Lindsey Graham (18:52)
It's July 17, 1980, at the Joe Louis arena in Detroit, Michigan, on the final day of the Republican National Convention. High among the seats at the top of the convention center, CNN reporter Bernie Shaw fiddles with his lavalier mic as his producer, Sandy Kernan, starts packing away their equipment. Half an hour ago, the arena was cleared for a security sweep ahead of the final speech of the convention from the Republican presidential nominee, Ronald Reagan. But as the sweep began, Bernie was about to go on air, and he persuaded the guards to let him and Sandy stay to finish their report. Now they're packing up, but Bernie's having second thoughts about leaving. You know, I think we should stay here, Sandy. It'll save us having to lug the equipment down the stairs and back again. You heard the man. Finish up and head out. Yeah, but they'll be letting people back in soon. If we just lay low. No, no one's gonna notice. Sandy peers down at the brightly lit stage. If security catches us, they're not going to be happy. I mean, Reese told us to find the story, not be the story. Bernie cracks a smile. This just in. CNN reporters battle security at Convention Center. Quit it. Oh, hey, is that Reagan? Down below, Ronald Reagan has just emerged onto stage alongside an aide. Bernie looks at Sandy. Are we still connected? Sandy speaks into her radio. Hey, Atlanta, can you hear us? Sandy listens to her earpiece for a moment, then gives a thumbs up. Yeah, we're patched in. All right. Well, we might have something here for you guys. It looks like Reagan's dress rehearsal. Far down below on the convention stage, Reagan begins reading his speech, occasionally pausing to discuss parts of it with his aide, repeating certain phrases or altering his gestures. Sandy listens to her earpiece. Hey, they want to come live to us. You ready? Bernie moves in front of the camera. Yeah, just give me the cue. Okay? They're coming to you in three, two. Sandy gives a silent signal. And they're on the air. We're live at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, where Ronald Reagan is rehearsing for his big speech tonight. Sandy swings the camera and focuses in on Reagan. Bernie continues to narrate. A professional actor for years, Reagan is clearly at home on the stage, but this is a side of him we usually never get to see. A glimpse behind the scenes of a politician in action. But then suddenly, Reagan's aide looks up and spots the red light on the camera high above stage. The aide rushes Reagan off the stage and signals for security. Bernie quickly signs off and then turns to Sandy, who's already packing away the equipment. Well, Sandy, if that's not a scoop, I don't know what is. The Republican National Convention was a highly orchestrated event, but Bernie Shaw's report gave Americans a unique inside perspective on Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign. And when CNN chief Reese Schonfield saw the footage, he was delighted. He wanted more moments like that because he knew that for CNN to be a success, it wouldn't just have to cover the news, it would have to cover the news differently. At the end of the Republican national convention in July 1980, George H.W. bush was confirmed as Ronald Reagan's running mate. CNN had missed that scoop, but its chief executive, Reese Schonfield, still believed that his new channel's breakthrough story was just around the corner. It was an election year, after all, and the race for the White House always presented opportunities for smart reporters to make a splash. And by late October, the campaign was in its final stretch, with Ronald Reagan and incumbent President Jimmy Carter set to face off in a live, nationally televised debate. The big three networks would carry it, as would the public television network PBS and, of course, CNN. 80 million viewers were expected to tune in, and Rhys Schoenfeld wanted to claim as large a share of that audience as possible. But Rhys knew that the other network had much more experience with presidential debates, and they had better known anchors to lead their coverage. So if Riis wanted to persuade viewers to tune into CNN instead, he would need to offer them something different. And Reese had an idea. In 1980, American voters were not just choosing between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. There was also a third party candidate, former Congressman John Anderson. He had dropped out of the Republican primaries in favor of launching an independent run for the White House. He hoped that his platform would attract disillusioned Democrats and more liberal Republicans. But he was unable to find the support needed to get him a spot in October's debate. This was a setback for Anderson's campaign, but Reese saw it as an opportunity. He reached out to Anderson, offering to use the power of television to virtually insert him into the conversation. CNN planned to broadcast Reagan and Carter's comments on delay, allowing the channel to insert Anderson's answers into the footage as though he were at the debate in person. It was an innovative idea, but it was also a complex logistical challenge for a team that was still finding its feet. And on debate night, the