PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Television news reported every twist and turn of the 1968 presidential election, from President Johnson’s surprise announcement to early morning calls of Richard Nixon as winner. Candidates shrewdly used the popular medium to their advantage. While pervasive campaign advertisements boosted exposure, televised reports of carefully orchestrated public appearances crafted the desired political image. Aides allegedly timed Nixon’s arrival at Miami International Airport to the exact minute that nightly news coverage of the Republican National Convention began. A few days later, the candidate invited CBS News cameras into his hotel room to capture the moment he received the nomination. George Wallace, meanwhile, brought truth to the expression “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” According to aide Seymore Trammell, the third-party candidate deliberately provoked racial fears in stump speeches in order to attract a wider audience and “play in the press.” The method proved effective, with Wallace gaining 11 points in the polls between April and October. Television—and television news in particular—was now a major component of campaign strategy.
The following collection of local television and official White House news coverage documents election developments at both the state and national level. Most of the major candidates are featured, but Wallace makes an outsized representation. The reason for this apparent imbalance arguably lies with the archival source material. The Wallace campaign made multiple stops around Texas. Surrounding television stations reported on such visits in their own local news programming. Television viewers might otherwise see coverage of different candidates during network newscasts, which are not depicted here.
Television news reported every twist and turn of the 1968 presidential election, from President Johnson’s surprise announcement to early morning calls of Richard Nixon as winner. Candidates shrewdly used the popular medium to their advantage. While pervasive campaign advertisements boosted exposure, televised reports of carefully orchestrated public appearances crafted the desired political image. Aides allegedly timed Nixon’s arrival at Miami International Airport to the exact minute that nightly news coverage of the Republican National Convention began. A few days later, the candidate invited CBS News cameras into his hotel room to capture the moment he received the nomination. George Wallace, meanwhile, brought truth to the expression “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” According to aide Seymore Trammell, the third-party candidate deliberately provoked racial fears in stump speeches in order to attract a wider audience and “play in the press.” The method proved effective, with Wallace gaining 11 points in the polls between April and October. Television—and television news in particular—was now a major component of campaign strategy.
The following collection of local television and official White House news coverage documents election developments at both the state and national level. Most of the major candidates are featured, but Wallace arguably makes an outsized representation. The reason for this apparent imbalance arguably lies with the archival source material. The Wallace campaign made multiple stops around Texas. Surrounding television stations reported on such visits in their own local news programming. Television viewers might otherwise see coverage of different candidates during national network newscasts, which are not depicted here.
