fear of inter- ference from FCC, from sponsor, and from overcautious manage- ment. 1‘Irving Jacoby, Foreword, Ideas on Film, ed. by Cecile Starr (New Ybrk: Funk and wagnalls Co., 1951), p. xv. lsGrierson, p. 216. 19Arthur Knight, The Decline of Documentary," Saturday Review, XLVI, No. 13 (March 30, 1963)» p. 35. .17 = _ . Paul Rotha, Documentar Film (3d ed.: London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1952), p..111. . 19Grierson, p. 216. The Documentary«gn»Television The documentary was an art when television was still a laboratory phenomenon,19 but without television, the docu- mentary might be of slight importance in this day and age. The relationship between documentary films and tele- vision is something like the lion being saved by the mouse whose life he had earlier spared. After many lean years in the cinema theaters, the documentary found lifesaving new outlets when television appeared on the scene. .Television saved the documentary and now documentaries.are carrying a heavy share of the load of keeping television vital. .Television gave documentary two essentials it waslack- ing--a vast audience and enough money for production. ,It' also gave documentary a good deal of artistic freedom.2° For a few stations, the warning that those producing documentaries at the local level must either "dare and lead-- or forget it" has offered the easy alternative. eThey have forgotten it.'-A 1960 Television Information Office inventory of local-level public affairs programming, based on a survey of 562 stations then on the air, showed that only 264 even feltsit necessary to respond. Of 1,038 programs included in ,the final report, 83 were eliminated because they were A...— - 19Benjamin Burton, "The Documentary Heritage.“ Television Quarterly, 1, No. 1 (February, 1963), p. 29. a°Benjamin Burton, preface to Bluem'sDocumentary in 'American Television, p. 7. 10 either straight news broadcasts or syndicated programs. The 264 stations therefore produced a total of 955 programs or series over an 18-month period which they themselves considered outstanding examples of public affairs efforts. While many were identified as documentaries, the great majority were lectures, interviews, and panel discussions.21 Television stations might very well have meandered along without much increased attention and emphasis to docu- mentary production had it not been for the impetus given . public service and public affairs programming by FCC Commie-- sioner Newton Minow in his ”vast wasteland" speech of 1961. .Minow‘s insistent nudging that stations present worthwhile programming may well have been the real cause of a blossoming of documentary efforts in the early '603. Bluem also noted, "An important measure of the growihg importance and impact of the local station public affairs ,program‘was the introduction in 1962 of special category / «awards for such programming into the annual recognition of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences."22 Burton had predicted 1963 as the year of the documen- taryx. Every advance indication points to an unprecedented level of factual programming by the networks and a concomitant upsurge on the local level. ~Whether the documentary will prove to be a great whale of an idea "21Bluem, p..221. 'zzlbid., p. 225. 11 or merely a "minow" in a sea of mediocrity remains to be seen. One thing is reasonably certain: a mere numerical increase in such programs will not in itself provide salvation or solution for television's ills.23 But Bluem also pointed out that two years after the \ Minow chairmancy of the FCC there were still too many Ameri- can television stations where some concept of the public weal was manifested only in a heavily sponsored half-hour or hour of news, sports, and weather each evening, and two or three overpublicized, artistically weak, and socially insig- nificant “documentaries" each year.2‘ America's television station owners were hard-pressed to find the range of talent required to produce convincing documentaries, even when they began to demonstrate a public consciousness and desire to present more informational programming.25 Many stations began to develop such special- ists within their own staffs. Television brought a "team effort" concept to produc- tion to documentaries as compared with the one-man product ewof three and four decades ago. .In the early days, with the notable exception of the "March of Time," "the documentary ' in this country generally was economically beset and susf tained chiefly by the ingenuity and dedication of its prac- tioners. A man made a film--not a company, network or 23Burton,-"The Documentary Heritage," p. 29. 2"Bluem, p. 221. 1251mm, p-176. 12 team."26 Today's documentaries are compiled by many men filming all over the world. Sponsorship has made possible the steady maturing of documentaries. As a result, cameraman no longer sit in studios and do interviews; they no longer depend on film .libraries. Researchers can be hired, locations can be sur- veyed, money is available for more films, and editors can be more selective. Such is the ideal situation. . . . Sadly enough, the quality of a television show bears a direct relation to the amount of money spent on it. There have been many demands to substitute imagination, unusual direction, fancy acting or writ- ing, for a high budget, but in my experience, there is very little leeway in trying to use these things as a substitute for money.2 But under our system for profit operation, management's . first requirement is to survive, Robert Lewis Shayon points out:‘ The widespread notion that a television license is an immediate ticket to fortune may be balanced by this statistic: According to the Federal Communications Commission, of 496 television stations Operating the full year 1959, 126 reported a loss. For the success- ful station, the quality of public affairs broadcasting varies with individual managements. Some stations have ample resources and aggressive policies. Others may be less enterprising or must husband resources and exercise unusual imagination.29 ‘2°Burton, "The Documentary Heritage," pp. 29-30. '27Charles F. Holden, ”Brass Tacks in TV Production," ‘Twenty-two Television Talks, Transcribed from BMI Clinics (New YOrk: Broadcast Music, Inc., 1953), p. 17. 25Robert Lewis Shayon, preface to Interaction. Television ,guhlic Affairs Programming . . . at the Community Level. Television Information Office (1960), p. vii. 13 Only within the last three or four years has documen- tary production on the local level actually been encouraged by management and recognized as a necessity in programming. The question asked is ”How'many of the television documen- taries we now are making will survive the test of time that Flaherty's 'Nanook,‘ 'Moana,' and 'Man of Aran' have?"29 Is surviving the test of time the important aim of tele- vision documentaries? It would appear that the television documentary's real purpose should be to come to grips with social conditiOns of the community and to effect action on our indigenous problems. Some Documentary Concept ‘1 More than any other form of expression, film has the. dramatic power to capture the imagination of those pe0ple who will not read the serious part of a newspaper and who seldom attend a public meeting, Rotha writes.3° Some kind of social usefulness is an outcome sought by all documentaries. The dissemination of such information is purposeful and meaningful in direct pr0portion to the numbers of people reached and influenced.33 One of the problems documentary film makers face is that their product must not be dull but must attract and involve peOple. 29Burton, "The Documentary Heritage," p. 33. 3°Rotha, p. 206. 'alBluem, p. 15. 14 Cyril Bennett once asked a pr0p man what he thought of the documentary they had been shooting. (He replied, "It's all very fine, but it's got nothing to do with me." Bennett wonders if we're communicating at all; are we examining ’ problems in terms viewers have experienced and not merely as intellectual arguments?32 Newton Minow charges that a broadcaster does not have‘\ a license to ruin the reputations of individuals, but he does have federal backing for an honest and thorough exami- nation of the controversial issues that confront an individual community or an entire nation.33 A controversial subject raises the problem of whether to present a balanced picture or to take only one side. The question is not one of objectivity, but responsibility, .Reuven Frank says. "Objectivity is a screen we hide behind. .It's just a word. These programs cannot be done by computer. They have to be done by people. Pe0ple must react. People who have no interest aren't worth anything at all to you."3‘ Allan Elkan says the whole art of the writer of actual- ity programs is to get the program or item to say something, 3"L’Cyril Bennett and Peter Morley, "Presenting Actuality," Television: The Creative Experience, A Survey of Anglo- _Americanygrogre§§, ed. A. William Bluem and Roger Manvell (New YOrk: Hastings House, Publishers, 1967), p. 220. 