Talk:Firing Line (TV program)

Frank Zappa interview on FL
Is it worth mentioning the time when Frank Zappa made all the examiners look like absolute idiots? It's probably the most famous episode.


 * I have not yet found any existing references to that interview on the web. I believe that the interview occurred, but I have to wonder about its fame. -- Pinktulip 08:54, 2 February 2006 (UTC)


 * Any interview on FL with Frank Zappa is definitely not the most famous episode... I'm afraid to say that the only people that probably remember it are die-hard Frank Zappa fans, and nobody else. Almost without saying, if you Google "Frank Zappa Firing Line" it brings up nothing that is relevant to the public affairs series.

Balance
I think the Chomsky incident gets too much room as compared to most of the rest of the over 1500 episodes of Firing Line that went on the air. As compared to the rudeness of the show Crossfire, FL was polite, thoughtful and balanced. I have shortened the reference to Chomsky. The Chomsky incident was one show. Plesae find additional information about the other episodes of FL before adding any Chomsky details back in. -- Pinktulip 16:59, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

More importantly, this incident was clearly a bit of self-mockery, an allusion to Buckley's rather famous threatening of Gore Vidal using similar language. One may still argue that the exchange was impolite due to the coarseness of the language used, but as currently worded, the text gives the impression that Buckley was acting aggressively to Chomsky, which was not the case. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.7.150.115 (talk) 20:35, 4 August 2012 (UTC)

I'll have to agree, after watching both incidents (Vidal & Chomsky) I don't find that Buckley was "losing his cool" with Chomsky. He was rather referencing, self mockingly as was stated above, the Vidal incident. In that incident, he most certainly lost his cool. I'm not certain why the Chomsky reference needs to be in here. Puppydog1985 (talk) 10:54, 1 November 2016 (UTC)

Great NYT article on FL:
NYT did a great article on this show, but is behind a password. Here is the info and first paragraph:

http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/07/16/specials/buckley-firing15.html

February 25, 1981 Buckley's 'Firing Line' Celebrates 15 Years By MICHIKO KAKUTANI

Conversation, the Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset once remarked, is the socializing instrument par excellence. Yesterday conversation was in particularly fine form at the New York Yacht Club, where about 300 of its finest practitioners gathered to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Firing Line, William F. Buckley Jr.'s weekly colloquy, telecast by the Public Broadcasting Service.

-- Pinktulip 13:06, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

Politeness of FL
This statement seems a little POV if you ask me, yes Crossfire was less polite, but the Hardball seems pretty wrong, well, somewhat at least, what about O'Reilly or Hannity, they're pretty damn rude if you ask me. --Saint-Paddy 17:45, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Strange Sentence
"The show might be compared in politeness and erudition to other national public interview shows, specifically Charlie Rose or Terry Gross, but Buckley was clearly interested in debate and not afraid to occasionally remind the viewer that his point of view was specifically Roman Catholic."

This statement seems to be a very subtle example of POV. It looks innocuous on the outside but look at the syntax. The sentence uses a Even-But type phrasing. Even though it might be compared in politeness and erudition......but his point of view was Roman Catholic. It makes it seem as if erudition and politeness are in direct opposition to Roman Catholicism or having a Roman Catholicism influenced worldview. I get what the sentence is trying to say but there might be a better way of phrasing it.

--Anonymous Wikipedian. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.180.201.116 (talk) 00:10, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

John M Olin Foundation???
I think it's important to mention in the part of the article dealing with "Firing Line's" run on SECA/SCTV from 1971-1999, it was underwritten by a grant from the John M Olin Foundation. Without that financial support it is very unlikely the show would have remained on television, commercial or public, for that long. The article even states that Buckley and Steibel were not able to find a commercial television station willing to syndicate it. Very important fact that should be included.johncheverly 17:46, 18 February 2013 (UTC)

I don't know what this is called in Wiki-language, but it's clearly biased.
From the second paragraph, "Most guests were intellectuals or those in privileged positions of power, and they were interviewed about ideas and issues of the day." How about simply, "...or influential people of the day"? Astrofan (talk) 04:40, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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Improper synthesis tag
I tagged the statement "This practice was probably a gesture of appreciation to public TV's normal audience of highly educated viewers (Firing Line's most ardent fans) for their patience in being ignored during said drives, in order for stations to broadcast mass-interest special programming aimed at drawing financial contributions from a larger public." as possible improper synthesis/original research. It makes sense, but is there a source for it? If so, please add a citation and feel free to remove the tag. Otherwise it looks like speculation. BlackcurrantTea (talk) 06:41, 18 October 2017 (UTC)

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New show
Hello. I added photos of the hosts which I think will help people follow from one to the other. With some luck, maybe another editor will be able to complete the new Hoover section. I'll add what I can but am available only sporadically. -SusanLesch (talk) 18:35, 12 November 2018 (UTC)


 * The Hoover show is not related to the Buckley show (as stated by a disclaimer at the end of each episode). They should probably get separate articles. Arlo James Barnes 22:33, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

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