Vintage Cable News/Talk Video Documents Early Hannity Performance
A fascinating example of early cable news/talk television history has been posted today (9/22) on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel series “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.” The episode presents key segments from a vintage program that served as one of the forerunners of modern cable news/talk television. This particular installment preserves what was likely the first documented appearance of Sean Hannity hosting a national network cable television program. The series, titled “Talk Live,” ran for several years in the mid-1990s on CNBC. It covered news and politics, as well as a wider scope of popular culture including arts & entertainment. Not only did it feature an array of guest panelists, but it also showcased a variety of guest hosts. Several of them were drawn from the ranks of radio. Talk radio was the hot new thing in the exploding world of interactive post-fairness doctrine media at the time and television executives were trying to identify hosting candidates from radio to make the transition from audio to video. This particular installment was spearheaded by media impresario Roger Ailes, who went on to form the FOX News Channel. It originally ran 31 years ago, on October 15, 1994, and holds particular interest for students and fans of talk media history. Hannity was, at the time, a rising star as a local host on WGST in Atlanta and was most likely being scouted by Ailes for consideration as a TV host for his forthcoming projects. The episode also featured a noteworthy panel booked by then-CNBC producer Vicky Pomerance that included the late radio talk show legend Bob Grant, then of WABC, New York; international talk media mainstay Victoria Jones, then of WWRC, Washington, DC (currently executive director of PR firm, the DC Radio Company); and TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison. Their conversation delivers fascinating retrospective insight into the issues surrounding the burgeoning talk radio medium, circa the mid-1990s, such as the Fairness Doctrine, as well as the growing rift between liberals and conservatives, and the public’s growing disillusionment with the legacy media and political establishment. Looking back at the video, Harrison states, “Watching his performance more than three decades ago, it was evident that Sean was a natural for the medium – displaying remarkable looks, poise, knowledge and glibness that would serve him well as he went on to become a top-rated, long-running superstar at FOX News Channel and one of the most successful radio talk show hosts of all time.” Check out the video by clicking here.
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