33Newton N.-Minow, E ual Time Thegrivate Broadcaster and the Public Interest (New YOrk: Atheneum, 1964), p. 120. 34ReuvenFrank, quoted by Bluem, Documentary in American Television, p..104. 15 to make a point.35 Having made the investigation, and being satisfied that it has been done thoroughly and fairly, then I think it is the responsibility of the producer to draw con- clusions from the information. I do not think it is 'right to be a professional fence-sitter: no one in life is like this. . . . Having drawn some conclusion, I think one's view and conclusion should be evident from the program and should not be disguised.3° Hugh Baddeley claims it is very seldom possible to pro- duce a successful film for more than one type of audience. Two points must be considered in preparing the treatment: what is the purpose of the film and fOr what audience is it intended?37 Conviction on the part of the documentary creator is one element for success. .In the "See it Now" series, Edward R. Murrow noted that most of the good writing was done by professionals ad-libbing what they knew and believed. Under the pressure of the moment and armed with the conviction born of conflict, they composed compelling literature, Murrow said.38 Lack of money should not necessarily mean local-level documentary production is impossible. Bluem reports that even though "CBS Reports" was budgeted fbr $100,000, one of 35_.Allan Elkan, "Scripting Actuality Television," Sight and Sound, XXVII (Winter, 1957-18), p. 121. 39Tim Hewat,.quoted by Norman Swallow, Factual Television (New'YOrk:, Hastings House, Publishers,.1966), p. 87. '37Baddeley, p..14. '39Bluem, Documentary in4American Television, p. 96. 16 the finest studies on a local community problem, entitled “Urbandale, U.S.A.f'was completed by WMSBdTV, East Lansing, Michigan, for $150.39 I Arthur Barron wonders why there are not today more docu- mentaries that are "personal films," iygyJ'the total creation of one man. He says that the union hang-up might be part of the trouble, but "the FCC, I suppose, is another reason why personal films aren't made.”4° A station must inform on the vital issues of the day, which is quite a task in itself, he says. However, at this point in local docu- mentary production, the personal film appears to have no place. The stations do not have the time nor talent for ’this luxury. Documentary units are barely keeping their heads above the basic pressures of production, it seems. ‘ ‘\ Our very familiarity with everyday surroundings pro- hibits us from fOrming a true estimate of them. That is why the documentary film has an important purpose to fulfill in bringing to life familiar things and pe0ple so that their place in the scheme of things which we call society may be honestly assessed.“1 39Ibid., p. 222. -‘°Arthur Barron, "Toward New Goals in Documentary,“ Film Library Quarterly, II, No..1 (Winter, 1968-1969), p. 22. °1Rotha, p. 26. CHAPTER II WOOD+TV, GRAND RAPIDS Station Growth Grand Rapids, settled by Hollanders, is the county ' seat for Kent County and the home of more than 800 manufactur- ing-concerns, the most famous of which produce furniture. .Every crop grown in Michigan (except sugar beets) is grown in Kent County, and the fruit industry is a multi-million dollar business. Grand Rapids, an AlleAmerican City in 1960, has an.art museum, a public museum with planetarium, a symphony orchestra in its 4lst year, a community concert series, a civic theater, and a zoo. .The city and county support three accredited four-year colleges (Grand Valley State, Aquinas, and Calvin) in addition to Grand Rapids Junior College.‘ WOOD began broadcasting in.1924 as WEBK, the first regu- lar commercial radio station in Grand Rapids. Late in 1925 their financial backers--Furniture Manufacturers Association 1"Greater Grand Rapids for Business and Pleasure," erhamber of Commerce pamphlet, 1953, 17' ‘fifi. .--,.~_-__,__—1_ -'—.—_v ._. - .-’.. 18 of Grand Rapids--requested a change of call letters to the more significant and easily remembered WOOD.2 In 1933, the owners of WOOD and WASH, in a joint transaction, leased operation of their radio stations to Kinngrendle Broadcasting Company, Incorporated, of Detroit.3 ,WOOD-WASH was Grand Rapids' only radio station .- . 5 ’ ,_..v*" H, t |{' until September 1940 when WLAV came into existence. King and Trendle owned and operated the WOOD Broadcast- ing Company until May, 1946, when they announced the sale of WOOD and WXYZ in Detroit for $3,650,000 to American Broad- casting Company, Incorporated, then newly formed. But the FCC refused approval of the sale,.and WOOD was finally pur- chased in May, 1948, by Harry M. Bitner, owner of radio stations in Indianapolis and Evansville, Indiana. Bitner applied to the FCC for a commercial television station license on.August 5, 1948, but ran into the FCC allocation freeze. After waiting until 1951 in vain, he finally bought WLAVHAM‘TV'I television license and station .and WOODHTV began broadcasting on channel 7 on October 19, .1951.‘ ‘aJoseph D. Graziano, "Local News Operations of WOOD-TV." Unpublished Master's Thesis,.School of.Journalism, Michigan State University (1961), p. 9. , 31bide' P..10. ‘ ‘Ibide 1., pp 0 - 16.17 s 19 Time, Incorporated, purchased.WOOD-AM-TV along with . six other radio-television stations on May 23, 1957, and created Time-Life Broadcast, Incorporated, as a subsidiary. In addition to WOOD-AM-FM-TV, Grand-Rapids‘ (NBC affiliate), , the other Time-Life television stations are: WFBMeAM-FMeTV, Indianapolis, Indiana (NBC): KLZnAM-FMrTV, Denver, Colorado (css); KOGO-AM-FM-TV, San Diego, California (NBC):-KERO-TV, Bakersfield, California (UHF, NBC). Until 1962, WOOD—TV's only competition was WKZO, Kalamazoo, which began broadcasting June 1, 1950. 1 .'w__—. In 1962, WZZM, channel 13 (ABC affiliate) began broad- casting in Grand Rapids. Today, although the strong CBS programming of WKZO-TV provides network competition for WOOD, the local news programming of WZZM offers more competition to WOOD news.5 WOOD promotes Grand Rapids as the 36th largest market, according to the listing oqureas of Dominant Influence (ADI).° The Grand Rapids Metro area includes 514,800 persons; the i Kalamazoo Metro Area has a p0pulation of 191,200. .These two 1 prime markets together with other cities and rural areas provide a total of 400,670 in the Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo ADI. 5Interview'with‘Willard‘Schroeder, vice-president of Time-Life, Incorporated, and general manager of WOOD, August ; 26.-1969. . °Based on Standard.Rate and Data Service, January-1, 1968, Consumer Market Data estimates and latest American Research Bureau-County ADI assignments. 20 Of these, 96.3%, or 385,990 are television households.7 Other cities in Grade-A range include Battle Creek, Lansing, and the southeast outskirts of Muskegon.. -Approximate average prime time viewing figures for documentaries on WOOD-TV are 72,000 viewers, 5,800 house- holds.8 .DeveloEment of the News Department At.WOODeTV, the documentary unit is an.integral part of the news department. The documentary staff salaries are, budgeted under news, and the working rapport is close, even though a growing spirit of independence exists in a three- man documentary unit. The WOOD-TV news department has had only two directors since the station began telecasting.in 1951. .Robert N. .Runyon was hired in.1949, and the department consisted of one "rip and read" news announcer. When WOOD-TV came on the .air in October, 1951,.a second reporter and a reporter- cinematographer were hired.9 The station's.management'urgedweditorials from‘theu news department, but Runyon preferred depth reporting of ’r 7Spot Television Rates and Data, LI, No. 5 (Skokie, Illinois:. Standard Rate and Data Service, Inc., May 15, ,1969), pp. 25, 37, -‘ ' ‘BWOODQTV‘promotion.department. 