Special Bulletin (1983 TV Movie)

Ed Flanders: John Woodley

Quotes 

• Dr. David McKeeson : I would like to make a statement. I just wanna say how much I love RBS News, and I didn't believe any of those stories of how John Woodley got mad when Susan Myles was made a co-anchorperson... those stories were circulating?... That's not true, John, you didn't get mad, did you? And one more thing... I LOVE this logo with America Under Seige with music in the background... and uh... it just give me chills. Makes me real proud to be a part of this whole thing. It never ceases to amaze me the ability of the news media to trivialize any event of any significance... any meaning... it just, uh, I don't know... What?

  Dr. Bruce Lyman : What are you doing, Dave?

  Dr. David McKeeson : People are talking about us like we're doing some sort of bad thing. A terrible thing. And we are making a statement. We're trying to do a good thing just like John Woodley is trying to do a good thing, and I think we are together on this. Right?

  John Woodley : Well, I think any connection between what Dr. McKeeson is doing and RBS in its attempts cover it is highly remote.

  Dr. David McKeeson : John, you eat us for breakfast and for lunch. You have like an earthquake or a plane crash or something. John... John Woodley. Good Anglo-Saxon name. I hope it's his own. John? John, are you there?

  John Woodley : Yes, Dr. McKeeson.

  Dr. David McKeeson : Does this qualify for gratuitous self-indulgence?

  John Woodley : Well, perhaps, that is in the mind of the beholder, Dr. McKeeson, if you choose to think of it like that.

  Dr. David McKeeson : I made John mad, here now. Don't mean to get John mad. See, I am just trying to improve your rating points.

  John Woodley : You think this is about ratings?

  Dr. David McKeeson : John, okay, John, you tell me. Look, here's what you do... I want you to call up NBC, call up CBS, and get 'em on the line and you tell them there's a story here you don't want to cover anymore. This will show me then. There's a story you don't want to cover. Take Steve out of here. Steve is really doing a great job. And I know if he stayed here, his career would be made with RBS. But if rating points don't mean anything to you, then what I want you to do is cut me off. Just pull the plug. I mean, if you're so righteous, if it doesn't to you that the entire country is turned to RBS for exclusive coverage, we'lljust end it. I mean, NBC would kill its mother for its footage. Any of them would. So, if it doesn't matter to you, fine, then cut it off. I would like to see RBS willingly give up exclusive coverage. This will be interesting. Let's see it... I'm waiting... Well, I guess we all know where we stand, don't we?

• John Woodley : This is not the time to go into the ethical questions - and many are raised here involved in giving unrestricted access to the airwaves - uh, the point right now is that lives are being threatened. Now this group, whoever they are, has proved its seriousness by wounding three Coast Guard personnel. The FBI and RBS Management feel that, literally, when someone is holding a gun to your head, you do as you're told.

• Susan Myles : You know, John... this live feed from the ship - it's a product of amazing technological advances, and we have to wonder: if it were not available, would the terrorists have been able to gain a national forum, as they have?

  John Woodley : Well, Susan... I think that reporters always tend to be blamed for the bad news they bring.

  Susan Myles : Well yes, but it's a question of complicity. We have to ask the question if the news media actually contribute to the very situation...?

• John Woodley : Is it possible to compare the weapons deployed today, the kind of the Russians may have aimed at Charleston with what the terrorists have on that ship?

  Arlen Surrey : John, tonight, people who are 5 miles from the harbor would survive the blast at least. If a Soviet 1 megaton bomb was dropped on the harbor, those people, 5 miles away, would be vaporized in the first three-fifths of a second.