The Making of News Anchor Bill Jorgensen or How to Succeed in a Broadcasting Career Fighting ‘Obedient News’

"It's 10 o'clock. Do you know where your children are?" This iconic opener for news anchor Bill Jorgensen's primetime Metromedia broadcast in New York was heard nightly by millions, making him a household name and news legend. "Mr. Jorgensen's durably pleasing style and demeanor...suggests authority without affectation." --New York Times television critic Jack Gould "Jorgensen was kind of a giant, aloof, powerful figure— he carried himself with deep authority." --Producer Victor Neufeld "Jorgensen was a difficult guy, very moody, hardly talked to anybody, but when you turned on that camera, he performed brilliantly. He had a voice that was like fate reaching out to you." *--*News director Ted Kavanau: Who was the real "Bill Jorgensen" and what motivated him to be a rebel (albeit successful and influential) throughout his thousands of radio and television broadcasts in the "Golden Age of TV News Broadcasting'? Jorgensen detested "obedient news" that did not reveal the truth and battled corporate sponsors and media owners who conspired to hide it. When efforts were made to suppress stories, he found innovative ways to make certain they reached the public. Compiled with filmmaker daughter Rebekah Jorgensen, his background and the forces affecting his reporting reveal why Jorgensen believed in the public's right to know, to have transparent and accountable facts to make informed decisions to protect America's freedoms. In later years, Jorgensen grew alarmed that news anchors and journalists were again losing their voice and being punished for writing honestly. He hoped this story might inspire a new generation of media journalists.