Television News Inc.

Television News Inc. (TVN)

Company type	Private
Industry	News syndication
Founded	1973
Founder	Joseph Coors (majority owner), Robert Pauley (CEO)
Defunct	1975
Fate	Ceased operations
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	United States, Canada
Key people	Joseph Coors (majority owner), Robert Pauley (CEO), Jack G. Wilson (president), Roger Ailes (VP news operations)
Products	Daily newsfilm content for television stations
Owner	Coors Brewing Company (majority)
Number of employees	Reduced significantly by September 1974
Parent	Coors Brewing Company

Television News Inc. (TVN) operated as a U.S.-based syndicated news service that supplied daily newsfilm content to television stations across the United States and Canada between 1973 and 1975. With majority ownership held by the Coors Brewing Company located in Golden, Colorado, TVN primarily catered to independent broadcasters producing their own newscasts. Although its approach was forward-thinking, the company suffered considerable financial setbacks and was unable to deploy a planned satellite distribution network that might have established it as an industry trailblazer. The principal investor, Joseph Coors, sought to position TVN as a conservative alternative to the dominant networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC). His association with the company played a role in the Senate's decision to reject his 1975 nomination to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board.

Founding

Established in February 1973 with an initial investment of $4 million primarily funded by Coors, TVN appointed Robert Pauley as its chief executive officer. Pauley, who had previously tried to revive the defunct United Network as a news content provider, proposed to Coors a costly, network-style newsfilm distribution model.

The service’s inaugural client was Miami's WCIX-TV, which expanded its local news coverage through this partnership. At its inception, TVN maintained bureaus in New York City (serving as headquarters), Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.. Official operations commenced on May 14, 1973, beginning with a two-week pilot involving 32 stations. Early adopters included San Francisco’s KTVU. Unlike the major networks that reserved premium footage exclusively for their own broadcasts, TVN distributed all available newsfilm to its subscribers and enhanced its offerings with content from London-based minority stakeholder Visnews. Stations such as Los Angeles’ KTLA expressed strong approval of the service. Following the trial period, TVN secured contracts with Chicago’s WGN-TV and Metromedia’s four stations, significantly increasing its market penetration. By April 1974, TVN had grown to include 26 affiliates such as New York’s WOR-TV and network-affiliated stations including Philadelphia’s KYW-TV, St. Louis’ KSD-TV, and Charlotte’s WBTV. That same year, TVN expanded its reach by acquiring the U.S. operations of United Press International Television News, thereby removing its primary competitor among non-network syndicators.

In January 1975, TVN revealed plans to transition from using AT&T long lines to adopting the Westar satellite system for content distribution—a strategic move deemed crucial for achieving financial viability. This upgrade required an $11 million investment for earth station installations across up to 35 affiliate locations within seven months; stations like WCIX were evaluating this technology for future use. At this stage, TVN serviced 37 U.S. and 36 Canadian stations; however, most Canadian affiliates—primarily CBC-owned—were unable to utilize satellite delivery. Several key market stations subscribed concurrently—five in Los Angeles and multiple others in New York and Toronto—including both CBC and the Global Television Network.

Conservative slant

The Coors family, notably Joseph Coors, was recognized for its conservative ideology and played a pivotal role in financially supporting prominent national conservative groups such as The Heritage Foundation from the outset.

Editorial leadership sparked disputes from the beginning. While Dick Graf, formerly a news director at WNBC, initially received support to pursue impartial coverage, by June 1973 the board insisted on "a more balanced presentation" than what was being produced. Jack G. Wilson, an aide to Coors and trustee of the Heritage Foundation, exerted substantial influence over editorial content, including contentious portrayals like labeling Martin Luther King Jr. as "an avowed communist revolutionary." After Graf resisted Wilson’s interference—such as reporting without approval on a West German bribery case—he resigned early in 1974. Subsequently, Wilson took over and was appointed president in June.

With Wilson at the helm, the conservative leaning became more pronounced. The Washington bureau experienced staff changes amid concerns that Heritage Foundation president Paul Weyrich swayed editorial choices. Although articles were not blatantly biased in tone, the selection of stories reflected partiality; for instance, a piece by reporter Carolyn Lewis featuring Ralph Nader was rejected. In September 1974, Wilson drastically reduced personnel—keeping only a small number of reporters and cameramen—resulting in TVN relying more heavily on stringers and affiliate stations; he also terminated news director Tom Turley.

In early 1975, Roger Ailes, former television adviser to Nixon and head of a consulting firm, joined as vice president for news operations. Under Ailes’s direction, TVN secured an agreement with the United States Information Agency to provide news footage and scripts for government distribution via a distinct division. Ailes stepped down in September 1975, citing "administrative disagreements" with the management team.

CPB nomination, scrutiny, and closing

Shortly before his resignation, Nixon nominated Joseph Coors on August 8, 1974, for a position on the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a nomination that President Gerald Ford later renewed.

The March/April 1975 edition of Columbia Journalism Review featured Stanhope Gould’s cover story titled "Coors Brews the News," which raised alarms about Coors’s sway over public broadcasting to advance his conservative agenda. A profile in The Washington Post outlined Coors’s critical views of public television programming and disclosed a letter he sent to CPB chair Henry Loomis expressing his disapproval of content he considered biased. Due to Coors’s conservative image, some stations such as WRC-TV opted not to subscribe to TVN’s service, although others found it beneficial.

During the extended nomination hearings in September 1975, Coors faced intense examination over his simultaneous roles. He declined to step down from TVN if confirmed to the CPB board, citing his fiduciary duties to Coors shareholders, though he briefly indicated willingness to reconsider. He also admitted to supporting the John Birch Society. Senator John O. Pastore voiced strong opposition, remarking that no previous nomination had troubled him more.

On September 29, TVN announced it would discontinue operations by October 31 due to persistent financial losses and insufficient demand for satellite distribution; however, its film production division would remain active. Reports indicated TVN lost approximately $50,000 monthly, while earlier financial statements revealed losses exceeding $8 million over three years.

Following TVN’s shutdown, the Senate Commerce Committee rejected Coors’s CPB nomination by an 11–6 vote primarily because he refused to resign from TVN.

Legacy

The heritage of TVN is frequently associated with Roger Ailes, who later became the founder of Fox News Channel. In 2008, Kerwin Swint's book, Dark Genius: The Influential Career of Legendary Political Operative and Fox News Founder Roger Ailes, identified TVN as an ideological forerunner to Fox News. While Ailes later referred to his role at TVN as that of a "consultant," he had previously admitted to having control over staffing decisions.

Reese Schonfeld, who joined TVN following its 1974 acquisition of UPITN and went on to co-found CNN, advocated for satellite distribution but was let go after an "unhappy year." After TVN ceased operations, Schonfeld established the Independent Television News Association (ITNA), a cooperative that provided satellite news services to multiple subscribers, fulfilling a market need. Another key figure was Dennis Swanson, who held executive positions at several major networks, including serving as president of ABC Sports.

TVN’s reporting on the Watergate hearings was spearheaded by Charles Gibson, who earned recognition from ABC News and was recruited in 1975 as a Washington correspondent. Gibson later became the anchor for Good Morning America and ABC World News Tonight, underscoring TVN’s contribution to nurturing prominent media professionals.