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The Shifting 70s

As the 1970s began, the unpopular Vietnam War and student protests were coming under increasing scrutiny by the broadcast news. Nixon was not pleased and Vice-President Spiro Agnew attacked news media as ‘impudent snobs.’ News organizations responded by questioning the establishment. CBS’s documentary The Selling of the Pentagon caused many to question whether the government was giving us the real scoop or whether propagandizing the arms acquisition process had obscured the truth (from the Museum of Broadcast Communications).

Within a few years, many Americans were convinced that the wrong leaders were in the White House. The Watergate Scandal, originally covered by Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein, soon became a national obsession. Visit the Washington Post Web site and revisit the event. Hear Nixon’s Resignation Speech on the Watergate website.

As the 1960s drew to a close, growing resentment of the status quo manifested itself as student protests at Cornell, Columbia, Berkley and dozens of other schools around the country. “The Student Protest Movement of the 1960s” website created by Professor Lewis at the University of Colorado provides a useful overview of the period. The student protests of the 60s turned into rebellion and terrorism by radical groups in the 1970s. Read Who2’s account of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst who is kidnapped by the SLA and then becomes a member of the terrorist sect. Other acts of terrorism around the world, such as Black September’s attack on Israeli athletes at the Munch Olympics, marked a turning point in real-life drama. Read NewsCurrents account of the tragic events.

The FCC was busy with broadcasting in the United States. Public interest groups such as Action for Children’s Television (from Museum of Broadcast Communication) put external pressure on the organization to re-evaluate whether the industry was serving the needs of children. Internally, the FCC’s first black commissioner, Benjamin Hooks pushed for EEO reforms. Must-carry, duopoly, and community access rules illustrated FCC attempts to make regulation work.

Television programming was more daring in the 1970s. Fantasy sit-coms of the 1960s were replaced by programs such as All in the Family and M*A*S*H (from TVland.com). Gritty dramas such as Kojak (Tim’s TV showcase) and Ironsides mix with more escapist fare such as Charlie’s Angels. Take a look at Super 70s.com for the 1970s television schedules. (Note that there were only three networks).

Radio and music were going through another transition. The FCC promulgated a rule that required AM-FM combination stations to program FM separately. FM radio was beginning to gain popularity among young listeners who preferred longer album cuts to traditional Top 40. You can read about free form format at WFMU and how it developed at “underground” stations like WNEW-FM in New York. This eventually developed commercially into today's Classic Rock format. Public radio was beginning to develop, and National Public Radio was created.

The Acid Rock of the late sixties gave way to more melodic pop, much of it with a country flavor. Bands like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Poco gained in popularity. The Grateful Dead released “Workingman’s Dead” and other albums with a distinct folk/country flavor. But it was the Eagles who emerged as the biggest selling band of the decade.