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{{Short description|1951 American newsmagazine and TV documentary series}}
{{refimprove|date=August 2021}}
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{{Short description|American newsmagazine and TV documentary series (1951-58)}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
| name = See It Now
| image =
| image =
| caption =
| genre = [[Newsmagazine]]<br>[[Television documentary|Documentary]]
| caption =
| genre = [[Newsmagazine]]<br>[[Television documentary|Documentary]]
| creator = [[Fred W. Friendly]]<br>[[Edward R. Murrow]]
| creator = [[Fred W. Friendly]]<br>[[Edward R. Murrow]]
| presenter = Edward R. Murrow
| presenter = Edward R. Murrow
| country = United States
| country = United States
| language = English
| language = English
| num_seasons =
| num_seasons =
| num_episodes =
| runtime = 45&ndash;48 minutes
| num_episodes =
| runtime = 45&ndash;48 minutes
| company = Columbia Broadcasting System
| company = Columbia Broadcasting System
| channel = [[CBS]]
⚫
| first_aired = {{Start date|1951|11|18}}
| distributor =
⚫
| last_aired = {{End date|1958|07|07}}
| channel = [[CBS]]
| picture_format = [[Black-and-white]]
| audio_format = [[Monaural]]
⚫
| first_aired = {{Start date|1951|11|18}}
⚫
| last_aired = {{End date|1958|07|07}}
}}
}}
'''''See It Now''''' is an American [[newsmagazine]] and [[Television documentary|documentary]] series broadcast by [[CBS]] from 1951 to 1958. It was created by [[Edward R. Murrow]] and [[Fred W. Friendly]], with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, ''See It Now'' won four [[Emmy Award]]s, shows 3 "wins" and 3 nominations.<ref name="fn2">[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0151499.html Infoplease], list of 1952 Emmy Awards.</ref> and was nominated three other times. It also won a 1952 [[Peabody Award]].
'''''See It Now''''' is an American [[newsmagazine]] and [[Television documentary|documentary]] series broadcast by [[CBS]] from 1951 to 1958. It was created by [[Edward R. Murrow]] and [[Fred W. Friendly]], with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, ''See It Now'' won four [[Emmy Award]]s, and was nominated three other times.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/see-it-now | title=See It Now }}</ref> It also won a 1952 [[Peabody Award]].


==Second Red Scare==
==Synopsis==
⚫
Murrow produced a number of episodes of the show that dealt with the [[Red Scare#Second Red Scare (1947–1957)|Second Red Scare]] (1947–57) (one of the more notable episodes resulted in a U.S. military officer, [[Milo Radulovich]], being acquitted, after being charged with supporting [[Communism]]), before embarking on a broadcast on March 9, 1954<ref>{{cite episode| series=See it Now | airdate=March 9, 1954| network=CBS| title=A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (video)|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=1065699n&tag=contentMain;contentBody| accessdate=2011-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode | series=See it Now | airdate=March 9, 1954 | network=CBS | title=A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (transcript)| url=http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/murrowmccarthy.html | accessdate=2011-05-16}}</ref>
The show was an adaptation of radio's ''[[Hear It Now]]'', also produced by Murrow and Friendly. Its first episode, on November 18, 1951, opened with the first live simultaneous coast-to-coast TV transmission from both the East Coast (the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] and New York Harbor) and the West Coast (the [[San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge]] and San Francisco Bay), as reporters on both sides of the North American continent gave live reports to Murrow, who was sitting in the control room on CBS' Studio 41 with director [[Don Hewitt]].{{fact|date=August 2021}}


==Production==
===Notable episodes===
Don Hewitt was the director. [[Alcoa|Aluminum Company of America]] sponsored the program.<ref>{{cite news |title=This Week -- Network Debuts, Highlights, Changes |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele24ross/page/n82/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=April 24, 2022 |work=Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index |date=September 7, 1952 |page=1}}</ref>
One of the most popular of the ''See It Now'' reports was a 1952 broadcast entitled "Christmas in [[Korean War|Korea]]", when Murrow spoke with American soldiers assigned to the [[United Nations]] combat forces during the Korean War.{{fact|date=August 2021}}