9Graziano,.p..21. majo: place in 15 at ML in Er he 16 Other tisir launc Harbc years direc Mason direc organ deve] also out 1' had a arid F 21 major local news stories. No other major changes took place until Richard E. Cheverton took over as news director in.1955.1° Cheverton was born in Joliet, Illinois, and educated at Muscatine Junior College and Monmouth College, majoring in English. .Lacking two credits, and running out of money, he left college for a job on a Bronx, New‘York, weekly paper. Other jobs included one with a Newport News, Virginia, adver- tising weekly, reporting on EM, and editing the newly- 'launched 2! Sunday supplement, Parade. Following Pearl ‘Harbor, Cheverton served in the Navy for three and a half years. After the war he joined KWPC, Muscatine, as news director and then moved to Iowa's KWCR, cedar Rapids, KRIB, Mason City, and WMT, Cedar Rapids, each time as news director.11 Cheverton joined WOOD in 1955. "The station had no organized schedule of newscasts, only two cameras, no develOping equipment, one motion picture photographer who also covered news, and an office boy who sometimes helped out in the news department,“ according to Cheverton. ."we had.a man and.a half."12 "Most of the dramatic changes in theory, philosophy, land practice in news has occurred since 1960," Cheverton 1°Ibid., p. 22. -111bid., p..24. 12;bi . 22 said. The old traditional "beats" were discarded and new areas of interest substituted. In addition, the immense problems of education were beginning to be noticed follow- -ing years of ignoring the affairs in the ghettos and minority communities. Total news coverage increased greatly until WOOD began producing the 90-minute 6 p.m. news program July-1.1968.13 In 14 years as news director,7Cheverton has' .seen the department expand to 24 members, including the -documentary department.1‘ Development of the Documentary Unit .During the early part of the 1960's little thought was given to documentary production at WOOD-TV. The situation .was typical of stations in medium-sized markets across the country. Since television was new, audiences sought enter- tainment and shunned factual shows. fIn the initial stages the "audience was unsophisticated and Milton Berle was ginger-peachy."15 Those interviewed for this study at WOOD were not able _to recall any documentaries dating as far back as the early 13Letter from Richard E. Cheverton, WOOD news director, September.17, 1969. . 1,‘Cheverton interview, August 26..1969- 1RSchroeder interview, August 26, 1969. ” 23 '60s.‘° However, one program which bordered on our working definition of documentary, “The wasted world," was dis- cussed in a 1961 thesis on WOOD news operations.17 Thus, locally-produced “news specials“ were not totally unknown at that time. "The wasted Wbrld," presented in prime time on March 15, 1960, was a half-hour program of slides and edited tape obtained by WOOD reporter Del Blumenshine dur- ing a 10-day foray into Grand Rapids' "bums-row.“ Cheverton introduced the show, and announcer Alex Dillingham and Blumenshine discussed the situation on lower Monroe Street. Due to adverse lighting conditions, only 22 of the 35 slides Blumenshine took during the 10 days could be used, but four and a half hours of tape were edited to 17 minutes for the show, .For his work Blumenshine received a special RTNDA citation, the Grand.Rapids mayor praised.WOOD*TV for its coverage of the problem,-and appropriate civic commit- tees were set up to c0pe with such concerns as sanitation .in the flophouses. .In 1961 came FCC Chairman Minow's indictment of the television industry for its poor use of broadcasting. .After network television initiated the trend to documentary pro- duction and documentaries on the national level began to 3"’Perhaps the reason is that no news specials or docu- mentaries on tape or film completed in the "black and white era" of’WOODJTV exist in the files. .No documentary completed more than two years ago was available fer viewing and study for this paper.. 17Graziano, pp. 60-64. 24 prove they could make money and draw audiences, interest in production on the local level began to increase. .No doubt, an early impetus to the production of docu- mentaries at WOOD (in addition to the already mentioned news-oriented atmosphere) was the result of a survey com- missioned by the station and completed by the Communications Research Center of Michigan State University in.1962. .Until that time WOOD held a monopoly in the television market in Grand Rapids, but WZZM-TV, channel.13, was nearly ready to begin broadcasting. "we wanted insight into what pe0ple felt about WOOD before getting clobbered.by our competition," Schroeder says.18 The survey studied three general groups of viewers: 1) civic leaders, 2) general adult public,.and 3) WOODATV advertisers.19 .Each respondent was asked to evaluate a list of programs carried by WOODdTV and WKZO-TV (CBS affiliate) as to which programs he and his family would like to see on the new channel coming to the Grand Rapids.area. .Given six categories (children's, men's, women's, popular entertain- ment, quality,.and local programs), all types said they wanted to watch the quality programs. .Combining the three types of respondents, the results indicated all types J'BSchroeder interview, August 26, 1969. laMalcolm’s. MacLean, or»: Thomas Danbury: Jack G. Prather. A"Varieties of Public Images of WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids," Part I, Television Program Preferences-vapologies, mimeographed stud , Communications Research Center, Michigan State University. October, 1962)., ' H 25 generally wanted to watch: .David Brinkley's Journal--David Brinkley presents news documentaries and features of places around the world. .Eyewitness to History--film documentaries of great moments in current history. .Armstrong Circle Theater--dramatized documentaries on timely subjects. DuPont Show - Drama--special dramatic and documentary productions with varied subject matter. .In addition, group "A“ included in second place "CBS Reports"--news documentaries on current explorations in the sea, on land, and in.apace. The MSU study also indicated reasons respondents might have for naming “high quality" programs as those they would like to view on a new channel when viewer rating surveys usually indicate preference for pure entertainment programs. -Despite the reasons, no station could overlook the strong indication that local viewers were interested in documentary programs. The drive to today's level of documentary production began to pick up some motion. WOOD's heart was in.it, but somehow personnel and structure brought only confusion. News Director Cheverton says, "we never really got into 'the documentary business. Like Topsy, it just grew. We'd assign a newsman to film a subject and turn out one or two documentaries a year. .There was no planning or fOresight." Under this system, an extraordinary amount of time was re- quired to put.a documentary together. “Ideas went by the board as no one had time during the news crises to work on “any documentary on the subject. .The quality of early *—_ 26 ’documentaries-might best be indicated by Cheverton's off- hand comment: -“I don't remember any of them."2° Four or five years ago the station felt they should be producing more documentaries. .Jeff B. Davis, a member of the continuity department (no longer with WOOD-TV), was made available for documentary production under the program .department in an.infOrmalarrangement. .Since equipment was not assigned to him, he rented his cameras by the job. The photographer who was hired was described as having come "out of the east," as though his ideas on filming documen- taries were strange and incompatible with WOODHTV conceptions. Cheverton objected to the expensive double sound system used at the time and the “slow, very arty" way of doing things.21 Schroeder also indicated the problem faced at that time: "In.an increasing number of stations, the documentary unit is separate. .Documentary personnel don't have the pre§sures .that news and programming staff members have--to be on the . air at a certain time. Ybu take deadlines off people and they procrastinate till they drive you to drink."22 .Documentary production was then organized in 1966 under Cheverton's news department with Armond Nobel in charge. '.Management anticipated a minimum of six documentaries a year, 2°Cheverton interview, August 13, 1969. '311bid. 328chroeder interview, August 26, 1969. 