Level | Item |
Ref No | OHP/37 |
Title | Anthony Howard |
Date | 1 October 2001 |
Extent | 2 minidiscs, 2 cds, 1 file, 5 AIFF files (827.4 MB) |
Creator Name | Howard; Anthony Michell (1934-2010); journalist and broadcaster |
Description | Interview with Anthony Howard, journalist for the Observer. Conducted by Jay Rayner on 1 October 2001. Also includes a data sheet containiing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.
Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):
Disc 1: Track 1 00.30 Introductions 00.40 Ended his career as deputy editor of the Observer 01.00 His career in law and politics 01.45 His National Service 02.05 Offered job with Sunday newspaper 02.30 Decision to go into journalism 03.10 Due to his first job on the Manchester Guardian he was told to give up his Labour seat 03.50 Decision to leave politics 04.55 Howard's view of The Observer at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956 06.35 Met David Astor before joining the Observer 07.10 Courted by owner of the Daily Express
Track 2 00.00 Impressions of the Observer - a family newspaper, like a medieval court 01.30 Remembers figures at the Observer 02.00 How David Astor's spirit dominated the paper 03.00 Discussion of Astor 03.50 Layout of the paper in 1965. Expansion of newspaper 05.30 Headhunted by the news editor, John Thompson, who he knew from Tide and Time 06.30 Vagueness of lines of command. Meeting the foreign editor Roberts Stephens
Track 3 00.00 Signed pieces on the Observer leader page 01.55 A lot happening whilst he was at the Observer, for example the Vietnam War 02.45 The Astor family - ' a great American family' 03.30 Meeting Teddy Kennedy with David Astor 04.30 The Observer 'a newspaper people knew' 06.30 Interviews with secretaries of state 07.25 Attended press conferences. Not allowed to question American president Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ)
Track 4 00.00 London response to the material he filed 02.20 Guardians weekly's good circulation in the States 07.00 Producing a film on LBJ with Associated Rediffusion 08.00 Survived under Astor's patronage 08.45 Asked about perks, salary, etc at the Observer
11.00 Ken Obank held whole paper together 13.00 Talks about there being an Observer expense account at a Washington bank
22.30 'The editor's [Astor] indecision is final'
31.50 Back on the Observer 32.20 How did he feel? He was replacing John Cole. Feels the paper was more efficiently run under Donald Trelford 38.50 Trelford reporting on the Matabeleland massacres
44.30 Michael Meacher 'middle class' libel action taken against the Observer
Disc 2: Track 1 00.00 On the rumoured '500,000 club' - action if Observer circulation dipped below 500,0000 01.00 Threat of Saturday newspapers 02.00 Working with Donald Trelford 03.55 Considered to be 'the political heart of the newspaper' 04.50 Continued discussion of Trelford 05.18 Reflection on the Observer under Guardian ownership 06.20 Belief that the Observer is back to its strength following a bad period. The Guardian did not understand the Observer, not simply the Guardian on Sunday 06.50 Personality of the Observer reader 07.05 Anecdote about Randolph Churchill writing for the Observer 07.45 Change in editors at the Observer |
Access Status | Open |
Access Conditions | Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository |
Related Material | See AMH for records relating to Howard's time as Washington correspondent for the Observer. See OBS/6/1/2/1 for records relating to Howard's work as deputy editor of the paper. |
Format | Electronic record |
CD recording |
Printed document |
Minidisc recording |
Copyright | Guardian News & Media Ltd and Anthony Howard |
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