American Television in the Kennedy Years: The Expanding Vista

Title: "The Expanding Vista: American Television in the Kennedy Years"
Author: Mary Ann Watson
Publication: Oxford University Press, $1990$ . ISBN: $0-19-505746-5$
Preface: The Kennedy years were a key era for examining television as a social force, offering insights into American aspirations and failures. This study highlights Kennedy's unique use of TV for governance.

The early $1960$ s and American television development were "inextricably intertwined."
Significant TV milestones, from the Great Debates to assassination coverage, marked television's rise.
$1960$ was a turning point, solidifying TV's dominance over other mass media, capable of chroninciling the 'movement' and the 'temper of times'.

In $1960$ , the TV industry, like the nation, sought to overcome a "malaise," criticized for programming issues.
The $1960$ election emphasized TV's power.
Early TV Politicians:
- Richard Nixon ( $1952$ ): "Checkers Speech" gave him false confidence in TV's efficacy.
- Dwight Eisenhower ( $1952$ ): Mastered TV commercials, projecting a "warm, avuncular image."
- Adlai Stevenson ( $1952$ , $1956$ ): Rejected TV, becoming a "political anachronism."
John F. Kennedy's Early Awareness: By $1956$ , he recognized TV's importance, exhibiting "enviable ease" on shows like Meet the Press and Person to Person. His $1959$ TV Guide article argued a candidate's TV "image" was a "substantive factor."

Formally announced his candidacy on January $2$ , $1960$ .
The next day, on Meet the Press, he definitively rejected the vice-presidency.

West Virginia Primary: Kennedy confronted anti-Catholic prejudice directly, using a "deeply persuasive" televised statement to secure a decisive victory.
Humphrey's TV Ineptitude: Hubert Humphrey's challenge to a televised debate and his subsequent "ill-advised telethon" highlighted his inability to manipulate television effectively.
"Nonpolitical Talk": Kennedy prioritized reaching the unconvinced through informal TV appearances, like on Jack Paar's Tonight Show, where he appeared "altogether accessible."

Networks invested heavily in covering the Democratic and Republican conventions with new electronic technologies, enhancing mobility and editing.
Print journalists felt usurped by broadcasters, who received preferential treatment.
The Democratic platform addressed broadcasting issues, condemning "payola" and "sadistic violence."
Kennedy watched his nomination on TV, his acceptance speech reaching $35$ million viewers. Campaign manager Robert Kennedy ensured a full crowd for the TV cameras.
J. Leonard Reinsch: Managed the Democratic convention's electronic media, recognizing TV's critical importance to the campaign.

Context: Four televised debates offered monumental free exposure after Congress suspended Section $315$ (equal access).
Kennedy's Advantage: Accepted eagerly, viewing it as a chance to counter perceptions of youth/inexperience.
Nixon's Reluctance: Accepted reluctantly, advised by Eisenhower to avoid them, fearing he had more to lose.
First Debate (September $26$ , $1960$ ): Ushered in a new standard for judging presidential candidates.
- Nixon's Mishaps: Still recovering from illness, he appeared "wan" and declined to prepare with TV professionals, contrasting with Kennedy's "suntanned countenance" and meticulous preparation. His poor makeup and attire further hampered his image.
- Sight and Sound: While radio listeners felt the candidates were "peers," television's visual component cemented Kennedy's win, creating a "victory psychology."
- Russell Baker's Observation: Noted The New York Times that "television replaced newspapers as the most important communications medium in American politics."
Later Debates: Nixon made adjustments. J. Leonard Reinsch reportedly manipulated studio conditions to emphasize Nixon's visible perspiration (which Reinsch believed to be psychosomatic), securing critical "reaction shots."

Paid Programs: Democrats favored potent five-minute spots; Nixon's longer programs often preempted popular shows.
Nixon's Misjudgment: Declined a "hero image" film for election eve, opting to clarify issues himself, underscoring his failure to grasp "stylized television imagery."
Election Night ( $November 8, 1960$ ): Set viewership records. The Associated Press even relied on NBC for election figures.
TV's Role: Kennedy credited television as "the edge in his narrow margin of victory." J. Leonard Reinsch was lauded as "the architect of a triumph on television."

Television fostered an "unprecedented sense of familiarity" between the public and the First Family.
Kennedy used "images of excellence" and understood symbolism to elevate his presidency, presenting a paradoxical TV portrait of being both "exalted" and "personalized."
This formed an "unspoken alliance" that permanently changed the executive-public-media relationship.

Television during the Kennedy years, though seeming modern, quickly became "quaint and modest" compared to subsequent developments.
The medium is "inseparable from a pivotal period in the history of the United States."