Remembering Ed

Today’s television and radio news facing increased competition from the internet, cable and satellite providers, pod-casting and more has gone a route that’s become increasing lost on me.  In an effort to be first, flashiest and most bold, we in the world of broadcast have seen some decay in product presentation over the last few decades.  More stories with less content keeping newscasts moving has become the choice of producers and media parent companies in an effort to grab hold of our attention and increase what’s known in the electronic media world as ‘time spent listening’ or ‘time spent viewing’.  These ‘TSL or TSV’ levels mean more revenue from advertisers who want our attention to move products or services and increase commerce. 

Mid November we lost a pillar in the broadcast world.  A man, who this columnist believes defined what’s best about journalistic integrity and reporting on what matters most to us.  Spanning a career that netted nearly 500 stories, Ed Bradley succumbed to Leukemia leaving behind a body of work that in this man’s view is incredibly remarkable.  Bradley, a Philadelphia native learned early on that his blue collar, lower income roots would provide the best training to connect with America as a reporter and correspondent, first in radio, than as a TV war correspondent to where’s he’s been for decades with CBS as a regular contributor to the long running and successful TV news magazine ’60 Minutes’.  Bradley will always be ‘Mr. Sunday Night’ to this columnist. 

TV viewing for me is at an all time low, under 3 hours a week total is all the tube gets from me.  Too much to do and too little on TV that interests me, my lack of interest isn’t rare, I hear it more everyday from busy people who are unsatisfied with cable and network program offerings.  The one tune in time has always been and will continue, albeit changed, is ’60 Minutes’.  Arguably, the best television on television, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Bradley has always been a big reason why ’60 Minutes’ is successful but also timeless.  The mild mannered, well groomed, articulate Bradley moved prodigiously through his reports, careful to find out not just the facts of the story as is every journalist’s job, Bradley went that extra mile to tell you why the story was even a story in the first place.  Bradley was a master at framing his reports in a way that showed us first why his report was relevant, why it mattered and why we should be thinking about it on Sunday night or any night.  Once he had your attention he’d carefully and intuitively with his studied approach lay out the facts.  What set Bradley further apart was his listening skills and not being afraid to respectfully confront his subject.  “I’m just trying to understand” and “Give me more explanation about” and his classic “Come on, you don’t buy that” retorts always raised the eyebrow of those opposite Ed’s microphone and peaked our attention keeping us yearning for more.  Bradley was cool because he knew when the interview called for compassion, empathy, outrage, support, light heartedness or something else.  He instilled these traits depending on the story all while masterfully staying objective and not committing the cardinal sin of becoming the story.  He was just in the story long enough to give you the presentation but he was never the primary focus. 

’60 Minutes’ did a great retrospective on Ed Sunday November 12th which proved the point.  Bradley could be at home and laid back with Muhammed Ali, the former boxer and Parkinson’s sufferer, while at the same time show you the story behind what made Ali so remarkable and what the former champ has to endure today.  Bradley’s subjects were always eager to sit with him.  It was easy to take Ed’s call, to give him time.  A regular guy in a big job, Bradley never forgot his roots and his home spun approach and casual but thorough interview style endeared people to him.  Part of why more people opened up with Ed than they would with others in media.  There’s a lesson in Ed’s life, not just for his great body of work but for how we can all learn to approach people.  Ed leaves behind a tremendous body of work.  But he sure didn’t rush through it.  Bradley almost looked like he moved half speed through his reports and those that knew him quipped Ed took his time, didn’t get jammed up on deadlines, but just focused on his task at hand and in the process of slowing down and staying focused on each report Bradley did superlative work.  A great legacy and lesson left behind by a true pillar in journalism, Bradley’s message was superior reporting means digging down deep to the heart of the story and finding out all the aspects important to our humanity need to be raised to get the full value out of each report.  Imagine if we took our jobs in that same way, move slower, focus more.  What do you think would happen? Try it for a while and see.  My bet is you’ll see that the Bradley approach like ’60 Minutes’ is time tested and best used as you go to compile the stories and projects that make up your life. See ‘ya around town.