Fred Friendly

Born in 1915, originally under the german name Ferdinand Friendly Wachenheimer, in New York City, Fred Friendly got his broadcasting start from working at a small radio station in Rhode Island, shortly after graduating from Nichols Business College.  He soon became an experience radio producer, and met E. Murrow while working on “Hear it Now”.  He also was a war correspondent, and helped break the news of the holocaust to the world. Friendly was known for his innovative technical skills in radio, as well as his ability to capture drama, and Murrow was impressed. He invited Friendly to join him as he began the television show, See it Now. Premiering in 1952, See it Now was a success, combing Murrows stage presence and speaking voice with Friendlys talent for producing. Both of them were driven by a desire for fair and honest reporting. Whether covering mundane topics, human interest stories, or challenging the political climate of the day, they sought to tell the truth as it really was. When See it Now was canceled, Murrow left CBS. Friendly however, stayed with the network. He broadened his responsibilities, creating a variety of different news programs. In the mid 1960’s Friendly was promoted to President of CBS news.  Forever devoted to the concept of television as a tool for learning, rather than just entertainment, Friendly resigned from CBS after they opted to air re-runs of “I Love Lucy” instead of carrying live coverage of the first Senate hearings to question American involvement in Vietnam. After his resignation, Friendly began to write and teach about media and law.  He wrote several books, and taught at Columbia University as the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Broadcast Journalism.  He also became a champion of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), where he worked closely with McGeorge Bundy (President of the Ford Foundation), as they testified before congress to secure funding.  In 1974, Friendly began to produce the Media and Society Seminars and in 1987, in efforts to reach a larger audience, Friendly broadcasted his seminars,  called, Ethics in America: Public Trust, Private Interests, on PBS.  Up until his 1998 death Friendly kept vocal in efforts to encourage free speech and expression in journalism.  It is hard to determine just how massive an impact this man behind the curtains had on the evolution of television.

"My job is to make the agony of decision making so intensive that you can only escape it by thinking."
-Fred Frendly