Voting Station

Julian Goodman

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TV Executive

The Resume

    (May 1, 1922-July 2, 2012)
    Born in Glasgow, Kentucky
    Middle name was Byrd
    Attended George Washington University
    President of NBC (1966-74)

Why he might be annoying:

    Vice President Spiro Agnew accused him of biased media coverage regarding the Vietnam War.
    He joined other network chiefs in pushing to end the Fairness Doctrine, which required networks to present balanced coverage of controversial issues. (It was ultimately done away with.)
    He was perhaps the person most to blame for the disastrous 'Heidi' game, when he insisted to network execs that the well-promoted and well-sponsored TV movie MUST start on time, at 7pm sharp (because apparently people wanted to see a bearded Michael Redgrave as much as they did Joe Namath).
    The result led to East Coast NBC broadcasters interrupting the Jets-Raiders - and one of the most incredible comebacks in football history - to start the film on time (causing an outcry among viewers and fans across the East Coast).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He reportedly never asked for a promotion or a raise in his career.
    He negotiated a $1 million deal to retain Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show.
    He helped establish Chet Huntley and David Brinkley as an established news team at NBC.
    He formally apologized for the 'Heidi Game' incident, saying: 'I missed the end of the game as much as anyone else.'
    He resisted the Nixon administration when it threatened to revoke NBC's broadcast licenses if it would not give the President more favorable coverage.
    He responded to the administration's threat saying: 'Evidently he would prefer a different kind of television reporting — one that would be subservient to whatever group was in authority at the time.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 25 Votes: 40.0% Annoying