====Report of Senator McCarthy====
''See It Now'' focused on a number of controversial issues in the 1950s, but it is best remembered as the show that criticized the [[Second Red Scare|Red Scare]] and contributed to the political downfall of Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]].{{fact|date=August 2021}}

⚫
Murrow produced a number of episodes of the show that dealt with the [[Communist]] [[witch-hunt]] hysteria (one of the more notable episodes resulted in a U.S. military officer, [[Milo Radulovich]], being acquitted, after being charged with supporting Communism), before embarking on a broadcast on March 9, 1954<ref>{{cite episode| series=See it Now | airdate=March 9, 1954| network=CBS| title=A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (video)|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=1065699n&tag=contentMain;contentBody| accessdate=2011-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode | series=See it Now | airdate=March 9, 1954 | network=CBS | title=A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (transcript)| url=http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/murrowmccarthy.html | accessdate=2011-05-16}}</ref> that has been referred to as television's finest hour.{{fact|date=August 2021}}

By using mostly recordings of McCarthy himself in action interrogating witnesses and making speeches, Murrow and Friendly displayed what they felt was the key danger to the democracy: not suspected Communists, but McCarthy's actions themselves. As Murrow said in his summation:{{fact|date=August 2021}}

<blockquote>No one familiar with the history of his country can deny that Congressional committees are useful; it is necessary to investigate before legislating. But the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind as between the internal and the external threats of communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty; we must remember always that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of the law.{{fact|date=August 2021}}</blockquote>

The broadcast provoked tens of thousands of letters, telegrams and phone calls to CBS headquarters, running 15 to 1 in favor of Murrow. Friendly later recalled how truck drivers pulled up alongside Murrow and shouted, "Good show, Ed."{{fact|date=August 2021}} The show's probe of the McCarthy-led anti-Communist era was the focus of the 2005 film ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''.

===Influence and repercussions===
The show was a major influence on TV journalism spawning many successors, most notably of which the recurring documentary series ''[[CBS Reports]]'', and ''[[60 Minutes]]'', which was created by ''See It Now'' producer Don Hewitt and initially featured former ''See It Now'' producers [[Palmer Williams]] and [[Joseph Wershba|Joe Wershba]].{{fact|date=August 2021}}

Murrow's hard-hitting approach to the news eventually cost him influence in the world of television, although his celebrity [[talk show]] ''[[Person to Person]]'' remained a fan favorite, with better ratings than ''See It Now'' had. ''See It Now'' occasionally scored high ratings (usually when it broached particularly controversial subjects), but in general it did not score well on prime-time television.{{fact|date=August 2021}}

When the [[quiz show]] phenomenon took TV by storm in the mid-1950s, Murrow knew the days of ''See It Now'' as a primetime fixture on CBS were numbered. After [[Alcoa]] ended its sponsorship, the show was moved to Sunday afternoons as a series of occasional [[TV special|specials]]. During this time, Murrow became agitated by the network repeatedly granting equal time (without consulting Murrow) to subjects who felt wronged by the program. After CBS granted another such request (regarding a ''See It Now'' show on whether or not Alaska and Hawaii deserved statehood), Murrow complained to CBS head [[William S. Paley]] he could not continue doing the program if CBS continued to accede to such equal-time requests under those circumstances.{{fact|date=August 2021}}

Eventually, according to co-producer Friendly, Murrow and Paley had a heated exchange in Paley's office; Paley said he was tired of getting "stomach aches" every time ''See It Now'' covered controversial matter; Murrow replied, "That's a price you have to be willing to pay". That exchange marked the beginning of the end for ''See It Now'', which ran its final episode on July 7, 1958.{{fact|date=August 2021}}


