Presidential Debates: Forty Years of High-Risk TV

By Alan Schroeder

Book Overview

Drawing on his own experience as an award-winning reporter and TV producer and through illuminating interviews with journalists and producers who have worked on presidential debates, Alan Schroeder sheds light on every presidential debate from 1960 to the present. From the selection of questioners to the camera angles, from issues of makeup to lighting and stage set, Schroeder shows how decisions are made that influence every aspect of what the audience perceives. The book takes readers on a fascinating backstage tour, approaching the debates within the framework of the fundamental steps to which TV producers adhere: preproduction, production, and postproduction. Calling upon behind-the-scenes stories from seven campaign seasons, Schroeder illustrates how the live component of the debates, far from diminishing dramatic potential, increases our anticipation - not least because of viewer curiosity to watch one candidate make a grave error and go down in flames.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231114001
• ISBN13: 9780231114004
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Reads like a novel

No one could have been less excited about the prospect of reading a book on debates than me. I put it off for as long as I could, finding every excuse not to begin. Once I picked up the book, however, I couldn't put it down. This book is filled with stories about the subtle moments in debates that have changed the course of elections and the course of history. Alan Schroeder's book is well-researched; I fact-checked some of the most unbelievable points and was pleased to discover that all were accurate. If you are looking for a dry, academic book, this isn't for you. This a novel, complete with great characters, a plot that moves and lots of surprises. And the best part is, it's all true.