Newhouse School of Communications
TV Titans
April 10, 2009
by Christy Perry
Legendary TV executive Fred Silverman is interviewed by "60 Minutes'" Steve Kroft. Both are Syracuse University alumni.
1970s TV pushed network censors' limits and annoyed the President of the United States. But much of it also made us laugh.
The primary programmer behind a Golden Age of American TV, 1970 through the 1990s, was Fred Silverman. He was the only person to ever produce and/or program entertainment and news for all three original networks -- ABC, NBC and CBS.
Silverman presided at the Newhouse School's symposium in his honor on April 8th. Joining him in the Hergenhan Auditorium were the creators of TV classics ranging from "All in the Family" to "That 70's Show." Syracuse panelists for the day-long event included renowned TV executives Marcy Carsey and George Schlatter.
A who's who of classic TV creators joined in live via satellite. They included Norman Lear ("All in the Family," "Maude," "Good Times"), Allan Burns ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Rhoda") and Larry Gelbart ("M*A*S*H").
Lear spoke about the "All in the Family" episode that sparked an angry response from then-President Richard Nixon. The show included a gay character. Burns remembered how CBS executives were opposed to Mary Tyler Moore's character being divorced. Gelbart said even the author of the book that led to the TV version of "M*A*S*H" thought the small screen Army doctors were too liberal.
SU alum Silverman, who is now retired, was interviewed by another alum, "60 Minutes'" Steve Kroft. Silverman talked about the groundbreaking 70s miniseries "Roots" and how it grew from a four-hour special to an epic 12-hour series aired over 8 nights. He also offered his opinions on today's prime-time offerings.
The storied TV producer/programmer doesn't think much of today's American TV, mostly because he said networks are playing it too safe and not finding interesting ideas.
You can find a detailed transcript of the Silverman Symposium, "From Test Patterns to Pixels: Envisioning the Future of Television," on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Newhouse123.