==2000s==
In September 2006, "See It Now" became the slogan for a relaunched ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' with new anchor [[Katie Couric]].<ref>{{cite press release|title=DEBUT WEEK OF THE 'CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC' CREATES 57% SURGE IN TRAFFIC TO CBSNEWS.COM AND HIGH DEMAND ON OTHER PLATFORMS|url=http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-news/releases/view?id=13866|publisher=CBS Press Express |access-date=3 October 2012}}</ref>
In September 2006, "See It Now" became the slogan for a relaunched ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' with new anchor [[Katie Couric]].<ref>{{cite press release|title=DEBUT WEEK OF THE 'CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC' CREATES 57% SURGE IN TRAFFIC TO CBSNEWS.COM AND HIGH DEMAND ON OTHER PLATFORMS|url=http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-news/releases/view?id=13866|publisher=CBS Press Express |access-date=3 October 2012}}</ref>


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* ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''
* ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]''
* ''[[Murrow (film)|Murrow]]''
* ''[[Murrow (film)|Murrow]]''
* ''[[Person to Person]]'', Murrow's companion, "lite fare" program
* ''[[Person to Person]]'', Murrow's companion "light fare" program
* ''[[Satchmo the Great]]''
* ''[[Satchmo the Great]]''


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{{wikiquote|Edward R. Murrow#See It Now .281954.29|Edward R. Murrow on ''See It Now''}}
{{wikiquote|Edward R. Murrow#See It Now .281954.29|Edward R. Murrow on ''See It Now''}}
* {{IMDb title|0211168}}
* {{IMDb title|0211168}}
* [http://www.museum.tv/eotv/seeitnow.htm ''See It Now''] from the [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
* [http://www.museum.tv/eotv/seeitnow.htm ''See It Now''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814015329/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/seeitnow.htm |date=2018-08-14 }} from the [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051107004119/http://www.honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/archive/Murrow540309.html ''See it Now, March 9, 1954''] and Senator McCarthy's response on April 6, hosted by the [[University of Maryland, College Park]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051107004119/http://www.honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/archive/Murrow540309.html ''See it Now, March 9, 1954''] and Senator McCarthy's response on April 6, hosted by the [[University of Maryland, College Park]]

{{Edward R. Murrow}}


[[Category:1951 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1951 American television series debuts]]
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[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:CBS original programming]]
[[Category:CBS original programming]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Peabody Award-winning television programs]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning television programs]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Josip Broz Tito]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Josip Broz Tito]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Jawaharlal Nehru]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Jawaharlal Nehru]]
[[Category:Red Scare]]

Latest revision as of 21:27, 2 November 2024

See It Now
GenreNewsmagazine
Documentary
Created byFred W. Friendly
Edward R. Murrow
Presented byEdward R. Murrow
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companyColumbia Broadcasting System
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseNovember 18, 1951 (1951-11-18) –
July 7, 1958 (1958-07-07)

See It Now is an American newsmagazine and documentary series broadcast by CBS from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly, with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, See It Now won four Emmy Awards, and was nominated three other times.[1] It also won a 1952 Peabody Award.

Second Red Scare

[edit]

Murrow produced a number of episodes of the show that dealt with the Second Red Scare (1947–57) (one of the more notable episodes resulted in a U.S. military officer, Milo Radulovich, being acquitted, after being charged with supporting Communism), before embarking on a broadcast on March 9, 1954[2][3]

Production

[edit]

Don Hewitt was the director. Aluminum Company of America sponsored the program.[4]

2000s

[edit]

In September 2006, "See It Now" became the slogan for a relaunched CBS Evening News with new anchor Katie Couric.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "See It Now".
  2. ^ "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (video)". See it Now. March 9, 1954. CBS. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  3. ^ "A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (transcript)". See it Now. March 9, 1954. CBS. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  4. ^ "This Week -- Network Debuts, Highlights, Changes". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. September 7, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  5. ^ "DEBUT WEEK OF THE 'CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC' CREATES 57% SURGE IN TRAFFIC TO CBSNEWS.COM AND HIGH DEMAND ON OTHER PLATFORMS" (Press release). CBS Press Express. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Edward R. Murrow on See It Now.
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