broadcast soon descended into chaos. The tapes of Reagan and Carter were played in the wrong order. The phone line set up to take live questions from CNN viewers didn't work, and static interference was audible throughout the entire transmission. Reese's attempt to grab the audience's attention had resulted in another embarrassing fiasco. Reese was left very frustrated. He could sense the opportunity to establish CNN as a major new force in television was Slipping from his fingers. Just three weeks after the debate, Americans went to the polls and elected Ronald Reagan as their new president. This meant the biggest news cycle in the country was over for another four years. And CNN had failed to take advantage. They hadn't even established themselves as a capable broadcaster. CNN's coverage of the presidential election had only enhanced its reputation for gaffes. But less than a month after the election, a tragedy gave CNN a shot at redemption. On the morning of November 21, 1980, a fire broke out at the MGM Grand, a 2,000 room hotel, hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. It quickly spread out of control, threatening the lives of hundreds of people trapped inside the building. As soon as word got out that there was a tragedy unfurling in Nevada, the news desks at the big three networks immediately sent reporters to cover the story. But they wouldn't begin broadcasting any news about the fire until their usual evening programs almost 12 hours later. That left the way clear for CNN. As a 24 hour news channel, its coverage of the fire could begin immediately. So as soon as he heard what was happening, Rhys Schoenfield got on the phone and secured a feed from a local Las Vegas television station. Soon, CNN viewers across the country were able to watch live footage of the burning hotel as helicopters tried to rescue desperate guests trapped in their rooms by the flames. Reese's reporters and anchors commented on the pictures in real time time. But as the scale of the tragedy became clear, Reese put his top reporter, Mary Alice Williams, on the first flight out to Las Vegas. As soon as she landed, Mary raced to the scene and began interviewing eyewitnesses. She wasn't the only reporter on the ground. By now, the big three networks had their people in Las Vegas too. But that wasn't a threat to Mary. It was an opportunity. Rival network NBC had flown in a fire safety expert. Expert. They were going to interview him about the causes of the blaze. But Mary knew that their conversation wouldn't be broadcast until the evening news. So just after NBC's reporter had concluded his interview, Mary approached the expert and asked him more questions. With these responses carried live on CNN back in Atlanta, Reese Schoenfield was delighted because by the time NBC broadcast their interview with the fire safety expert. Expert. It was old news. Thanks to the live reports and dramatic footage straight from Las Vegas, the MGM grand fire brought CNN some of its highest ratings yet. A surge in new subscribers to the channel followed. And finally, Reese had landed a story that proved his concept worked. Now he just had to do it again. And he got his chance soon enough. Two weeks after the fire in Las Vegas, another another huge story broke, this time in New York city. Late on December 8, 1980, former Beatle John Lennon was shot outside his home in Manhattan. Star reporter Mary Alice Williams was based in New York, and she was on the scene within minutes, along with a CNN News truck that beamed her reports live across America. As word of the shooting spread, distraught Beatles fans began gathering on the street outside John Lennon's home. The atmosphere was emotional, with some fans blaming the media for the shooting, claiming that its allegedly hostile treatment of Lennon had poisoned public opinion against him. A few of these fans took out their frustration on the CNN News truck, rocking it on its wheels and nearly tipping it over. Seeing this, Mary Alice Williams pushed her way through the crowd and climbed onto the roof of the truck. She pleaded with the fans, telling them that the scene CNN team was just trying to let the world know what had really happened to their hero. Mary's words calmed the crowd and allowed her to get on with her work. Throughout the night, she gave regular updates on the story, eventually breaking the news that Lennon had been pronounced dead in a nearby hospital. Although it was late in New York, it was still prime time on the west coast, and millions were glued to their television sets to hear the news. Just as had been the case after the MGM grand fire, CNN subscriptions saw an immediate boost in the aftermath of John Lennon's assassination. After early blunders and the missed opportunity of the presidential election, it seemed that CNN was finally hitting its stride and would no longer be known as Chicken Noodle News. Instead, it would strive to be recognized as a major player, a disruptor that could break big stories hours ahead of its rivals. But now that 24 hour news had proven its worth, it began attracting a different kind of attention. And rivals that had confidently predicted CNN's failure began plotting to copy its success.