Roone Arledge

People also don't care about the daily comings and goings of diplomats and yet we must report it.

I don't think the news department will have to lie down and play dead like it has in the past. By and large the network has been understanding, but then so have I.

In the past ABC has made half-hearted efforts or, worse, cosmetic efforts, to do something about news and I wasn't certain about what their real aim was - nor am I now.

But if you cover the World Series on the news or do a feature on an Ali boxing match then all of a sudden ears go up all over the place and people say what the hell are you doing. The reason for that is that we're doing something that people are really interested in.

If you don't have the rights, you can't do the show.

I don't think people realize the extent to which TV networks are hurt when they carry public broadcasting. I think the estimate is that they lose a half-million dollars for a half day's programming.

I don't think any industry was ever as closely scrutinized and written about and constantly in the public eye as television.

I think we have erred on the side of being too conservative so far, to tell you the truth.

I'm sensitive about my image of being hard to reach.

I want everybody in the news business to think of ABC before they go any place else. If it costs us an extra few thousand dollars to do that, what does it mean?

Television is a powerful medium that has to be used for something better than sitcoms and police shows. On the other hand, if you don't recognize the forces that play on what people watch and what they don't then you're a fool and you should be in a different business.

The current wisdom now is that if the three networks are covering the news the same way the difference is the anchor people. I think that won't be true in the future.