Roone Arledge
Roone Arledge
Roone Pinckney Arledge, Jr.was an American sports and news broadcasting executive who was president of ABC Sports from 1968 until 1986 and ABC News from 1977 until 1998, and a key part of the company's rise to competition with the two other main television networks, NBC and CBS, in the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s. He created many programs still airing today, such as Monday Night Football, ABC World News Tonight, Primetime, Nightline and 20/20...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth8 July 1931
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
In the past ABC has made half-hearted efforts or, worse, cosmetic efforts, to do something about news and I wasn't certain about what their real aim was - nor am I now.
I think people tuned in a lot to see Barbara when she first came here and they just didn't like the show they saw. I think it was dull. It was sterile.
It doesn't mean we shouldn't mention a Lebanese cabinet crisis, for example, but we don't have to spend two minutes with it from the Middle East.
While there seems to be a major commitment now, historically there hasn't been. It's not an automatic thing where they say we gotta cover that.
We probably paid Cassie a little more than we had to but it was done because I wanted to make a statement that we are here and we're serious.
A lot of people told me that the job of making ABC News competitive was so difficult and so long that it wasn't worth the trouble.
They're indispensable. They're the glue that holds a newscast together.
So you have a built-in dilemma. Do you want to go after older people who watch news or younger people who watch ABC entertainment shows.
As you put together a show you have to assume that you are their only source of national and international news. You have to be the paper of record.
If you don't have the rights, you can't do the show.
He said, 'Of course, you understand we have to offer it to CBS and NBC first because of existing contracts. I was about to slit my throat.
He brought us instant stature, instant integrity, instant quality that ... defined the early struggling days of ABC News.
Every person working in sports journalism today owes a tremendous debt to Howard Cosell. His greatest contribution was elevating sports reporting out of daily play-by-play and placing it in the larger context of society.
You can only make so much money in life and only enjoy so many creature comforts. The important thing is to do something meaningful-to leave something behind.