Friendlyvision: Fred Friendly and the Rise and Fall of Television Journalism

by Ralph Engelman, Morley Safer (Foreword)

Fred Friendly (1915-1998) was the single most important personality in news and public affairs programming during the first four decades of American television. Portrayed by George Clooney in the film Good Night and Good Luck , Friendly, together with Edward R. Murrow, invented the television documentary format and subsequently oversaw the birth of public television. Juggling the roles of producer, policy maker, and teacher, Friendly had an unprecedented impact on the development of CBS in its heyday, wielded extensive influence at the Ford Foundation under the presidency of McGeorge Bundy, and trained a generation of journalists at Columbia University during a tumultuous period of student revolt.

Ralph Engelman's biography is the first comprehensive account of Friendly's life and work. Known as a "brilliant monster," Friendly stood at the center of television's unique response to McCarthyism, Watergate, and the Vietnam War, and the pitched battles he fought continue to resonate in the troubled world of television news. Engelman's fascinating psychological portrait explores the sources of Friendly's legendary rage and his extraordinary achievement. Drawing on private papers and interviews with colleagues, family members, and friends, Friendlyvision is the definitive story of broadcast journalism's infamous "wild man," providing a crucial perspective on the past and future character of American journalism.

440 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chris Aylott · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a few chapters into this biography, I found myself saying, "Wow. Fred Friendly sounds a lot like Lyndon Johnson." And sure enough, a few chapters and decades later, the Johnson administration begins and a bunch of other people are commenting on how alike the two men are.

This is a good thing, to my mind, because I rather like Lyndon Johnson. Friendly did not share Johnson's amorality (at least not much of it), but he had the same gregarious charisma, the same ability to push everyone around him forward, and the same towering rages.

Friendly's goals were to turn television into a powerful force for public affairs, and he helped set the form of documentaries and news magazines during televisions Golden Age. He also played a critical role in building the public television system, and trained several generations of journalists. He is a fascinating and flawed personality, and Engelman gives this broadcast pioneer's life the balanced treatment it deserves.

[Ken Kingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read on one of the pioneers of television journalism. Passionate, explosive, and a visionary, Fred Friendly helped create the first public affairs program on TV, "See It Now" on CBS, and was a key player in the development of PBS. Well researched and entertaining, Ralph Engleman used private papers and interviews with family and colleagues to tell the unique story of the many parts of Friendly's life in Radio, TV, and broadcast education.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Fred Friendly give the keynote address at the Medical Library Association meeting years ago. He spoke about the power of information, and was just incredibly inspiring. I'd always wanted to learn more about him, and I enjoyed this biography of a larger-than-life figure.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nuanced and well researched portrait if Fred Friendly!