New Scene 7 at 6 o'clock with Steve Barnes and Amy Oliver. All the news you need to know. Concise. Important. Up to the minute. The best news you'll get all day.
Kyle Kellams: We are going to tell you who that voice was to start this week's Pryor Center profiles.
Dixon: Well, the voice was that of Bob Steel, and it was a promo probably from around 1978 for News Scene 7. The main anchors were Steve Barnes and Amy Oliver. I picked that one promo to kind of kick off this week's segment because those three people are going to be here in Fayetteville tomorrow. They're going to be on a panel with you, talking about what it was like to gather and distribute television news in the '70s and '80s and show off the TV news collection archive.
Kellams: And we bring that up because those archives make up the bulk of what you and I do every Monday.
Dixon: We dip into the archives and find news stories or people that we want to profile and do a little quickie history lesson.
Kellams: Let me ask you this — we're talking about an era when you probably had two newscasts. Did you have just six and ten, or did you have a five at the time?
Dixon: When I started there in 1979, there was a one-hour newscast from 5:30 to 6:30, which was kind of an experimentation that didn't quite work. After not too long, probably around 1980, we started live at five, and so we had a five, six and a ten.
Kellams: At this time, most-watched newscasts in Arkansas?
Dixon: Was actually KARK. We were nipping at their heels, so to speak. We said we were number one and we eventually got there a few years later. By the mid-'80s, TV was a strong number one and has stayed that way.
Kellams: All right. One of the people that will be on the panel was the anchor during this era, Steve Barnes. I think he has been on the air in Arkansas longer than anyone.
Dixon: He's from Morrilton. He actually started working in media when he was in high school. He would get scores and do some political things that would run on the Associated Press and United Press International. Started off at KTHV Channel 11 as a copy boy and worked his way up to reporter, then went to Channel 7. Was a reporter, quickly became main anchor, left there in the mid-'80s and went to KARK. And as you know, he's still on the air now hosting Arkansas Week.
What we're going to do tomorrow night at the Pryor Center, 6 o'clock — the five of us will be there.
Kellams: I'll be moderating.
Dixon: Yeah, right. We'll have our big screen, our big projector. We're going to show some of the stories that each of us covered over the years and kind of talk about it. And there are some great stories. This is a piece from Steve Banks from 1984. I actually went on this trip — I was shooting and producing. We went to Sacramento, California, covered the Democratic California convention. And this was a time when Dale Bumpers, U.S. senator from Arkansas, was considering a run for the presidency. So that's why we went out there. This is a report from Steve Barnes from California.
[Archival clip — Steve Barnes reporting, 1984]
Recognize Senator Dale Bumpers. It was Bumpers' first official presidential foray, although he called himself only a possible prospective candidate. His audience: 1,400 delegates to the California Democratic Convention, plus another 1,000 activists and reporters. The senator hoped his speech could set him apart from the six others who appeared today, and he had saved his most stinging criticism yet of Ronald Reagan.
[Bumpers speaking]
Since January 1981, virtually every function of government in this country has been calculated to benefit the many at the expense of the few. In two short years of this administration, we have seen an outright betrayal of everything we value — not by an administration that's simply indifferent or uncaring, not by an administration that's just obsessed with an arms race, but by an administration whose value system apparently extends only to the wealthiest 20 percent of our people. Not since The Grapes of Wrath has the American Dream been so nightmarish for so many millions who dream the impossible dream now stand in cheese lines and unemployment lines.
[Barnes reporting]
Bumpers was warmly received, but most delegates appeared committed to candidates who had announced earlier. A straw poll of delegates gave California's Cranston the expected lopsided majority. But Bumpers called the vote meaningless and said it would not affect his plans. Underestimating Dale Bumpers has been the fool's game of Wonder State politics for more than a decade. He has demolished every opponent since his first statewide primary, but awesome margins in a state of two million does not guarantee the victor automatic national attention or prestige. And that is what Dale Bumpers is trying to develop, beginning here. Steve Barnes, News Scene 7, Sacramento.