27 . ‘ .‘- but it appears that the documentary people only managed to come up with one film now and then. Cheverton says one problem was the emphasis on pro- duction rather than content. He described the documentaries as innocuous. The subjects concerned local level problems, but the "right formula" was lacking. "To make a documentary gel, you need the right combination. .Before you shoot film, you've got to know where you're going." One problem at the time was that the station didn't have anyone with enough experience in the documentary field to recognize and solve the difficulties.23 ' WOODdTV was only reacting to deve10pingsubjects rather than initiating ideas and programs. One example Schroeder gave was a documentary "that was thrown at us" on the airport controversy. The problem was whether the airport should be ”71) left at its 28th street location, 2) constructed on a new site west of town in order to serve a tri-city area, or 3) be constructed on a site southeast of town to serve Kent County. The documentary "pulled information" from peOple and the production was a pretty good one, but the objection' _was that the film presented only a reaction to a developing subject and "not something we set up."2‘ 23Cheverton interview, August 13, 1969. a"Schroeder interview, AUQUStZGr‘1969° 28 Other examples of “reacting, not initiating" were documentaries on a Grand Rapids orthOpedic surgeon, Dr. Al Swanson, who spent time helping civilians in Vietnam. Although reports on the original documentary con- flict, a second documentary on Swanson was aired from film by a WOOD cameraman compiled on a trip to southeast Asia. Another globeétrotting WOOD documentary was commis- sioned by a drug company and produced by the program department. The film centered on a group of doctors (including two from Grand Rapids) who were on assignment in underdeveloPed areas of India and Pakistan--a sort of pre- Peace Corps group. The drug company paid for the production ‘ 3 costs and air time and in turn were given‘a print of the I final film.23 Cheverton felt those working on documentaries were not being realistic to their limitations. One idea presented, ) to which he objected, was a study of the Amish. ,He questioned how they were going to get film of peOple who refuse to be photographed. Another idea mentioned as an example of documentary thinking at that time was "unidentified flying objects." Cheverton's reaction was "That's all right, but what do you do with UFO's unless you're lucky enough to sight one and interview the captain."2° ‘sInterview with Herbert A. Thurman, WOOD-TV documentary production chief, September 18, 1969. 39Cheverton interview, August 13, 1969. 29 With documentary production under the news department, and the desire to produce good films stronger than ever, the station finally arrived at the right combination of elements in May, 1968, when Herbert A. Thurman took over. Thurman was actually hired in February, 1968, as chief . photographer for the news department, and it was not until .May, 1968, that he was placed in charge of documentary pro- duction replacing Armond Noble who left fOr Rapid City, South Dakota. ' Thurman was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1930, and attended high school there where he was president of the camera club and photographer of the newspaper and yearbook. In.1948 he enlisted in the Air Force for four years and completed a 36-week still-photo and.a 21-week aerial-photo school near Denver. Assigned to the Air Pictorial Service, he was trans- ferred to Japan to cover the Korean campaign. The unit's responsibility was to report the major news stories in Okinawa, the Philippines, Guam, and Korea. .Among the stories -—-he covered were the Panmunjom peace talks, the B-29 raids over the Yalu River, and the change of command from Gen. Mathew Ridgway to Gen. Mark Clark. In addition to the major stories, the Air Force wanted ‘“‘40- to 45-minute films made of each base in that area. Thurman left the service as.a staff'sergeant and enrolled at Los Angeles City College and the University of Southern California where he graduated in cinematography. -—— — -—-.---a -A..\.....A-—. 4. -. ' -—,. . 4w-*-___-_ -. . 30 Subsequent employment included producing industrial Ifilms for Associated Missile Products Corporation and for Parthenon Pictures, establishing his own film company, and three years in film sales. In 1967 Thurman was with WTHI-TV and then WTWO-TV, both Terre Haute, Indiana, in the news- documentary field before joining WOOD—TV in February 1968.27 After four months as WOOD's chief photographer, Thurman was assigned to head documentary production. ."I was a one- man department,“ he said, “although in theory I had a re- porter and camera from the news staff."28 .Not until nearly a year later in April 1969.were any permanent personnel assigned to make a unit. Until that time, reporters and equipment were assigned from the news department on a tempo- arary, per-film basis. On occasions, regular news reporters would do extended work or research for the documentary department, but when their regular work suffered, they were “ i returned to their usual news beat. WAware of past problems in documentary production at WOOD, Thurman felt if they were going to be successful, they had to work in terms of getting the shows sold. "Under Herb [Thurman], things took a decided step up- ward,” Cheverton said. '“Before, none of these shows ever sold: they were a drug on the market."29 ' 27Thurman interviews, August 13, 26, 1969. 2SThurman interview, August 13, 1969. '29Cheverton interview, August 13. 1959. * 31 While some documentaries had been sponsored, the last documentary under production before Thurman took over had not. Thurman noted that his working to get the first docu- mentary sponsored was an internal job with WOOD's own sales department. Once the first show was sponsored, a major roadblock was overcome.30 A second overall problem Thurman faced was bringing documentary production into some sort of scale. .He had just completed editing the mass of film taken by WOOD in Vietnam ”’Mand felt the station was working too far afield. .He felt that productions had been too elaborate, that they had to be put on-a minimum_scale-with something to say. In other words, he aimed to cover a local area of concern, and do it I well rather than inadequately film some far-reaching place or subject. .Thurman also felt WOOD production could not hope to compete with network documentaries even though he said management liked to think that the station could be on the same footing.31 Thurman had been head of the documentary department.11 ”’months and had produced a half dozen films when, in.April, 1969, Union Bank and Trust Company contracted for a five-part ‘series on environment (see"page100) and as aresult, a WOOD dbcumentary unit was set up under Thurman's supervision. a°Thurmaninterview,,August 13, 1969. _, '311bid. 32 -Mike Ferring (who had reported on the WOOD documentary, »“New Style in the Statehouse“) was made a permanent member of the unit along with cameraman Michael Grass. -Ferring, 25, came to WOOD-TV in February,.1968. «After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1967 in political science, he worked 13 months at KCRGeTV, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as reporter, photographer, and on-air newsman.32 Grass, 24, a Grand Rapids native, was hired by WOOD in .November 1968. During four years at the University of Colorado, Boulder, he edited a monthly student newspaper and worked for a professional photographystudio doing wedding, fraternity, and modeling pictures. ~After graduation in June, .1968, with a degree in journalism anererman literature, he joineda documentary crew in the Orient. In two and a half months he visited nine countries as assistant photographer on two documentaries being produced by an independent Los Angeles company.33 Thurman started as documentary head with the confidence that management would back him. -WOOD has established a repu- tation as a news organization that understands the importance of news. .The station manager is journalistically oriented; thus the news department has more time on the air, better 34 equipment, and more manpower. General Manager Schroeder 32Interviewj-with'Mike Ferring, documentary unit news reporter, August 13, 1969. 33Interviewxwith-Michael Grass, August 26, 1969. 