William S. Paley

Duke was really impressed with the group and got them a record deal in New York.

In 1930, William Paley, the head of CBS, hired the brothers, making them the first African Americans to have a national radio show.

They would even occasionally sing with Rudy Valli on his radio show, The Fleischman's Yeast Hour.

On September 25, 1931, they had their first recording session for Brunswick Records.

Hello? New York calling? Yes, he's here.

Jack, it's Mr. William Paley, the head of CBS.

Oh.

Oh, I wonder what he wants.

Mr.

Bill Paley, CBS is here.

We look around, a whole list.

Mary Ann Moore is here.

And, you know, I won't go on, but, you know, the people that you're in the Hall of Fame with are the legends of broadcasting.

Ernie Anastas, Craig Carlton, Tom Murphy, who ran ABC, Bill Paley, who ran CBS, Regis Philbin, Walter Cronkite, Al Roker, Boomer Esiason, Funk Flex, Mike Francesa, Mr. G over at PIX, Marvin Scott, Angie Martinez, Mike Wallace.

I mean, the names go on and on.

Barbara

Well, I think the tough part for journalists is that their corporate leaders have to have a backbone and stand behind them when they're asking tough questions or when they're being threatened.

In the days of Arthur Ox Sulzberger, who owned the New York Times, and Bill Paley, and the leaders of NBC, Elton Ruhl, who ran ABC, Robert Sinoff ran NBC, they never would have allowed themselves to be intimidated by lawsuits or threats or license challenges.

They told their news people to go do news.

And I learned that from my first news director, Al Shadalkati in Cincinnati, who Cronkite felt was the greatest local newsman of his time, who refused to allow anyone from the outside into his newsroom because he feared that there would be some form of influence, whether from advertisers or outside influence.

Yeah.

Miss Livingston, who is William Paley?

Uh, William Paley is the head of the Columbia Broadcasting System.

Why?

He has now replaced Hale LeRoy in Mr. Benny's dreams.

I'm Jack Benny.

I don't care who you are, wipe your feet.

[laughs] Well, look, when Mr. William Paley comes in, tell him I want to see him right away, will you?

They felt that this was going to be sufficient proof for the executives.

And what happened is William Paley and the others told the writers, all right, put him in the show, but just have him on camera if it has something to do with music or whatever, but just have him there then.

And so, of course, the writers who loved Bob and Marilyn, who loved Desi, made his being a band leader and Lucy wanting to get into show business a major theme, if not the theme, of the whole I Love Lucy show.

So that's how Desi got on camera as much as he did and won the hearts of America.

You can't do that.

No such thing." So he called, uh, William Paley, his friend, and he says, "Bill," he says, "I want to go on an hour and 15 minutes." And he says, "That's ridiculous." So he says, "Let me take care of it." So Desi picks up the phone, and he calls Mr.

U.S. Steel, uh, which followed the u- w- was to follow the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, and he says, "Mr.

U.S." He always dealt with the president of whatever, uh, company w- he was talking to.

And again, I don't know if you've ever read the book, but David Halberstam wrote a book years ago called The Powers That Be.

And one of the things that Bill Paley said, which I think gave some luster to CBS News, he expected to lose money.

in the news organization side of his business.

That's a great point.