Nightline:: History in the Making and the Making of Television [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Ted Koppel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 1996

Since its premiere in 1980, Nightline has become an American institution, watched by more than 25 million people five times a week. This highly readable history of the program takes readers behind the scenes of the making of the show and looks at the profound revolution now shaking the information industry. Photos.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For millions of Americans, 'Nightline' is as much a part of the bedtime ritual as brushing their teeth. At the show's 1980 debut, Ted Koppel's detached but approachable style immediately marked him as a serious journalist, and disgruntled TV viewers sat up and took notice. Since then Koppel has continued to revolutionize the art of the television interview with his intelligence and low-key authority. With Kyle Gibson, a former 'Nightline' producer, he has authored a remarkable memoir of the show's first 16 years.

From Publishers Weekly

When the Iranians occupied the American embassy in Tehran in November 1979, ABC News went on the air every night with a program called America Held Hostage. For years ABC News chief Roone Arledge had been trying to carve a space in the 11:30 p.m. time slot opposite Johnny Carson; and the Iranian crisis allowed him a foothold. The show was a hit. In March 1980, it was renamed Nightline and Ted Koppel became the host. Over the years, the show has covered such diverse subjects as apartheid, the beginning of the AIDS epidemic and the fall of communism. Koppel, along with former Nightline producer Gibson, takes readers behind the scenes and shows the highlights (Dodger farm director Al Campanis awkwardly explaining why there are no black executives in baseball) and the lowlights (Koppel's badgering of vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro). Much of the book is dedicated to the technique of interviewing and discusses some who have sat in the hot seat, from former President Bush and televangelist Pat Robertson to Bill Clinton during the 1992 election campaign. Everything you ever wanted to know about Nightline is here, and it is a news junkie's delight.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 477 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (May 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812924789
• ISBN-13: 978-0812924787
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for NIGHTLINE fans!, December 27, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Nightline:: History in the Making and the Making of Television (Hardcover)

The use of statellite technology for live interviews around the globe is so ubiquitous that you almost forget a time without it. NIGHTLINE is the program that pioneered this technology and showed how it could bring newsmakers on all points of the globe together for debate and discussion. The book recounts in well-researched detail the events that led to the birth of the program, its evolution and continued development. Fans of the show will enjoy all the nuggets of information: the circumstances that led to an unknown correspondent to be the permanent host; the selection of the name itself; details of experiments that failed. Though billed as being by Ted Koppel and Kyle Gibson, Koppel makes it clear that the book is largely Gibson's. Gibson was a producer for the program for several years but has moved on to other posts within ABC News. This is another benefit of the book: she brings the perspective of having been an insider while not being too close to the project. You'll enjoy the many excerpts of memorable programs and exchanges, and Koppel's hidden sense of humor shines through.