Call for Papers UPDATE
   
  2006 Film and History League Conference
  "The Documentary Tradition" Dallas 8-12 November, 2006
  www.filmandhistory.org
   
  AREA: CBS and "60 Minutes"
   
  CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) has a long, complex history as the largest television network and radio broadcaster in the United States and one of three television networks which – until the rise of cable television – dominated broadcasting in the US. Like the network's famous Eye logo, CBS's investigative television newsmagazine, "60 Minutes," has become an American icon. As a top-rated program for much of its life, "60 Minutes" has garnered numerous television and journalism awards and has been, and to a degree, still is, regarded as the pre-eminent investigative television program in the US. However, as successful and as highly received as both CBS and "60 Minutes" are, controversy has followed and has often affected the credibility of both. Despite the controversies, CBS and "60 Minutes" are flawed and influential broadcasting giants.
   
  Since its founding in 1927, CBS, under the leadership of William S. Paley, has been a potent corporate mixture of innovation, competition, and infamy. From the hysteria created by Orson Welles' 1938 broadcast of H. G. Welles' "War of the Worlds" on CBS' Mercury Theatre to a much publicized talent raid on competitor NBC in the mid-1940s, CBS has been on the cutting edge of both original programming and controversy. Further, from news division head Edward R. Murrow and his team of reporters and editors to the unique format and style of reporter-centered investigation exhibited by producer Don Hewitt and his stable of correspondents on "60 Minutes", the network has been at the forefront of the industry and has exerted a profound influence on news broadcasting and coverage. (In fact, CBS was called "the Communist Broadcasting System".) Often considered the crown jewel of CBS crown, the CBS news division has included not only some of the greatest names in broadcast
 journalism (Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevaried, Harry Reasoner, Dan Rather, Charles Kurault, Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, et. al) and has paved the way for television documentary and investigative journalism. As such, both CBS and "60 Minutes" offer a rich repository of media analysis and study.
   
   
  In addition to these areas or in conjunction with them, potential topics may include:
   
  The early years of CBS
  CBS Radio Broadcasting
  Welles' "War of the Worlds" Broadcast
  The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre
  Mercury Theatre
  CBS Corporate history
  Television Programming (including individual/notable series)
  Children's Programming
  Edward R. Murrow and "Murrow's Boys"
  McCarthyism and Television News
  The Post-WWII years
  Television coverage of the House Un-American Activities Hearings
  George Clooney's "Good Night and Good Luck"
  Vietnam Coverage
  CBS vs General Westmoreland
  "Point/Counterpoint"
  Memogate/Rathergate
  The Audi 5000 controversy
  The Brown and Williamson scandal
  Michael Mann's "The Insider"
  "60 Minutes" and the U. S. Customs Service
  CBS and Viacom Cross-promotion
  CBS and the Coverage of the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention
  Walter Cronkite
  "The CBS Evening News"
  Dan Rather
  CBS Coverage of the JFK Assassination
  Coverage of the RFK Assassination and Funeral
  CBS and the Coverage of the Civil Rights Movement
  CBS and Watergate
  The "60 Minutes" Bill and Hillary Clinton Intervew
  Coverage of Iran-Contra
  Coverage of the Reagan Assassination Attempt
  The Format of "60 Minutes"
  etc.
   
  Special Panels will held which will focus on:
   
  The Legacy of Dan Rather
  CBS and the Vietnam Conflict
  Walter Cronkite: The Most Trusted Man in America
  60 Minutes and Mike Wallace: Newsman or Ambush Entertainer?
   
   
  Submissions on any aspect of CBS and/or "60 Minutes" history, approaches, programming, and influence are welcome. Deadline for submission is August 15, 2006.
   
  Send all inquires and proposals to: Dr. James Yates, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, jnyates_at_nwosu.edu
   
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Received on Tue Jul 18 2006 - 18:16:39 EDT