Several indelible TV images and events stick with us as the year ends. Whether onscreen curiosities or horrors — some replaying until we memorized every frame — these are the memorable media moments of 2014:
Ray Rice caught by a security camera in an elevator. The impact of his violent rage against his then-fiancee was not lessened by our having seen it 87 times. On display: the power of television to spark a national conversation on domestic abuse and subsequent debates about what Roger Goodell of the NFL knew, and when he knew it.
Barbara Walters leaving “The View.” After a six-decade career in broadcasting, Walters called it quits. The lineup of powerful female journalists paying tribute (Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Jane Pauley, Connie Chung, Robin Roberts, Joan Lunden, Elizabeth Vargas, Kathie Lee Gifford, Maria Shriver, Paula Zahn, Gayle King and Lisa Ling to name just a few) was testament to her influence.
The Cosby legacy ruined. This ongoing media “moment” has lasted for weeks with mounting allegations from many women accusing Bill Cosby of drugging and raping them, in some cases decades ago. As Cosby dodged questions from NPR and who dared to ask about the rape allegations, his legacy shattered before our eyes.
Ferguson/Staten Island.
Michael Brown, Eric Garner. The videos replayed endlessly, allowing viewers to decide for themselves: Did six police officers holding the unarmed black Eric Garner in a chokehold (“I can’t breathe”) cause his death? Much as people asked in 2012 about unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida: Did he deserve to die on his way home with Skittles and soda? Did Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen in killed by white policeman Darren Wilson, deserve to die? And did all of those involved deserve to escape indictment? Ensuing protests were covered extensively, particularly on cable TV news, which couldn’t resist enthusiastically drumming up business by predicting (encouraging?) rioting. Conversely, TV helped initiate a national conversation on race in the aftermath, with several major networks digging into the issue.
Coverage of an aviation disaster. with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March was matched by its temporarily rising ratings. The ratings were up by 100 percent across prime time in the first week since the plane went missing. Hour upon hour of speculation, flight simulators, digital graphics and a virtual map on the studio floor accompanied the coverage, which played like a mystery drama. The Malaysian prime minister and then the airline reported that the plane and all aboard are presumed to have been lost in the Southern Indian Ocean.
Curiosity on Mars. NASA allowed TV viewers to ride along with the Curiosity rover on Mars, thanks to Discovery Channel cameras onboard. We may look back on those images, and the finding of “organics” on the Red Planet, as the true history-changing event of the year.
On a lighter note…
Ellen DeGeneres set a Twitter record when she took a selfie at the Oscars, posing in the aisle with a bunch of A-listers.
Musical chairs in late night: Jay Leno signs off, Jimmy Fallon signs on, Craig Ferguson says adieu and Stephen Colbert prepares to succeed David Letterman next year.
“GMA” wins over “Today.” In network TV’s most lucrative showdown, the morning race, “Good Morning America” saw its largest season margin over “Today” in the 25-54 age group in 23 years. The previous “Today” winning streak lasted 18 years.
Behind the scenes. It was revealed after the fact that NBC attempted to hire Jon Stewart to take David Gregory’s place on the serious Sunday news show, “Meet the Press.” When Stewart declined, the hosting job went to Chuck Todd.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ostrowdp
