Jack Williams movie review

[Donna Halper]

As many of you know, WBZ-TV's Jack Williams (who also fills in admirably on 
WBZ radio when David Brudnoy is out sick) wrote an interesting review of 
the movie "Anchorman" in today's Boston Globe.  Worth reading, for his 
recollections on the Boston media of 25 years ago...

Boston anchor Jack Williams recalls days of overinflated egos

By Jack Williams, Special To The Globe  |  July 9, 2004

Will Ferrell's "Anchorman" takes place in a TV news era that was ruled by 
testosterone-laden, hair-sprayed caballeros in a time when everybody -- and 
I mean everybody -- watched the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts with a regularity 
that qualified as religious fervor.

Yes, those days, and maybe even some of those characters, really did exist 
30 years ago. Nonetheless, the target audience for this film -- a young 
crowd used to remote controls that can blitz them through hundreds of 
channels and TiVo that bypasses annoying commercials -- may find Ron 
Burgundy's world as incomprehensible as life without Diet Coke. Believe me. 
I was there.

And there were popular boneheads like the egomaniacal Burgundy on the air. 
But there was a reason for that, and it's one that really isn't explained 
in "Anchorman."

Back then, two stations dominated Boston: WBZ (with "Eyewitness News") and 
WCVB, Channel 5. To be an anchor on one of those two stations in the '70s 
gave one instant acceptance in New England and a power to persuade far 
beyond what should have been expected from "journalists" whose main claim 
to fame was a "certain something," or the "it" factor. I remember one 
general manager saying: "You either had `it' or you didn't." "It" didn't 
include journalistic talent or credibility. Audience research showed the 
majority of viewers "just liked" some people and didn't like others. 
Whatever this intangible was, likability equaled credibility on the small 
screen.   [snip]

remainder of article can be read at 
http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2004/07/09/boston_anchor_jack_williams_recalls_days_of_overinflated_egos?mode=PF