ted koppel

In this our third episode of RICHARD NIXON and WATERGATE, we have our second part of a look at the journalists who covered Watergate in 1973 and 1974.  Most of them were truly awful, but not all.

 In this episode you will hear from journalists, like Dan Rather and David Brinkley, who show a stunning lack of self awareness,  in one case especially where the person actually says they could not stand Richard Nixon and had no respect for him but "I never attacked him on the air, and I always treated him fairly"....No s#&! He actually says that!!! (Tune in to hear it for yourself) 

But we do move on to some truly ethical, fair minded, and good people in the media who deserve to be shown for the champions of integrity they actually were  in the history of journalism. Many of the journalists featured worked for one major news network ,  ABC News. We will listen to oral histories of Howard K. Smith, Ted Koppel , Mike Wallace (the one CBS exception)  and Barbara Walters as they describe the President they covered and interviewed throughout their careers. 

In the end, you will get to hear from President Richard Nixon himself, the victim of arguably the most unfair media coverage in the history of politics, and what he says will shock you!! In his early 1990's  interview with Hugh Sidey,  he actually defends the importance of protecting the media's right to cover political figures however they see fit. 

Charles Osgood Wood III , was the given name of a television icon, we all knew simply as Charles Osgood.  He was the host of the CBS News "Sunday Morning" broadcast for 22 years but long before that he was the voice for the Osgood File on CBS Radio. It was that voice that made him instantly recognizable to almost everyone in America. He stood out in the media landscape for his understatement and his genuine kind nature. He was a poet, a musician, and an extraordinary storyteller.  He seemed to have always been around. It was that understatement that made you feel like you were listening to a kindly relative who had always been there and that perhaps you did not really appreciate like you should have until you realized he was not there any longer. 

I think we have all missed Charles Osgood since the day he retired in 2017. I know I have missed him. In a world that seems to be half crazy all the time, I enjoyed his simple uplifting stories and his amazingly insightful poetry early on each Sunday morning. His famous two minute commentaries, "The Osgood Files", were always insightful and thought provoking and his poems were exactly perfect for the moment you had tuned in for on those Sunday Mornings. 

So , in this episode, we look back on his amazing life and career, with tributes from his friends and his journalistic colleagues, we here wisdom from him in his interviews and speeches, and we found a good cross section of his many commentaries known as "The Osgood File" , we hope it is a fitting tribute to the CBS Newsman known as the networks poet in residence, and we will even listen in for a song or too. 

Charles Osgood was 91, and we can honestly say of this icon of television news, "We were glad to know you" and as we bid farewell we will simply say Godspeed, Mr. Osgood, We will see you on the radio, until we meet again. 

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
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Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
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This episode starts as Richard Nixon, at age 39, is taking the oath of the Vice President of the United States. 

On this episode we take you through his remarkable Vice Presidency, where he has to step in through two major illnesses of the President, a heart attack and then stroke. Then he is attacked by a violent, rock throwing mob as he travels by motorcade through the streets of Caracas , Venezuela, then has to hold his own at a trade show in Moscow when he is cornered for an impromptu debate with Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev. 

Then we move into the most examined Presidential campaign in history as Vice President Richard Nixon faces off against an old friend from Congress, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. It would be one of the closest races in history and Nixon would lose. Then to get back in the political hunt Richard Nixon goes home to California and attempts to run for Governor in 1962, only to lose a second time. It looked like his career had flamed out as meteorically as it had taken off to start with. 

Then a series of events would open more and more doors for a return to the national stage and a run for President in 1968. 

This is a fun episode looking back at one of the purely fun events of the past half century. It was the Bicentennial of Declaration of Independence, the celebration of our nation's founding. It was an event like no other in our history and Gerald Ford, a man who had not sought the Presidency at all,  got to enjoy presiding over it all. 

He gives all appearances of having enjoyed every moment of it too.

So in this episode we simply hop on for the ride as we open up the Smithsonian's New Air and Space Museum, enjoy the tall ships as they sailed through New York Harbour, enjoyed a celebratory event at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on July 3rd, with two speeches on America, one given by President Gerald Ford and the other by a football All American,  Heisman Trophy Winner, and one of the NFL's leading all time rushers, former Buffalo Bills Running Back O.J. Simpson.  ( at that moment no one knew what the future would hold for him) 

Then we follow President Ford to the great city of Philadelphia, to hear a speech at Freedom Hall by the President to commemorate this historic moment on July 4, 1976. 

