The 1979 Iran hostage crisis created the demand that birthed a new news format

Evidence

Still, the golden age of broadcasting persisted right through the 1970s, but then the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 led to a conundrum. The public was suddenly hungry for more news, but how could this be accommodated without disrupting the hugely profitable entertainment broadcasts? Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show over at NBC was a beast. CBS had all but given up by running a late movie during that time slot. ABC was running prime time reruns. Then someone had an idea: The ABC television network at the time decided to try something different by moving the daily Iran briefing to the late evening. — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 130

Categorization

• QUESTION: The chapter cuts off mid-sentence at ‘Then someone had an idea:’ — worth noting this is clearly leading to Nightline. The excerpt itself is only fragmentary since the payoff sentence is in the next section, so this may be worth revisiting once the full scene is in view.
• XREF: connects to: The hostage crisis created sustained nightly anti-Iranian media panic — Neda Maghbouleh, The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian…, 82; The Iran hostage crisis created Nightline and reshaped nightly network news — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam: How the Media and the…, 226; Iran hostage crisis coverage monetized the fear of an encroaching Muslim threat. — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 250 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• The Iran hostage crisis created Nightline and reshaped nightly network news #expands (0.95) — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 226
• The hostage crisis created sustained nightly anti-Iranian media panic #corroborates (0.80) — Neda Maghbouleh, The Limits of Whiteness, 82
• Iran hostage crisis coverage monetized the fear of an encroaching Muslim threat. #expands (0.75) — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 250
• Iranian hostage-takers staged media events timed for American broadcast deadlines #expands (0.75) — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 227
• Televised Tehran hostage images brought the conceptual threat of Islam into Western homes #expands (0.72) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 219