November 7, 1954…”Face The Nation” Debuts On CBS

Wait till you see this video of the first ever presentation of “Face The Nation”! The first thing you see is a closeup of a camera’s lens turret, in a widening shot, that would be the standard open for several years. The “guest” camera is behind the set wall, shooting over the shoulders of the panel.

On that Sunday, November 7, 1954. That first ‘Face The Nation’ guest was Sen. Joe McCarthy. In the early days, the show was broadcast on Sunday afternoons at 2:30 eastern. The program’s original host was Tedd Koop, then the Washington D.C. bureau chief for CBS News and originated from the network owned WTOP in Washington.

The show as created by the late Frank Stanton, who ran the network for over 20 years. When asked why he started it, he said simply, “Because NBC had ‘Meet the Press,’ and I thought we needed a program like that.”

We miss Bob Scheiffer, but his replacement, John Dickerson is quite good and it feels like he’s been there for years. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtVJFBSMXDk

In the first Face the Nation broadcast on television, Sen. Joseph McCarthy responds to questions about his infamous hearings. (CBS NEWS)

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