The Television Lesson from Bill Paley That Stayed With Me
The London Bureau held a special place at CBS News , and it had earned that standing. Edward R. Murrow had reported from there during World War II, and in many respects, the network itself had begun there. I arrived when I was 29 or 30. Even then, I understood that I was young for an assignment many people considered the best job in the company. Our founder, Bill Paley, visited twice while I was stationed there. During each trip, he invited a small group of producers to lunch, usually no more than half a dozen of us. He was already in his eighties, but he still wanted to remain close to the news operation and be part of what was happening. At one of those lunches, I asked him directly what made a television program successful. He answered immediately and began talking about Jack Benny. Paley told me that The Jack Benny Show had attracted an audience of roughly 70 million Americans at a time when the population of the United States was only about half of what it is today. He had once as...