Then we head back to the nation's capital to welcome the most famous and perhaps most unlikely of guests who will stop over to help our nation celebrate its 200 years of freedom. A royal visit from none other than Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second of United Kingdom, the monarch of the very nation whose yolk we had thrown off exactly 200 years and two days before.....

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
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Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
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In the first of two episodes featuring original JPZ'ers from the 1970's, we sit down with Greg Hernandez.  In addition to being one of the key figures at the start of WJPZ, he's had a fascinating career since, working with some of the top names at ABC News and having a front-row seat to some significant events in history.

Like many of us, Greg first got in front of a microphone in high school, and worked his way to Syracuse.  He started at WAER, but Bill Bleyle told him about a new station they were putting on 1200 AM - WJPZ.    As the sales manager, Greg sold spots (yes, commercials) to Acropolis Pizza - even though they couldn't hear the station from their original location on Westcott Street!   On the air, Greg hosted a Friday and Saturday night show, taking calls from students partying in the dorms and elsewhere.

Greg also sent over some perfectly preserved documents from those days - which you can link to here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gl0q0m93n2bzi2k/AABrf8_TU9oH3mcio-kQx1qua?dl=0

After a few Central New York radio gigs, Greg tired of the snow and headed south  - to Washington DC, eventually landing a gig at his dream employer - ABC News.  He tells us some amazing stories of working with Peter Jennings, Sam Donaldson, David Brinkley, and Ted Koppel.  These include the Challenger disaster, Reagan's Iran-Contra affair announcement nearly derailing a Syracuse alumni tour, and more.

Following his time at ABC, Greg worked as a media contact for several government agencies.  He was at NOAA when they recovered John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane, and was the media contact in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.   He then moved on to the US Mint, where he visited Presidential homes to promote the new dollar coins.   And finally, he ended up at the FDIC during the height of 2008's financial crisis.

Now, Greg narrates audio books full time (when you hear his voice you'll see why it's a perfect fit for him.)

As we wrap up, Greg reflects on what he learned at WJPZ, and how it informed his career since.  And he marvels at how this little radio station he helped start 50 years ago still endures today.

Join Us in Syracuse for Banquet on March 4th: https://bit.ly/WJPZ50BanquetTickets

The WJPZ at 50 Podcast is produced by Jon Gay '02 and JAG in Detroit Podcasts

BANQUET 2024 WILL BE MARCH 2ND! Get your tickets here before prices go up!  https://bit.ly/3RmN0V4

the video for madonna’s new song is banned from mtv and the guy on nightline asks her if she’ll make even more money from the song now that it’s banned madonna says yeah so the girl who played the sister on diff’rent strokes is caught robbing a video store in vegas where she is living and working at a dry cleaner’s everyone watches the video tape of the rodney king beating on television you are haunted by the image of the famous guitarist’s toddler son falling to his death out an open window in new york a high school teacher in new hampshire is found guilty of ordering one of her students who is also her teenage lover to murder her husband warren beatty musing about how madonna doesn’t exist if there’s no camera the kid from the partridge family who is a radio dj in phoenix is found cowering in his apartment closet when the police come to arrest him for beating up a transvestite prostitute 

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@TypicaloftheX

“I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

"Man," I cried, "how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom!”

― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Have we created Frankenstein's Monster?

FOX News Founder Roger Ailes started with a noble idea. To give conservatives a level playing field in the form of a news network that presented the conservative viewpoint in its editorializing and a fair and balanced network in its reporting. As an advisor to President Richard Nixon he saw the unfairness the President was subject to every day he got up out of bed to fight for the American People.  He was also witness to the nullification of Richard Nixon's 49 state win and his forced resignation from the Presidency. 

Now you may not agree with that assessment but millions of people through out the land did agree with it and were angry about what they had seen happen to Richard Nixon. Then they sat on the sidelines and watched the Democratic smear machine destroy a nominee for the United States Supreme Court in Robert Bork and later watched the blueprint for taking out a Presidency put to use again and again in an attempt to undermine both President Ronald Reagan and later George H.W. Bush.  This included a very convenient October surprise just as President Bush was surging in the polls in 1992. Special Prosecutor Lawrence Walsh indicted Casper Weinberger and several others and included notes Weinberger had made that made Bush out to have lied about his knowledge of the Iran-Contra Affair.  All just 4 days from the Presidential election. 

