Of course over the years I've heard a lot of gas-bags pontificate on the subject of television and what makes it good and what makes it bad.
To my mind most of them don't know what the hell they are talking about--the type of geeks who usually weaseled their ways into t.v. management jobs and wouldn't know good television if it was crawling out of their you know what....
I've worked with a lot of those types over the years in local news and during the many changing regimes at the old tabloid news magazine "A Current Affair."
But nearly a quarter of a century ago I had the great good fortune to study with a man who really seemed to know what he was talking about. His name was John Schultz and while that probably doesn't ring many bell--it should! Because in many ways John Schultz was one of the founding fathers of television news.
When I met him in the early '80's, John Schultz was a slightly hunched-over, chain-smoking man who had a surprisingly strong grip when he shock your hand. He was probably in his late-sixties. He was short, intense and usually looked like he had just woken up on a bus bench. His gray hair was long and wild and exploded off the sides of his otherwise bald head.
At the time I was a graduate student at Columbia University working on a masters degree in journalism and John Schultz was teaching a t.v. news production class.
For me it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I was living in New York and producing t.v.news stories (even if they were seen only my classmates). It was a wonderful time.
But for John Schultz--while he was an excellent teacher--it all seemed a little mind-numbing--baby-tending a bunch of arrogant and obnoxious t.v. wannabes.
Because before taking a teaching gig at Columbia, John Schultz had been at the very front ranks of television--working for many years as one of the original film editors at the first great network news organization--CBS. And John Schultz wasn't just any film editor. No--John Schultz was the legendary Edward R. Murrow's film editor!--a true artist who worked hand in hand with Murrow on number of major projects including what I consider to be the "Citizen Kane" of news documentaries--Murrow's gut-wrenching and history-making masterpiece on hunger and poverty in America--the seminal CBS documentary "Harvest of Shame."
Suffice it to say--for a stupid kid from Salt Lake City--hanging out with the likes of John Schultz was heady stuff indeed.
And that's not all--Schultz's old boss and network buddy--Fred Friendly--the former president of CBS News--the guy who George Clooney played in the movie "Good Night and Good Luck"--was also one of my teachers at Columbia. He too was a very cool and inspirational cat!
But I have to say it was John Schultz who gave me the one piece of advise about making good television that I consider the most important and insightful I've ever heard about the biz--the one pearl of wisdom that has stayed with me all these many years and served me amazingly well.
It happened one day in the old t.v. production class up on the top floor of the J-School.
"Kid"..... the wild looking old man said to me in his scratchy, smoke-scarred voice.
" You want to make good t.v? Always make sure your crew gets lunch."