3‘Thurman interview, August 13, 1969. 33 says that because of his background and real interest, he is a journalist first and a businessman second.as ."Bill Schroeder and Dick Cheverton want a successful documentary unit, so I'm given free reign," Thurman summarized. Role of Documentariegyat WOOD-TV News-Editorial Presentation.--The role of the documentary -‘—film at WOOD-TV has a direct relation to the news orientation of the station, because the documentary unit is made up of newsmen, not programmers. .The productions reflect News Director Cheverton's definition of documentary as "an enlarge- ment of a news story." He adds, however, "Most documentaries are a series of editorials on a subject."36 These two con- cepts--news and editorial--figure prominently in.WOOD documentaries. Documentary Producer Thurman does not agree wholly with ~Cheverton's emphasis on documentaries being an "extension of a news story." A documentary must have a point of view, he says. Documentaries are usually about an important issue, but every documentary does not have to have total social significance, Thurman says.a7 35Schroeder interview, August 26, 1969. ‘3°Cheverton interview, August 13, 1969. 37Thurman interview, August 13, 1969. One WOOD docu-‘ mentary, "An Atlantic Adventure,"'which showed the ocean sail- boat crossing of a Grand Rapids family, was planned and presented simply for fun. 34 Documentary unit reporter Mike Ferring disagrees with Thurman. He says there is a midpoint in interpreting and "we don't cross that line to editorialize that often." He adds he would not be Opposed to doing so, however. .The unit must select an important tOpic and make a significant com- ment on it, he says.38 .WOOD General Manager Schroeder notes some distinctions between editorials and documentaries. -"A documentary can be more complex. Ybu can't be as strong on advocating a subject for a half hour as you can in a two-minute editorial," he says. Schroeder cited the example of an editorial WOOD broadcast concerning an electr0plating company that wasn't Ifimeeting its deadline on anti-pollution measures. “That made a good editorial, but it would be sheer boredom to list such companies for a half hour documentary," he says. He points out that when.Cheverton is on the air for an editorial, he will have time to effectively make only one or two crucial points. .A documentary can include many aspects, e. ., numerous facets of pollution of the GrandzRiver.39 “The best role for documentaries is that of simply informing our public and giving our view,“ Schroeder says. "For example, what is significant in the black community? Is it health, jobs, attitudes, or education? I don't see our role as a voice for the loudest militant or some senile black aSFerring interview, August 26, 1969. ‘398chroeder interview, August 26.-1959- 35 minister.“ As a journalist, Schroeder sees WOOD's news job as infOrming the community as.a whole about various seg- ments. ."Broadcasting is like the medical or legal profes- sions,“ Schroeder says. ,“The integrity of the individual is important. We have constantly tried to have better news." He sets the same role for WOOD documentaries.‘° Balance.--A word that occurs frequently in discussion of the role of the documentary at WOOD is "balance,“ a facet of content which is spoken of with a certain amount of pride at the station. But balance,.when working under the re- strictive fairness formula of the FCC, can be a misunderstood word. ‘Willard Van.Dyke comparing television documentaries today with those films of the.1930s and '40s complains that stations now "take positions, but not strong stands." He says they usually qualify their position by saying "on the other hand“ thus attempting to balance their presentations.‘1 Balance can connote the giving of equal weight to the pros and cons of a problem, as in the case of WOOD's documen-x tary, "Watchdog Comptroller,“ where three men favoring the (nty finance officer were vis-a-vis three men who Opposed him. Balance can also mean giving all factions of a problem an Opportunity to voice Opinion, whether the documentary results in a one-sided presentation or not. Thurman aimed ‘OIbid. ‘1Willard Van Dyke, Appendix I,Au‘William Bluem's Emcumentar in American Television (New York: .Hastings House, Publishers, 1965 , p. 256. 36 to give as many black factions as possible an Opportunity to speak out in “Tell it Like it is“--leaders, followers, men, women, militants, Uncle Toms. He said, "If there was any merit to the show, it was a balance between the blacks-- it wasn't militant or Uncle Tom.“ And yetThurman felt that although the black Grand Rapids documentary made the most comment of any, "we at WOOD didn't make the point, the ' ipeople did."‘2 ‘ "Tell it Like it is" was highly editorial in Cheverton's Opinion, but the editorial was from the black point of view "W““which'no one had ever bothered to get before.”3 Schroeder feels “Tell it Like it is" had better balance ethan.the national news stories and documentaries on racial M tension.“I I "New Style in the Statehouse," a biographical documen- tary on Governor-designate William.Milliken, was almost completely one-sided. A controversy was difficult to arouse' concerning Milliken since he had yet to state his plans for his administration that might cause any discontent. »The problem of balance and.partiality in a documentary isrelated to whether a television station on public airways has the responsibility or the right to express a lengthy-view ‘2Thurman interview,.August 13. 1969- “3Cheverton interview. August 13. 1969- "‘Schroeder interview, August 26, 1969. I. an. -H 3| u . .ay ' v' 1" A. I“ “)4. 37 on any subject. Not all of the documentary subjects produced under Thurman have required the expression of a point of view. "Watchdog Comptroller,“ the one film most in need of a point of view, however, did make a definite conclusion. "Harper ['Watchdog Comptroller'] is a beautiful example of why you do a documentary,” according to Cheverton.. "Here we supposedly had a.guy on a white horse against city hall. - But we knew otherwise. There wasn't time in an editorial or in.the news to tell the story. In.the show we were objective. but to make it meaningful, we had to conclude with our side.“'5 Thurman theorizes that if the documentary staff, as astute newspeOple, have done the research, then their conclu- sion should be apparent in the finished film.‘6 To inform or arguse.--Schroeder sees the role of the station as being an informer rather than an element which would arouse peOple. He adds that if the documentary does a proper job of informing the viewer, then the viewer will be aroused. “We think our viewers and listeners are smarter than the politicians and newspeOple think they are. Therefore, if we inform them on Pine River pollution, there should be some reaction.. You could get on the air and beat the drum.like a .eecommercial, but you would not get as much positive reaction as if you did an informative documentary," Schroeder says.‘7 , ‘5Cheverton interview, August 13. 1969. "5Thurman interview, August 13. 1959- ‘7Schroeder interview, August 26, 1969. 38 Making peOple think.--Documentaries have a role of being a "think piece" for the viewer. In "Student Revolt and Jim Dukarm," a film on one student's part in campus unrest, the documentary unit felt that because of the negative reaction maYbe they did get under some skin and make people think.“'8 Ferring, in striving toward this goal of making peOple think, likes to quote from Due to Circumstances Beyond Our Control . . . by Fred Friendly in which he refers to the Ford Foundation plan for public broadcasting. .Friendly had been discussing the Ford Foundation plan for public broad- casting and quoted from the London Economist: ". . . like a good Harvard examination question, it will force the Federal Communications Commission to think harder than it had planned to do.""’9 Thus, one role of WOOD documentaries would be to force viewers to think harder. Measure of success.-¥An element in the success of a documentaryfilm is whether there is a change in the situa- tion or problem which the film attempts to explore. .If the“ documentary is informational, then people should start thinking; if its purpose is to put across a point of view, then the point should be clearly stated. But success in the final outcome of the situation and producing a successful documentary are, hOpefully, not one ‘aFerring interview, August 26, 1969. ‘aFred W. Friendly, Due to Circumstances Be ond Our Control . . . (New YOrk: Random House, 1967), pp. 324-25. 