Kellams: So Steve Barnes was an anchor.
Dixon: So was Amy Oliver, who is now Amy Oliver Barnes. They were married in the mid-'80s while they were anchoring together. And she was an awesome reporter, producer, anchor. She had worked in radio, I believe in Russellville, and right out of school got a job at Channel 7. She was actually the first main female Monday-through-Friday anchor in the state. So she was very much groundbreaking as a broadcaster. And she ended up doing — you heard about the paper wars?
Kellams: The Democrat and Gazette were still separate.
Dixon: Yeah. I didn't realize that that actually started in the '70s and didn't end until the '90s.
Kellams: That's when the Democrat went from afternoon to morning paper?
Dixon: They did that, I believe, in '79 or '78, and they never quite would say it was a newspaper war. Amy ended up doing about a 30-minute documentary for our public affairs show, News Scene Reports. I tried to just get an excerpt from that because it's really good. And we have not done a show about the newspaper war. We really ought to do that.
Kellams: Yeah. We should.
Dixon: It's kind of overwhelming as far as the coverage and the length of time. So we may have to do a multi-part. But here's an excerpt from Amy Oliver's documentary on the newspaper wars.
[Archival clip — Amy Oliver narrating documentary]
If there is not a newspaper war at Little Rock, there is a numbers game. But as games go, the fun is a matter of perspective. Tradition counts for a lot at the Arkansas Gazette. It is, after all, the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi. It is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning paper. For more than 70 years, that tradition was embodied in a single man — the legendary J.N. Heiskell. He was the paper's owner and always its toughest editor until his death at age 100.
[J.N. Heiskell]
Our main objective is to make the Democrat as competitive as we possibly can.
[Oliver narrating]
March 1974. The family that owned the Arkansas Democrat for generations sells it to another family, one with extensive newspaper experience. Five years later, a new sort of competition begins. Publisher Walter Hussman gambles and converts the Democrat to a morning paper, taking the Gazette on head to head. And to make his product more appealing, offers subscribers and non-subscribers alike free classified advertising. Display advertising was offered at rates substantially lower than the Gazette's. To this day, the two papers have differing views on Hussman's marketing strategy. The Democrat's aggressive advertising stresses circulation gains and sometimes leadership. But some of its practices have enraged Gazette executives. They complain of unfair marketing and improper manipulation of circulation. The Gazette has alleged unfair competition, but will not confirm reports that it has asked the federal government to investigate.
[Harold Gene Lyons]
I think one would have to say that the Democrat has improved markedly and the Gazette has declined in quality. The main thing that I see about it is that there's just less news in it. The — what they call the news hole, which is the amount of space in the paper devoted to news — has probably shrunk by, I would estimate, 30 to 40 percent.
[Oliver narrating]
Any discussion of the Democrat requires some discussion of its flamboyant managing editor, John Robert Starr. His seven-day-a-week column has become a Democrat selling point as well as a target for criticism. The former Associated Press bureau chief returned to practicing journalism shortly before the Democrat became a morning paper. As managing editor, he has directed its news policy during the first four years of the battle, and though his methods might be disputed, no one argues that they brought the Democrat recognition, good or bad.
[Starr speaking]
Do I believe what I write? Yes, I believe what I write.
[Amy Oliver]
You're not guilty of trying to catch the reader's attention by inflaming?
[Starr]
Well, if there are people who say that what I write is strident, that's a matter of opinion.
Dixon: She ended up leaving Channel 7 in the mid-'80s, and she became — I believe it was assistant news director, managing editor — over at Channel 4. Under this next guy we're going to talk about, and that's Bob Steel.
Kellams: Tell me about Bob Steel.
Dixon: Well, Bob — I go back with these guys 47 years, and Bob was a reporter when I started at the station. He actually did sports and was a reporter, and then he became assistant news director and left in the mid-'80s. He started this migration over to KARK because he was hired as news director over there.
Kellams: Gotcha.
Dixon: And then he lured away Amy and Steve.