IT was then that a fed up Roger Ailes decided we had to do something to protect conservatives from a media and Democratic Party willing to do and say anything to weaponize government and bring down Republicans.  He founded FOX News and in retaliation the Liberal Left founded MSNBC. From there came the rise of Social Media and the ability to spread misinformation all over the society. This all occurring while these cheerleader news networks fanned the flames instead of telling the news.  We have ended up with a very divided society with extremists at the wheel stirring up the masses, all while the news networks make billions turning news into entertainment. 

It ought to scare everyone in America and I think I speak for millions when I say we are all tired of it. This episode shows you a brief history of how a noble effort to protect future Presidents from the injustice that took out President Nixon has morphed into a society on the brink. And how we need to return to the worthy ideals espoused by the very President whose demise led to our current situation. 

I would also remind people of an easy rule of thumb I have followed when evaluating the things I hear on the news and in the rumor mills of politics. "If it sounds stupid, crazy or complicated it usually is" if we would all learn to follow that simple formula a lot of what we see today could be avoided. 


What happens to the monster at the end of Frankenstein?

At the end of the novel, Victor dies on Robert Walton's ship in the Arctic Circle. The boat captain finds his body and the monster who mourns Victor's death in the room. The Creature disappears from the boat to kill himself. Victor and the monste

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/

Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

In this our third episode of RICHARD NIXON and WATERGATE, we have our second part of a look at the journalists who covered Watergate in 1973 and 1974.  Most of them were truly awful, but not all.

 In this episode you will hear from journalists, like Dan Rather and David Brinkley, who show a stunning lack of self awareness,  in one case especially where the person actually says they could not stand Richard Nixon and had no respect for him but "I never attacked him on the air, and I always treated him fairly"....No s#&! He actually says that!!! (Tune in to hear it for yourself) 

But we do move on to some truly ethical, fair minded, and good people in the media who deserve to be shown for the champions of integrity they actually were  in the history of journalism. Many of the journalists featured worked for one major news network ,  ABC News. We will listen to oral histories of Howard K. Smith, Ted Koppel , Mike Wallace (the one CBS exception)  and Barbara Walters as they describe the President they covered and interviewed throughout their careers. 

In the end, you will get to hear from President Richard Nixon himself, the victim of arguably the most unfair media coverage in the history of politics, and what he says will shock you!! In his early 1990's  interview with Hugh Sidey,  he actually defends the importance of protecting the media's right to cover political figures however they see fit. 

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/

Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

On January 6, 2021 a riot broke out in Washington D.C. at the United States Capitol. It was an angering sight to see and brought the functioning of the Capitol to a total standstill. The national media and the Democratic Party have tried very hard to put the blame on one man, Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States. But I think I speak for millions of Americans when I say bluntly, there is plenty of blame to go around. While Donald Trump certainly has done little to alleviate the divisions in this country, the sad fact is our nation has had nearly two and a half decades of incompetent, divisive, extreme, unworthy leadership from both parties , and, frankly,  I could just go on and on using these types of descriptions of our national leadership. The incompetence  extends to the national media and its leadership too. They are a collective national embarrassment unfit to walk the same halls as Bob Dole or Dan Inouye, or sit in the same chairs as Peter Jennings or Walter Cronkite. Until January 6th, our nation had functioned with relative immunity from just how bad they have mishandled the positions they have been entrusted with, but finally the chickens have come home to roost. 

If I sound disgusted understand I am actually being generous on how I really feel about the current state of our national discourse. 

When we wrote our book "Always Vote Your Conscience, Don't Take it personally and Don't fight the Same old battles over and over again" or when we started this podcast, we were frustrated, today we are just plain mad and sick of it. Our Podcast premiered on January 2, 2021 and it was originally a nine episode podcast documentary focusing on lessons of leadership we could learn from the World War 2 generation of leaders, both those of the generation that led us through the war, and those who fought it and returned to serve in Congress and the Presidency afterwards. The events that occurred at the Capitol erupted just 4 days after we went on the air and because of how strongly we felt we put together a new ending of the series to include a frank assessment of our current leadership and a review of the events of January 6. 

