ABSTRACT
The Republican and Democratic party conventions held in Chicago between July 7 and July 26, 1952 were the first genuine "television" conventions. These conventions became a proving ground for producers, reporters, cameramen, and politicians. The convention telecasts underline what was at the time called the "miracle" of television—its ability to bring the political arena directly into the home. The first convention forum to hear the case of the disputed delegations was the Taft-dominated National Committee. While the Republican convention was essentially a straight fight between two leading contenders, there were five Democrats who came to Chicago actively seeking the nomination. To the extent that ABC emphasized the action of the convention, the central figure during the action on Thursday night was Chairman Sam Rayburn. The contrast in content between CBS and ABC is reflected in the definitions by the monitors.