39 and the same. .If such were the case, WOOD's batting average would be low, Two days after ”Tell it Like it is" was aired, racial tension broke out, four whites were beaten, and martial law'was put into effect. One week after “Watchdog Comptroller, Yes or No?" was aired, the electorate voted five to one in favor of Harper (against WOOD's premise). Thurman's view is that such a vote result "represents a significant thing even though you know you're on the losing side."5° Success cannot be measured by audience response, for (with rare exception) most responses are negative ones, accord- ing to Thurman and Ferring. “We're professionals. We know whether a show is good or not. rwe have to satisfy ourselves. If we feel we've done a good job, then it's a successful 4 'show. 'We're hard to please.”53 Success might be measured by one letter from the right person. .Thurman says a three-page letter from Judge William Frankhauser of Goldwater, some 90'miles from Grand Rapids, made the black ghetto documentary a success for him. .He adds, “'Tell it Like it is' was a success despite lack of awards."52 Awards are not the mark of a successful documentary either, according_to the film unit. Yet somehow the men know how to rank awards in importance (beginning with 5°Thurman interview, August 26, 1969. 5"Ferring-Thurman interview, August 26, 1969. 5""Thurman interview, August 26, 1969. 40 Sigma Delta Chi, Peabody, and Emmy followed by Sloan and -RTNDA).53 The problem with awards, according to Thurman, is that a station may often tailor its script and shooting to meet certain categories. Therefore, he claims he is mn‘not overly impressed with awards."5‘ Fulfill FCC regulations.-—Documentaries are one of the fundamental reasons for a station's being, according to' 'LSchroeder. .In.addition, a major role of the documentary is _‘helping a station meet the FCC regulations on public affairs programming. .Broadcasters admit that a good part of the increase in documentary production on the local level has been due to FCC regulations on public service programming. "As far as the industry is concerned, the FCC is viewed as a policy-making organization which does exert pressures on television stations to do certain kinds of programming," says Schroeder. {However, he adds that "FCC pressure is not going to make a good documentary program. YOu've got to have conviction. .Make documentaries prOperly,then your commercials and sponsors will come along."55 Schroeder contends it is not desirable for the FCC or any outside organization to set yardsticks for all stations. .He feels that the FCC which makes up regulations for the- industry as.a whole is not competent to say what WOOD in 53Thurman-Ferring interview, August 26, 1969. '5‘Ibi . 55Schroeder interview, August 26, 1969. 41 Grand Rapids should do. Schroeder feels the individual members of the FCC have backgrounds that differ so from the education and experience of broadcasting personnel that the regulations in many instances worsen the situation on public affairs broadcasting. “The majority of statiOns share my attitude,“ he said. "Many who don't just want their gross money in any given year--which is bad business on a long- term arrangement.“ Schroeder questions whether or not the FCC or Congress can improve those stations simply by apply- ing rules. He wonders if more harm than good isn't the result.56 Jim Atkins and Leo Willette also claim that the FCC ”Useems to be an unintentional enemy of the first-class docu- mentary: The FCC is not crippling locally-produced documentaries on purpose, but this federal licensing agency places 'undue,emphasis'on bulk public service programming-énot on quality. ' According to the FCC, community public service includes 'talk, discussion, and religion.’ It also includes the laboriously prepared documentary. So, by FCC standards the one-hour documentary rates the same toward license renewal as the one-hour 'discussion.' In other words, a station could air a one-hour talk with any local loudmouth who walked in off the street and be just as well-off at license renewal time.57 WOOD management is not concerned with turning out documentaries to impress the FCC. "The log looks nice on the FCC report, 56Ibid. 87Jim.Atkins,.Jr., and Leo Willette, Filmin TV News and Documentaries (Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1965), p. 131. 42 but that is not why we're doing documentaries," Schroeder says. .WOOD is influenced by the basic news orientation of parent company, Time-Life, and is encouraged in its docu- mentary production, but the station feels no pressures or requirements in their documentary programming.5° Problems Unions.--One of the problems that the WOOD documentary unit has had to face is the International Brotherhood of Electrical WOrkers contract signed this year which required that all synchronous sound film must be shot by a union sound man. -"The unions are so new, we don't know what they will do," Thurman says. .On.at least one occasion in 1969 a union man refused to run.a documentary promotion spot that had.not been dubbed by a union sOund man.59 Schroeder says the union will make no difference in documentary production other than make it a-little more costly.°° But Thurman is not so sure. “If the man is good, we want him along." However, just to take along anyone to fulfill a union contract does not appeal to Thurman. .He points to some instances where a small crew is not only preferable, but almost necessary. .The more peOple you have at the filming 5aSchroeder interview, August 26, 1969., '59Thurman interview, August 17, 1969. . 9°Schroeder interview, August 26; 1969. 43 location, the more confusion and disturbance occurs, he feels.53 Budgets.--Up to now, budgeting has not actually been a problem as the salaries have all been paid under the news budget. As the documentary department prOves it can attract and hold sponsors and is no longer regarded as an experi- mental project in infancy, budget restrictions may become more established and adhered to. w Selectivity.--Schroeder points out that documentary subject matter is as broad as the world. Thus, one of WOOD's problems is selectivity. .Most ideas originate in the news department and come out of regular reporting beats. Thurman says he gets many suggestions that he does not have time to consider. .He is Open to suggestions from all sources and has even met with groups who wanted to discuss a particular idea with him. One example was a meeting with the "Save City Hall" prOponents. (The old Grand Rapids city hall is an ancient stone building, an eyesore in Grand Rapids' new high-rise urban center. ”The'city hall is slated to be torn .down, amidst protests of various groups.) Thurman said he was willing to listen to the "Save City Hall" group, but when they could come up with no concrete plans for a use fer the building, he was no longer interested.62 6‘Thurman interview, August 26. 1959- ‘“Thurman interview, August-13, 1969. 44 While timidity does not enter in,a description of Thurman's approach to documentary subjects, he is aware that certain subjects he would like to cover would be totally unacceptable to Grand Rapids viewers. Thurman's favorite network documentary is Charles Kuralt's CBS report on "The Business of Religion," but he realizes a locally pro- duced film in a similar vein would not'be pOpular "in this Christian Reform.community.'°3 Competition.--Competition has not been a prOblem for WOOD-TV, especially competition in the documentary field. The two stations with which WOOD (NBC) competes-are WKZO~TV (channel 3, Kalamazoo (CBS). and WZZM channel 13, GrandsRapids ‘f‘”(ABC). WKZO is described as having little local advertising but reaching out for the national advertising. :Schroeder wants to have the insurance of local revenue in times-when recessions cut back national advertising (gygy, automotive). Thus, if WOOD seeks local advertisers, management.will en- courage locally produced shows, iygy, documentaries, to appeal to local buyers.°‘ Schroeder describes WKZO as “almost no competition," but says channel 13 is. He says in the beginning.WZZM-TV -was young and small, the underdog with no place to go but up. ”A station like that, if it has one or two good men, can °3Ibid. -°‘Schroeder interview, August 26. 1969. 