This was our first production of this type and we basically took the material from the finale, centered on the resignation of Senate Leader Bob Dole and his powerful speech on the Senate Floor in 1996, and divided the show in half,  adding material looking at two decades of colossal failure and extreme politics, combined  with an overview of the day the Capitol was ransacked. This added two full shows to our series finale.

 To commemorate the first anniversary of this horrible, embarrassing, an angering moment in the history of our country, we have revamped the material from the close of our first series. We have added a new opening, removed all the Bob Dole material, and added some new narration and removed some too.  The show is still our longest, at 2 hours and ten minutes, but it is , in our opinion, a powerful indictment of just how bad our national leadership has been for a quarter century. We are  now at a  moment of truth when we, the great silent majority of Americans, the non shouters, the non protesters', must step up and take our country back. 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

We need to elect leaders capable of leading, of finding compromise, and finding real solutions for making Government work again, instead of leading BullS#$& revolutions and extremist public policy. 

It is time to leave what we have had beh

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
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Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
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 Imagine a power outage - except, instead of it being isolated to your local area and lasting only a few hours, it spans most of the country and persists several months (or more). According to respected journalist Ted Koppel, such could be the fate of our country in the event of a coordinated cyber-attack on the power grid. In this episode, Tim reviews Koppel's investigative book, "Lights Out," in which he outlines the harsh realities of cyber warfare and the vulnerabilities of North America's power grid, the country’s unpreparedness to handle a direct attack on the grid, and those most likely to cope with such a catastrophe should it ever occur. 

"We can lead or we can mislead, as the people's representatives, but either way we will be held accountable" - Senator Robert J. Dole,  (R- Kansas) 

January 6, 2021

 A day when years of conspiracy theories and outrageous accusations finally came home to roost. Re-live the horrifying day from start to finish, when the World's oldest and greatest democracy had its center of government, the very symbol of freedom for the World, the United States Capitol,  attacked by a right wing mob, angry over an election that was, in reality,  not even particularly close. 

Here it is in all of its embarrassing, horrible glory. The day the United States of America was reduced  to looking like a banana republic on the eve of revolution, for all the world to see.

It is time for all of us to make a conscious decision to change. 

Here in the finale of "Bridging the Political Gap" we look at the culmination of two decades of leadership that has proven it is not up to the challenges of our time.  

And then, finally,  we return to Senator Bob Dole, from his  June 11, 1996 Senate Retirement address, in what has turned out to be a message needed more today than when he originally spoke it as the last symbol of the Greatest Generation. 

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
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Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
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Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind! 

For two decades our leadership in America has sown discord and divisiveness. The leadership of the Republican Party have often pushed conspiracy theories out to its true believers, the Democratic Party, in turn, has made outlandish accusations a hallmark of its leadership. 

All the while the national media has devolved not into purveyors of fact, but of cheerleading organizations , that pick sides, and give the political parties outlets to preach their outlandish nonsense to the unsuspecting masses. 

As Ted Koppel said in his interview with PBS, " The Washington Post of today, and the New York Times of today is not the New York Times of 50 years ago, nor the Washington Post of 50 years ago." 

The same could be said for all the television networks and the cable networks. They have all blurred the lines between news content and editorials. What is even worse is they have done it at the exact moment that the rise of social media has made any person with a lap top computer or cellphone an untrained, and often unreliable journalist. 

You don't know what you are listening to or whether what you are reading has any validity at all. That has allowed every crazy story to get legs and travel. That, all together, has fed an atmosphere of division, demonization, and no trust in our traditional institutions, not even a shared sense of what is really reality,  and  that boiled over on January 6, 2021 at the U.S Capitol. 

This episode takes you from the retirement of the last World War 2 national figure, Bob Dole, to the circus of the Brett Kavanaugh Hearings and President Donald Trump's war with "Fake News". 

 And to the doorstep of  what it brought us, the meltdown at the U.S. Capitol January , 06, 2021. 

Ranked 4th as one of the best American History Podcasts of 2024
https://podcasts.feedspot.com/american_history_podcasts/

Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!

Ted Koppel, veteran journalist and former host of ABC’s Nightline, discusses the evolution of journalism and the impact that it’s had on producing an informed electorate.