The evening-newscast ratings were moribund and staff morale was low, when an ambitious young executive from the network's entertainment side took over the news division. Suddenly, conventional journalistic techniques were replaced with show-business razzmatazz. Good men were pushed aside. The ratings soared. Money poured in.
Sound familiar? It happened in Paddy Chayefsky's movie Network, and some observers of television were wondering last week if life would be making reruns out of art. In a move long-bruited, Roone Arledge, the energetic president of ABC Sports, was put in charge of the network's news division....
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