BMFI will screen the Oscar-winning film “Network” (Best Actor, Peter Finch, Best Actress, Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actor, Ned Beatty) on April 2.
If you were above the age of 12 in 1976, every weeknight at 6:00, you were probably watching John Facenda on Channel 10, Jessica Savitch on Channel 3, or Mort Crim on Channel 6. Then, at 6:30, in all likelihood, you tuned in to Harry Reasoner on ABC, John Chancellor on NBC, or Walter Cronkite on CBS. Ted Turner was probably thinking about it, but he wouldn’t launch CNN for another four years.
How does that compare to how your electronic news media is delivered today?
But some things haven’t changed very much.
In “Network,” Anchor Howard Beale’s (Peter Finch) ratings are failing and he is about to be fired (not enough clicks). He has an on-air freakout, and then, on cue, instead of losing viewers, his outburst becomes a ratings hit, prompting the network to exploit his instability for profit.