The Liberal Inquisitors: David Suskind, Mike Wallace, and Barry Gray
Dick Elman and Gene Bruck interview David Suskind, Mike Wallace, and Bary Gray. They explore their roles as media's "Liberal Inquisitors" in an informal panel discussion. They discuss interviewing techniques, how to elicit information, conversational vs. inquisator tactics, and the difference between radio and television formats. The group discusses whether it is the guest or the interviewer who makes a show successful, and constraints placed upon them by the mainstream media, especially the tendency toward tabloid journalist to make shows popular. The panel then debates the controversial Suskind interview with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, with Wallace and Gray labeling the effort a "botched" opportunity.
WBAI Broadcast 26 July 1961