ABSTRACT
In the twenty years from 1968 to 1988 television became increasingly central to the conduct of presidential campaigns. At the same time the nature and style of television news changed dramatically. The change is complex. But one simple index provides an excellent way to begin understanding it: the length of the average soundbite. The term comes originally from radio (where it is also known as an ‘actuality’), and refers to a film or tape segment, within a news story, showing someone speaking.
