Paul Harvey Was ‘Equal Time’ in Fairness Doctrine Era
But Paul Harvey was there on the radio every day, with a larger audience as a percentage of the nation’s population than Limbaugh has ever had, disarming the Fairness Doctrine police with his patented “Stand by for news!” greeting. And indeed it was the news, only a slightly different rendition. He often emphasized different facts or brought out new ones that inevitably made you wonder, “Why haven’t I seen or heard that before?” And even if the story was the same, his tone gave you a good idea of what he thought of it and of the players in it.
Then there were his other stories.
Harvey’s frequent announcements of everyday Americans’ longtime wedding anniversaries reminded us that marriages — and love — do last. That included his own marriage; he called wife Lynne Harvey, a broadcasting pioneer in her own right, “Angel” so often that many thought it was her real name. His broadcast-wrapping jokes, often based on news stories, came from a time when we could still laugh at ourselves, were rooted in heartland values, were almost always genuinely funny, and were devoid of meanness.
His interspersed ads, which critics ignorantly claimed blurred the line between news and commercial content — what about verbally turning from “page one” to “page two” did these people not understand? — doubled as odes to American success, ingenuity, and even corporate nobility. Many of his ads included letters from listeners praising products he had recommended. Harvey’s satisfaction that he had helped a person improve his or her life, even in a small way, was genuine and unmistakable.
More than anyone on the air during that era, Paul Harvey was a profoundly grateful believer in America and free-enterprise capitalism in a world, a U.S. media environment, and all too often a government that thought the march of history was running against it. He didn’t buy it. He supported McCarthy, whom history has thoroughly vindicated over academics’ closed eyes and ears. Of course, the mainstream media obituaries are emphasizing that he came to oppose the Vietnam War, while failing to report that he later regretted his on-air opposition. Well, what human with any compassion wouldn’t have such regrets, given the results?
Tens of millions of Americans received their antidote to the dominant media narrative from Paul Harvey at a time when very few others were delivering it, or even could. If not for him, it’s likely that many of the millions now listening to Limbaugh, Hannity, and other talkers liberated by the Fairness Doctrine’s 1987 repeal would not have been on the AM dial to tune in.
“Paul Harvey’s death Saturday did not garner major headlines or sustained attention.”
That’s because his first name wasn’t Tim and his last name wasn’t Russert.
Joseph McCarthy has never been, nor will he ever be, vindicated for his role as a lying weasel who brought shame to himself, his office and his country. He was nothing but a drunk and a coward with an axe to grind, and used his modicum of political power to bully ordinary citizens and even American soldiers because of his psychotic phobia of communism. Joseph McCarthy should continue to be a lesson to right wing fascists like Bill O’Reilly, Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck that there’s only so far you can take your hate-mongering game before rational people realize that you’re just another maniacal, witch-hunting, substance-abusing nutcase.
Steve P. is a lesson to left wing fascists like Chris Matthews, Larry King and Rahm Emanuel that there’s only so far you can take your hate-mongering game before rational people realize that you’re just another maniacal, witch-hunting, substance-abusing nutcase.
Paul Harvey will be missed. FYI, he was much better than Rush Limbaugh can ever hope to be.
Paul Harvey’s involvement with his advertisers was far more than verbally “turning the page.” He delivered a personal endorsement; one can view this as being a change leader or sullying the business. Either way, if he hadn’t been first national newscaster to do this, someone else would have.
With his distinctive delivery and a willingness to deliver hard sell copy, it was more like turning a page to find a page two that looked identical to the news on page one which was something old media was once unwilling to do.
Come on, this article is satire, right?
No, but I’m guessing your reply was an attempt at it, right?
I really hate that the death of a jounalist, any jounalist, is considered news. It’s not. Not to me. They just report the news. They are not the news. In fact, I consider them all to be a dime a dozen and completely and easily replaceable. (The only exception to my mind is Krauthammer. No one else offers his depth of insight.)
#2 Steve P – When are you going to learn? Malkin is indeed right-wing, but Beck is a Libertarian, and O’Reilly is a centrist leaning a (very) little rightwards. Of course, you’re so far Left, that they all seem right-wing to you.
Paul Harvey had real class. There is noone in the leftwing media with any class.
Blumer demonstrates his ignorance of the Fairness Doctrine with this quote:
“The wires, the Times, and the Post were “of course” similarly untouchable. The conservative opinions of writers like Cal Thomas, Bill Buckley, and James Kilpatrick were relegated to local papers’ op-ed pages.”
The Fairness Doctrine ONLY applied toward broadcast media. It was never applied toward the print media, so of course they were “untouchable.”
When I heard Paul Harvey died I felt I lost a friend. He was as all-American as apple pie and a radio pioneer. I’ll miss him greatly.
2. Steve P.:
————
Agreed. And you left out Joe McCarthy fan Ann Coulter.
Paul Harvey was one of a kind and if you never listened to him in his hey day you have no idea what you missed. A good man which is more than I can say for most.
By the way Macarthy was completely wrong about how he want about it and was an unpleasant person so say the least but it turns out that most of his accusations were right.
Yes I know, working to overthrow capitalist pig representative government is a noble work for some but hey, I don’t have to believe it.
One thing you have to say about Steve P, his sunny, ebullient, cheerful, and even-handed comments brighten every column in PJM.
>nothing but a drunk and a coward with an axe to grind
Enough about you, Steve P. How do you feel about Paul Harvey?
#10,
“It (the Fairness Doctrine) was never applied toward the print media, so of course they were “untouchable.”
It was limited to broadcasters because of the naive notion that there were no entry barriers to newspaper publishing. That’s obviously true; just look at all the new metro dailies that sprang up around the country during the Fairness Doctrine Era (/sarc). Actually, “Not a single, financially viable paper has been launched in …. more than 60 years.”
AP’s arrangement with its subscribing newspapers also constituted a virtual monopoly during that era. UPI got the leftover crumbs.
Paul Harvey was a part of my growing-up years for which I am forever grateful – agree or disagree, he always was thought-provoking and entertaining. I never missed his early-AM 5-minute or noonday 15-minute program.
I’m a day early on this, but it’s my favorite “Harveyism”:
“Good morning, Americans… IT’S FRIDAY!”
Vaya con Dios, Mr. Harvey. Be young and strong forever, with your beloved ‘Angel’.
And, now, he knows “The Rest of the Story”.
Thank you Mr. Harvey for all the uplifting enjoyment you brought. Your ebullient spirit and exuberant delivery made the most inane events interesting and pertinent to our daily lives.
Thank you again.
For those that just must cast those pearls of negativity and disbelief, you have missed one of the “Better Men” of our time. Mr. Harvey was part of America, and will be missed.
tom