:26:03
I'd like to talk to Legal Affairs,
Herb Thackery...
:26:06
and Joe Donnelly
in Standards and Practices.
:26:10
You know I'll be eyeball to eyeball
with Mr. Ruddy on this.
:26:13
If I'm going to the mat with Ruddy,
I want to be sure of my ground.
:26:16
My ass is going on the line.
:26:22
I'll get back to you.
:26:27
I don't believe the top brass...
:26:29
of a national television network
is sitting around their Caesar salads...
:26:33
Top brass of a bankrupt
national television network...
:26:36
with projected losses
of $150 million.
:26:38
I don't care!
:26:41
You can't be seriously proposing,
and the rest of us considering...
:26:45
putting on a pornographic
network news show.
:26:47
- The FCC would kill us.
- Sit down, Nelson.
:26:49
The FCC can't do anything
except rap our knuckles.
:26:52
I don't even want to think about
the litigious possibilities.
:26:56
- We could be up to our ears in lawsuits.
- The affiliates won't carry it.
:26:59
The affiliates will kiss your ass
if you can hand them a hit show.
:27:02
- But popular reaction...
- We don't know the popular reaction.
:27:04
- That's what we have to find out.
- The New York Times...
:27:07
The New York Times doesn't advertise
on our network.
:27:12
All I know is, this violates
every canon of respectable broadcasting.
:27:16
We're not a respectable network.
We're a whorehouse network.
:27:20
We have to take whatever we can get.
:27:23
I don't want any part of it.
:27:25
I don't fancy myself
the president of a whorehouse.
:27:27
That's commendable of you, Nelson.
Now sit down.
:27:31
Your indignation
has been duly recorded.
:27:33
You can always resign tomorrow.
:27:37
What in substance are we proposing?
:27:41
Merely to add editorial comment
to our network news show.
:27:45
Brinkley, Sevareid, Reasoner
all have their comments.
:27:49
Now Howard Beale will have his.
:27:51
I think we ought to give it a shot,
see what happens tonight. Telephone.
:27:55
I don't want to be the messenger
who has to tell Schumacher about this.
:27:58
He doesn't work at this network anymore.
Mr. Ruddy fired him last night.