"Do you believe in miracles?" (television).

• Author: Wiley, Richard E.

The scene was the 1980 Winter Olympic Hockey Arena at Lake Placid, New York. Late in the third period, American team Captain Mike Eruzione hit a wrist shot past the goalie for the heavily favored Soviet hockey squad. This put the lightly regarded Americans in the lead--and sent the packed house into ecstasy, chanting, "USA! USA !"

ABC sportscaster Al Michaels later recalled that when Eruzione scored, "The place was just going crazy." He remembered that in the closing minutes, he could actually feel the sound. As the clock ticked down, Michaels shouted, "Do you believe in miracles?" At the buzzer, he emphatically answered his own question, "YES!" In that moment, the game's improbable finish and Michaels' words were permanently fixed in the memories and imaginations of all who watched. The final score was: U.S. 4, Soviets 3, in one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Olympics. The overall effect on the exuberant American TV audience was absolutely miraculous. (1)

I know that my good friend Newton Minow (and others) tend to regard TV as something of a "wasteland"--but I would like to devote my remarks in this brief essay to some of the things that are right about television.

The telecast of the Lake Placid "Miracle on Ice" is one of many examples of things that have been handled very well by television broadcasters. In particular, it illustrates the kind of "magic" that is possible when a compelling story is combined with a gifted broadcast presentation.

In the field of sportscasting alone, there are innumerable sparkling moments that will be cherished as long as the games are played. These include: Don Larson's "perfect game"; the Baltimore Colts' "sudden death" victory in "the greatest game ever played"; Olympic gold-medal skating performances, from Tenley Albright to Sarah Hughes; "Grand Slam" tennis matches featuring John McEnroe versus Bjorn Borg and Chris Evert versus Martina Navratilova; Michael Jordan's "buzzer-beating" heroics (in games too numerous to mention); Tiger Woods' record-shattering performance in the 1997 Masters ... and on and on.

When we move outside the field of sports to TV coverage of the great events affecting our nation and the world, we find (not surprisingly) that the effect on our minds and imaginations is even more profound. Walter Cronkite once said that his most vivid memories as a news anchor involved coverage of the John F. Kennedy assassination and the first moon landing. (2)

After the Apollo 11...