Kellams: You stuck around. You stayed at seven.
Dixon: I did, yeah. Bob eventually came back and he was news director and I was assistant news director under him. And then when he left, I became news director. He and I worked together a lot. I was a brand-spanking-new photographer. One of the stories we'll show tomorrow night is Bob Steel and I were assigned to Frank White's headquarters.
Kellams: Governor Frank White?
Dixon: Well, not yet governor. This was 1980 election night, and no one thought he was going to win anyway. That's a whole party in itself. But anyway, first trip I went on with Bob was to Norfolk, Virginia. That was in 1980, and this was on the commissioning of the USS Arkansas.
[Archival clip — Bob Steel reporting, 1980]
On Oct. 18, a crowd of 3,000 was on hand at Norfolk, Virginia, for the commissioning of the USS Arkansas. As guests were ushered to their seats, the musical touring company Up with People performed, setting the mood for what was about to follow.
The seating of the ship's sponsor, Betty Bumpers, signaled the arrival of the official party. Among those present: Congressman Beryl Anthony, Ed Bethune and John Paul Hammerschmidt, and the state's chief executive, Bill Clinton. Forty veterans who served on the battleship Arkansas were recognized for their contributions during World War II. Then the new ship was formally commissioned.
[Official speaking]
Now, in accordance with this authority, I hereby place United States Ship Arkansas in commission.
[Steel reporting]
Things are quiet now for the crew of the USS Arkansas, but soon rigorous training begins to make each man more aware of his job. With that accomplished, the ship will then be assigned for duty in the Atlantic or the Mediterranean. This missile cruiser CGN-41, the defender of opportunity, has yet to earn a reputation in the United States Navy. But historically, ships that have carried her name have established distinguished records of service. The task for the men of the Arkansas is to see that the reputation it earns brings credit not only to a state, but also to a nation.
Kellams: Bob Steel, Amy Oliver, Steve Barnes — all going to be with you at the Pryor Center tomorrow night?
Dixon: Yes. With you?
Kellams: Yeah. I'll be moderating. I think this will be a successful panel. I'm not going to be saying much. I'll have a couple of questions and I think you guys are just going to roll.
Dixon: I was the young kid coming in back then. So they've got a million stories. It starts at 6 o'clock at the Pryor Center on the Fayetteville Square. It's planned to only go till seven, but you never know — it could run over a little bit if there are questions and that sort of thing. But it's free. You don't have to pre-register. Just show up.
Kellams: Free parking on the square.
Dixon: Yeah. And then there's the deck, right? Just behind the town center. So there's plenty of parking. You just gotta look for it.
Dixon: All right. Hey, can we close with something? This is pretty cheesy. Back in the late '70s, maybe a little bit of the early '80s, Channel 7 decided they would start a new campaign and call themselves Super Seven. That went on great for about a year. And then a cease-and-desist letter was delivered to the station from — Would it be Marvel Comics that handles Superman?
Kellams: No. It's DC.
Dixon: Excuse me. DC Comics with a cease-and-desist, because we had — oh, that's right — a Superman logo with a seven in the middle. And we had Super Seven. We had billboards, we had bus benches, we had promos everywhere in print and on air. And it kind of died a quiet little death.
Kellams: So those lawyers were kind of your Kryptonite.
Dixon: Yeah. OK, that's a good one. Anyway, it's almost as good as this song. The visuals are a summer swimming pool with kids in Super Seven T-shirts, and even in the bottom of the pool there's a big Super Seven logo. It was a big extravaganza. And this is that spiffy little song.
Kellams: All right, we'll end with that. More stories, Randy. I'll see you tomorrow night. Hope to see all of you at the Pryor Center tomorrow night as well at 6 o'clock.
Dixon: And I'll see you and everybody else next week.
[Super Seven jingle]
Come on along. Come on along. We've just begun. Come on along and join the fun. We're reaching out to everyone. Come on along to where you belong. Come on, come on, come on along. Along with Super Seven.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