45 effect some goOd programs. .Channel 13 does a better news job than WKZO,“ he says. .'Our news peOple are pretty ego- tistical," Schroeder says, “but we have 60 percent share of audience on our local news; we have more time for news: we have the only full hour of news; and we have three times the manpower of the other stations."°5 Cheverton agrees that the documentary department has no local competition. ”WZZM doesn't have the manpower to do_ a job fast. They just do the basic things. Their idea of a documentary is to tape a panel of peOple talking about something."°° .Approach to the subject.--One problem any documentary unit faces is the point of view to take on a subject. ("Perception is everything," says Robert Lewis Shayon, "and time forperception will have to be made at the head of the -assembly line as well as at the end."°7 Cecile Starr in her article “Films with a Purpose" says that in trying to please everyone you won't please anyone very much. .In dealing primarily with facts and points of view, the documentary film must have a purpose, a direction. .She claims too many audiences are asking themselves, "What 6“Cheverton interview, August 13, 1969. °7Robert Lewis Shayon, “Biogra hy's Backyard,“ §3§g£g3y_ Review, XLVI, No. 26 (June 29,.1963 , p. 22. 46 on earth was that filmabout?”8 Thurman knows what purpose, each documentary serves, even if that purpose be "just for fun." The most difficult time in documentary production is wwjvestablishing a point of view for the overall show, according to Thurman. .“We knew we wanted to do a program on campus revolt. But how to say something meaningful within our limitations is the question," he said.69 Ferring added that -—-‘ you make or break a show by how you decide to put it to- gether. Usually that decision comes on an inspirational O . basis, he says.7 Cheverton asks, "What do you have to say? .After we decide the issue we must get some film to back it up. Making it visual takes the know-how.“71 Schedgling.--The time slot for airing a documentary can be a problem--and the documentary unit has little, if any, acontrol over that aspect. "The Quiet.Majority" high school panel show (not a documentary, but produced under Thurman's department) would have appeared on Sunday afternoon following ‘"Meet the Press" if the Option had not been picked up by a sponsor. .Since it was sponsored, the program was aired in prime time, Thurman said.72 ~\ ‘. 68Cecile Starr, “Films with a Purpose," Ideas on Film, ed. Starr (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1951), p. 53. 69Thurman interview. August 13. 1959- ‘7°Ferring interview, August 26. 1959- ‘71Cheverton interview, August 13. 1959- 72Thurman interview, August 13, 1969. 47 WOOD-TV does consider good viewing patterns on programs preceding and following the documentary. The problem is that all but one WOOD documentary have been half-hour shows, and the choice of half-hour slots in the NBC network programr~ ming is somewhat limited. A narcotics program was tenataively, scheduled for Thursday, September 11th, until WOOD received word that an NBC Special was to be shown. In addition, the scheduling problem was exacerbated because NBC week program- ming began Sunday. To pre-empt during.this week would be unheard of. So the documentary was scheduled Saturday, ,September 13th. -Also, WOOD documentaries are never scheduled. during bi-yearly Nielsen rating periods.73 On-camera ease.--The person who appears very unnatural on camera is common. Thurman described one subject as "a 'little bit terrified." You do the best you can with that kind of film, he says. He attempted to show a family situ— ation at some length in "Tell it Like it is." The wife was particularly out-going and expressive,.and the children went through their antics as planned. 'But the crew was not able to get any usable footage of interviews with the husband. He appeared only as a background figure in the final film.74 uAnother example of freezing on camera came when the crew photographed a secretary to-Governor Milliken. They finally 73Thurman interview, August 17, 1969. 7‘Ibid. K , 48 resorted to recorded comments over silent film showing her atywork.75 Thurman prefers not to film children because they tend to freeze on camera. He found that the only thing that saved his panel show of high school students was a good moderator.76 Refusals to appear.—-There have been frequent times when persons refused to appear on camera. Thurman says it is impossible to get “white bigots" to express their views. In putting together “Tell it Like it is," one Negro, whose views would be important to the documentary, refused to appear when he found out he could not dictate the show. .Thurman had to glean the man's point of view from film the news department had on file. .While there was a decided difference in photography from this news footage and the rest of the documentary, Thurman felt the man's point of eview’should be eXpressed. Thurman later heard that the man, after seeing the documentary, had threatened him saying. "He'll get his."77 grew shortage.--Shortage of manpower has proved a prob- “F‘lem at times. An example is having to draft passers-by to hold reflectors when filming interviews in bright sunlight. _’ 49 Program pace.--The Opening minute to a minute and a half is vital to a documentary. Even if the film is shown in prime time, your viewer will switch to an entertainment program, Thurman says. But this problem is not peculiar only to documentaries. ”Even your entertainment shows give you the meatiest part befOre the first commercial." Thurman .has used startling statements, fast-paced music, and flashing graphics. If no natural interest grabber results from film- ing, he manufactures one with the help of the graphics department.78 The pace of the documentary must be fast enough to hold the audience. -An official of Union Bank, which sponsored the student revolt show, objected because he thought it was dull. Some subjects by their nature force a fast pace. Thurman said that they tried to cover 23 questions in 25 minutes in the Milliken show. . Titles.--Documentary titles, although a problem, do not seem to concern Thurman to any degree. He is more influ- enced by his own feelings for a title phrase than by the reaction to it of his associates. His own choice was "New 'Style in the Statehouse" over the suggestion "Meet Mr. Milliken."79 After considering "Not Right Here in Grand Rapids" as‘ the title for the narcotics documentary, Thurman decided to l ,1 7°Ibid. 7gThurman interview, August 26, 1969. s ‘ ‘ "\ 50 dr0p the "not“ and used “Right Here in Grand Rapids." To combat arguments that the prospective viewer would not know what the show was about, Thurman answered, "They will when I get done promoting it.“'° "Tell it Like it is“ is one title Thurman especially liked. He believes he was the first to use it in a docu-' mentary and, since then, he has seen it several times. "When we used it, the phrase was new and fresh. By the time the film was reviewed a year later in competition in Ohio, the men judged the title 'unoriginal.'"81 " §ggg§,--Richard Cawston points out the importance of sound on television. The picture is small and may often be of poor quality on the home receiver. He compares the sound quality to the cinema where the picture is excellent but the sound~has to compete with a large auditorium. "I'm all for using synchronized sound, for exploiting natural dialogue between peOple who are not actors, and for getting rid of commentary," he says.82 However, silent film can be simpler and cheaper, and sound on film has been a frequent problem for WOOD documentary makers. Prior to Thurman's arrival, one of the problems concerned the expense of'using double-sound equipment. 8°Ibid. 811bid. 82Richard Cawston, Aubry Singer, JOhn Elliot, "The Indi- .vidual Approach: Television Actuality," Television.The-Crea- tive Eyperiment, ed. Bluem and Manvell, p. 203. 51 "Poverty is the mother of invention,“ Cheverton says. "we're now getting into the double system through the back door by duplication of it with-A-B roll."°3 Tim§,--Time works against documentaries. "It would take a minimum of two weeks to write a script and string together newsfilm for a documentary," Cheverton claims. "In this minimum time you really haven't created anything. TOpics get stale. We could have a blazing controversy that's for- gotten in a week. That's not for documentary. .Controversial t0pics simply don't sustain themselves,“ he says. 7He con- tends that it pays to get on the air with a subject while you're excited about it. "We've wrestled too lOng with some subjects before they go on the air and then they look tired."