AND THE BAND
PLAYED ON
W hile journalism was
my chosen vocation,
music has always
been my avocation,
and I have been fortunate to enjoy
the companionship of both. As a
reporter and longtime television
news anchor, now retired, I have had
the opportunity to look back on what
may be the single most important
part of journalism in my era that can
be hard to find today – discipline.
Discipline played an important part of
raising a family of talented sons whose
professional careers were guided by
discipline that led to them becoming
musicians, singers, actors, parents and
even a television news anchor. Journalistic
discipline helped me avoid personal
opinions that dominate news coverage
today, separating my era from what
we currently see, hear and read. It took
discipline to avoid inflicting personal
opinions into the news coverage that
took me to many parts of the world,
including the White House and political
conventions. Likewise, discipline in music
and great concerts has been part of my
family for many years, helping us look past
conflicts to see the harmony that brings
us together. Managing various aspects of
our lives requires more discipline than
By John Wilson
some others are able to find, as we look
for opportunities to celebrate with family
and friends.
Journalism and music are separate
forms of communication, but passionately
share the ability to stimulate thought,
relationships, and common goals that go
a long way toward resolving indecision
and conflicts. Music brings us together
when personal relationships and
communications are not as easy to develop
as they were many years ago when our
lives were less complicated. In fact, music
has a way of speaking to us in any language
all over the world, depending on what kind
of day it’s been and what kind of music
one may prefer on that particular day. The
universal aspect of music is something
that surpasses our ability to speak many
different languages. Music says different
things to each of us, appealing to our
128 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
behavior and understanding of
each other and the world at any one
given moment. Music is the only
common language in the world that
says different things to each one of
us, depending on the circumstances
we are facing. Meanwhile, objective
journalism, as we used to know it, has
taken editorial turns that eliminate
factual story telling that was part of
my career, beginning many years
ago when Dwight David Eisenhower was
president.
It is music that still helps smooth out
the ruffles for all of us and opens new
doors to stimulate us and help balance
our lives, while journalism continues to
be challenged by conflicts in declining
newspaper readership and television
news viewers. A thousand channels on
television give us many options. Those
conflicts in journalism are constant
reminders to us about the most important
things in our lives that help make life
worth living – like good food, good music,
family and friends. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson, who retired
from Fox TV in 2014, worked more than
50 years in radio and television news
broadcasting.
COMMENTARY
John Wilson