European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 21, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse I Fly flick by Jerry Buck a staff writer every four years television participates in a ratings race with the highest stakes of All the White House. More than a Mere eyewitness More than a conveyor of Campaign sights and sounds television plays an Active Rolein the selection of the occupant. Since 1952 television has been the Means by which the voter gets a close up View of the candidate and sees Himat work Ai ease under stress of guard and in moments of Triumph and defeat. If 1 were a political candidate 1would go at television very cautiously said Abc news broadcaster chel Hunt Ley. "1 have a feeling this is where you reveal your soul. That Lens has a Way of getting at those who have worked with Candi dates in the medium believe that the image and impressions the voter forms of the candidates on television will be a major Factor possibly the major Factor in determining How he will cast his ballot for president on nov. 5. F. Clifton White who engineered Barry Goldwater s Victory at the 1964 Republican convention said the Tele vision camera gives the voter the capacity by and Large to make a judg ment about a candidate As a human being regardless of anything political Campaign on television is a mixed bag of journalism show Busi Ness and Madison Avenue hucks Leriss. It takes Between $10 million and $15million to mount a Campaign for presi Dent and a very Large percentage of that goes for time on television. James c. Hagerty press Secretary for president Dwight d. Eisenhower and now a vice president of the american broadcasting company took note of this amount at a recent symposium Stcolumbia University and said this is getting ridiculous. I think we will have to go eventually to the British system under which time would have to be Given by the networks to the major candidates for president and vice television time is swinging away from the half hour speech format towards the 60-second commercial. In this manner a candidate is marketed like any other product. One of the most successful uses of the 60-second spot was in Nelson a. Rockefeller s 1966 Campaign for reelection As governor of new York. Rocke Feller did not appear in any of the commercials put together by Myron Mcdon Ald of Jack tinker and partners. fee a a a .4 " Ftp Page 12 television has put million of viewers in the Center of political convention where they can Lee candidates under pressure the stars and stripes when i said we viewed Rockefeller product Mcdonald said i mean we tried to find out what people knew about him and what they did t know about him. You have to pay some at Tention to what is already in the voters uni kinds. You run counter to what is i their minds chances Are you re either lasting your breath or doing yourself some damage.". I every candidate tries to make Maxi mum use of that biggest television band Wagon of All the evening news pro Grams. First of All he can reach Mil Lions of persons unburdened by televisions prohibitive costs and the red tape of getting air clearance. And in Addi Tion it has a built in credibility not Al ways found in paid i suppose it s More important from a persuasion standpoint Mcdonald said because theoretically the candidate is appearing in an objective but those in television news Are in dined to minimize its persuasive Powers. We take a slice of the candidate out Jon the Campaign Trail said Huntley. "1 Don t concede for a minute that. In television news. We May win or lose an election for a candidate. By the time a Campaign is Over we be shown him in All attitudes All phases All circumstances. In the final analysis any candidate for president is going to have to make j sense get in a dialog with the american people Appeal to their intelligence and indeed some of their Gene Wyckoff an Independent who has prepared television programs for such republicans As Richard a Nixon Rockefeller and Henry Cabot Lodge says the country has moved into in Era of the image candidate in which the candidate is a leading character in apolitical drama presented by television before an in his new Book the image Candi dates Wyckoff writes All television viewers have mental picture galleries in their Heads the Walls of which Are Hung with portraits of heroes lovers villains stooges fathers statesmen i Ticiano comedians and other stereo characters in television s Commedia. Arte. With Little conscious Effort or per laps in spite of conscious Effort viewers match the images in their mental picture galleries against the images of Candi sptes seen on television and derive a impression of the candidates characters accordingly Wyckoff said the Way a and the Way he deports himself is what Sticks in the viewer s mind an wins the image and that what he says has very Little to do with it. Off a see Suany Between the major elective candidates meaning candidates or the major parties it s very hard Forne Public to Tell the difference Between T on issues. That s Why it tends Tocom e Down to Wyckoff said that although former an five age c Wallace of Alabama Wasi it Yective television campaigner he no consider him an image Candi said Al Ace is an Issue Appeal he concerning the fight for the demo in we nomination Wyckoff said sen nomination 1968 Robert f. Kennedy has got the Power Ful organization and the people who can turn out the image j. Mccarthy he said just does t have them and can t Wyckoff added when it comes to animate Competition i m afraid that Ken Nedy is going to take the run on Tele vision from Mccarthy but this is not through any judgment against Mccarthy. It s simply that Kennedy is go ing to be More dynamic. He has to Many image things going for him from the word is the one who will be Able to appear As a reincarnation of his brother. And a lot of these so called Ruth less characteristics you see character and image mean More or less the same thing Are the creation of certain news papers. Before the convention the news paper image dominates but once a candidate is nominated then the Public gets character from c. Sorensen a special adviser to president John f. Kennedy an Robert Kennedy said on the Public broadcast Laboratory i must say that1 am not too concerned about the image makers taking Over presidential politics. I am not persuaded that the Amer ican people Are going to elect a presi Dent on the basis of huckster ism and television As much As the Jet age has changed the character of the Campaign. A candidate can make speeches at widely separated cities in one Day have the highlights shown on the evening news shows then address the entire nation in a paid All the while carefully prepared 60 second commercials push his flamboyance and oratorical embellishments have All but gone the Way of the whistle Stop tour. Politicians have scaled Down their approach to fit the intimacy of Small groups in the living room said lbs news Broad Caster Walter c. Cronkite. Campaign managers Are learning too that you can t simply turn the cameras on the candidate at a Campaign expert called that radio with a Light to read kind of speech needed for a rally where contagious crowd enthusiasm Sall important simply does not work on the Small audience in the living said television in Goldwater s 1964 Campaign consisted of too Man rally speeches. That he believed Hurt the Campaign. The use of television certainly is not without its perils As Nixon Learned in his debate in 1960 with John f. Ken Nedy. Wyckoff contends that Many peo ple still retain an unfavourable image of Johnson has not always been treated kindly by television s harsh think that s because he has t yet found a Way to be natural on television Cronkite said. His every television performance is still that a says advertising Man Mcdonald think the major piece of misinformation in the unsophisticated use of televisions that at least it can do no harm. Well nothing can be further from the truth. You can do As much damage on television As you can action is hot for cameraman As Well As candidates. Teleprompter with camera Lens thrust through base gives Johnson Nixon Here with Chet Huntley knows to prewar. The stars and stripes