°‘ .About three months are needed to put out a WOOD docu- mentary. .In this schedule Cheverton takes into consideration a five-day week. .He includes seven to eight days of bad weather and a week to a month for research. ."Therefore, three months is not very-long," he says. "Networks take-a year and a half waiting for the right light."85 The documentary as art.--WOOD-TV has had disappointing experiences with documentaries that have been attempted in an ."arty" style, and Cheverton avoids them. “The arty subject \ I 8SCheverton interview, August 13. 1969. B‘Ibid. esxbid . 52 is tough to do,“ he says. .It takes a good photographer and even then, if it's not good, it's not arty. .Most TV stations don't have that kind of art around."3° Paul Rotha says style is purely a question of personal character and inclination, of how strongly one feels about satisfying private artistic fancies or communal aims. .He compares the romanticism of Flaherty's early documentaries with the realistic approach to material today.°7 Thurman finds it takes too much time to be arty. .His original plan of an impressionistic film on‘black Grand Rapids quickly disintegrated when he found how much time it would require.88 Beauty is one of the greatest dangers to the documen- tary. Beauty of individual shots is not only insufficient but frequently harmful to the significant expression of content, according to Rotha.89 .Cheverton mentioned a network documentary on the Nile River as one of the finest he has seen. .It was arty, it cost $300,000, and it took a.year and a half to complete. "YOu can get arty if you wait for the right light and the 86Ibid. . 87Paul Rotha, Documentar Film (3d ed.: London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1952), p. 114. 88Thurman interview, August 13, 1969. 8930mm,. p. 153. 53 right day. Thus, arty pictures are potentially beyond a station like ours,“ he says. .He feels WOOD is photographical- ly news oriented and says that being fairly creative is not good enough for an arty show.°° Sponsors.--Cheverton recalled the problem WOOD faced in producing documentaries good enough to attract local sponsors. We tend to equate yesterday with today. We didn't have _ anyone then to do documentaries. Management wouldn't throw out 'Beverly Hillbillies' to put on an inferior show for nothing. .And we in news sort of went along with it. Then networks led the way and could do docu- mentaries well. .Local television said maybe we can do them well. .Now you can get a blank check from a sponsor, so resistance on documentary production ceases overnight from TV stations. UnfOrtunately you have to put the product out first with a track record of a year or so showing solid production and content. If the documen- taries are on a fairly frequent schedule, somewhere, someone sees it, but you never get back what you spend. For ears we couldn't sell documentaries, ever, even for 50. Now we have sponsors competing.91 Cheverton notes there aren't many businesses in Grand .Rapids which could sponsor documentaries. .He estimates there might be 15 in all (big department stores, banks, a utility, or service company). Spot advertising is not considered for fear a deodorant commercial might interrupt the continuity of the message.92 Mini-docs.-nAnother station reports that in this hurriedx civilization, viewers want shorter and shorter news reports. 9°Cheverton interview, August 13, 1969. QLLPLQ- ' I 921bid. 54 WJRT, Flint, avoids documentary production saying their viewers will not sit still long enough to see a half-hour program. .Their trend is to the “mini-doc,” a five-minute lengthened news story that supposedly appeals to upper class viewingfi”a Cheverton completely refutes this mini-doc theory as not making sense. .He says that news is the greatest success story of television. -While entertainment shows and women's shows go by the wayside, news is the only program that con- tinues to grow; WOOD has converted to the 903minute six o'clock news program. “If every day you ask the public to swatch 90 minutes of news, why won't they watch a 30-minute documentary once a month?" Cheverton asks.9‘ ' Qgggmentggieg-and_programmers.-¢Cheverton, a strong newsman, feels that one of the worst stumbling blocks in documentary production has been programmers who say "you have to have ShOW’biz and razz-ma-tazz." He claims you don't have to put bells on documentaries.95 Grierson had called “documentary" a clumsy descrip- tion but said to let it stand. .At one time BOsley Crowther suggested "think films.” Since then the semantic argument has persisted. Recently one producer complained that the .4..— 93Lilyan M.-Alspaugh. .Unpublished report to Dr. Thomas Baldwin, Michigan State University (November 2, 1968). a4Cheverton interview, August.13, 1969. °5_Ibid . 55 title "documentary“ frightened viewers, inhibited sponsors, and made network executives see red ink. In its place he recommended a title of “non-fiction programming.” Others have suggested "telementaries' and “actuality dramas."°~6 ‘. Broadcasters fear that the word documentary has a con- notation of "dull and dreary.” Thurman at one time con- sidered using the designation of "Project 8 Presentation" on each release as a special identity, but settled on ”WOOD-TV Documentary Unit Production,“ apparently unalarmed at the possibility of frightening Off Grand Rapids viewers.97 The whole truth.-4The newsman has the eternal problem of whether to withhold information that might be damaging to others not directly involved. “I try to be basically honest in my show and my relations with peOple, but I don't try to tear anyone down,” Thurman says.98 Thurman ran into a problem on his narcotics documentary when he discovered one of the youths in the rehabilitation group was the son of a WOOD employee. .A brief mental debate areItOOk place on whether to throw out the material that in- . cluded this one boy. Thurman finally edited as planned: “I didn't feel I could not use what the kid said and still ‘9°Benjamin Burton, "The Documentary Heritage," Television Quarterly, I, No..1 (February, 1963). p. 33. '97Thurman.interview,.Augustxi7.-1969o eaThurman-interview, August 13, 1969. 56 be true to the group.“991 Salaries.-—WOOD-TV is in a relatively unique position regarding the documentary unit and salaries. On the.bright .side, news-documentary salaries are higher than for news departments in television stations in the same sized market. (To Tigg a documentary unit in a market the size of Grand Rapids for comparison is unusual.) 'However, salaries for documentary film producers in industry and major television markets are considerably higher and En ever-present enticement to medium-sized market personnel.1°° Eggipment.--The availability of the right kind of equip- ‘ment at the time it is needed has been a problem in the past for the documentary department. In earlier days before Thurman took over, special cameras and equipment were hired for individual documentaries using a double sound system.“1 _When Thurman came, he had to borrow cameras from the news department. The documentary unit now has its own Bell and Howell silent camera and a six-month-Old Auricon with syn- chronous sound and a.12 to 120mm zoom.lense. The Auricon is .equipped with two 400-foot magazines. .Ektachrome EF 7242 film is used for indoor shooting and Ektachrome MS 7256 out- 'side. The unit has its own power pack, lights, reflectors _and related equipment.“2 ;99Thurman interview, August 17, 1969. '1°°Thurman-Ferring interview, August 26, 1969. J'°1Cheverton interview, August 15. 1969- J'°"""Thurman-Ferring interview, August 26. 1969. 57 Consgguences_gg_the job.--If a documentary staff becomes overly involved in a subject, consequences can be alarming. .While preparing the way for a sequence for the documentary ~. on black Grand Rapids, Thurman says he had a strong exchange of words with one man who subsequently put a clip in his gun, pointed it at him and said, “This is the only power you guys respect.“ Another day after filming a family scene for the same documentary, Thurman felt obligated to participate in an extemporaneous dinner of greens, fried cornbread, and ham hooks, a real effort on his part since he is~a professed abhorrer of soul food.103 Tmpgoving performanceg.-