Summary Information
Frank Slingland Papers
1958-1984
Mss 731; GA 195; AC 461-AC 462
2.0 c.f. (5 archives boxes and 1 flat box) and 3 films
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of Frank Slingland, a producer and director for NBC News documenting both the technical and creative aspect of news and sports production. Included for such programs as Meet the Press and David Brinkley's Journal are correspondence and interdepartmental memoranda, extensive script files, routines, and shooting schedules; advertising correspondence and copy; promotional scripts for other NBC programs; set designs; technical documents of various kinds, and films.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00731 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Frank Slingland was a director and producer for the National Broadcasting Company. Unfortunately, few details about his career are known. He began his career with the network in 1958 directing telecasts of sport events for WRC, NBC's Washington, D.C. affiliate. By the late 1950s he was directing both sports events and news programs. His credits during this period included college basketball, Sports in Action, Meet the Press, and the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1960. While continuing to direct some sports broadcasts, he began to concentrate on news programs aired from the Washington studio such as David Brinkley's Journal, NBC Nightly News, the Huntley-Brinkley Report, and various news specials including the Carter-Ford debates in 1976 and the Reagan-Carter debates in 1980.
Scope and Content Note
Although a small collection, the Slingland Papers are an important supplement to the Mass Communications History Center's extensive holdings on NBC News. The news department files in the NBC Records (U.S. Mss 17AF) are much more extensive, but the Slingland Papers include more recent documentation than is offered by the larger collection. In addition, the Slingland Papers, which include scripts, correspondence, interdepartmental memoranda, and production data of various kinds, contains more varied documentation than is available in the NBC Records. The Chet Huntley Papers, while pertaining to one of the shows produced by Slingland (Huntley-Brinkley Report) are a more personal record, consisting for the most part of fan mail and Huntley's personal correspondence and mementos.
The Slingland Papers contain almost no personal information. They do contain, however, valuable documentation on the technical aspects of production and to a lesser extent on the creative side of news production for the programs with which he was involved. Because he worked at NBC's Washington, D.C., studio the focus of the papers tends to be national political news.
The collection is arranged into two categories: General Files and Program Files. The general files are limited, and researchers are likely to find the program files much more valuable. The GENERAL FILES consist of personal expense records, mostly vouchers submitted for reimbursement which provide some detail on his professional activities, and several NBC manuals of broadcast standards. Also in this category is a brief film showing the NBC peacock logo developing from a white outline to a multi-colored image of a peacock on a red background.
The PROGRAM FILES are divided into five program formats: sports programs, Meet the Press, David Brinkley's Journal, non-news specials, and general news programs. While the format categories vary in quantity, the same types of documentation are included in all five. In varying amounts there are general correspondence; memoranda; advertising correspondence and copy; scripts; and routines, schedules and assignments, and other technical files of various kinds. The general news programs file contains material from many different NBC News programs including Today, the Huntley Brinkley Report, NBC Nightly News, and a number of news specials. However, there is no indication of program on most of the material. Listed with the general news are 2 films: 1) a film on an NBC News story on the disappearance of Jim Thompson, an art collector in Bangkok, Thailand; Thompson willed his home and his art to serve as a museum of Southeast Asian art, and mysteriously disappeared 16 months before the piece was shot; 2) a NBC News film showing the military and civilians beating young men in a village in the Congo; NBC News reporter at the scene.
The general correspondence in these five categories includes both incoming and outgoing letters, although the total volume is not great. The interdepartmental memoranda are a much richer source of information on all aspects of production. They deal with personnel matters, scheduling, and equipment and production problems. General news memoranda comprise approximately one fifth of the collection.
Shooting routines include a schedule timed to the second, announcer's copy, and subjects to be filmed and footage aired. Scripts are the actual text of a broadcast read by an anchor, correspondent, or commentator. Also included in the general news category are a few political speeches which were marked with filming notations. Detail in the scripts depends on the relative spontaneity of the news program concerned. For instance, scripts from David Brinkley's Journal include most of the content of the program, while Meet the Press scripts include only the announcer's copy, since questions and responses were unscripted. Two transcripts in the latter file, however, are a complete record of both questions and answers. In the general news category researchers will find a number of unidentified scripts and script fragments.
The schedules and assignments are lists indicating staff members assigned to particular projects or duties. Also included are a few program schedules for remote events such as conventions or inaugurations. Advertising correspondence and copy includes texts for commercials and correspondence with advertising agencies concerning when and how frequently the ads are to be run. Promos consist of scripts for brief announcements for other network programs.
Among the technical documentation in the collection are work orders, floor plans and set designs, newsfilm monitoring reports, and coordination plans.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Frank Slingland, Washington, D.C., October 17, 1985. Accession Number: M85-482
Processed by Noreen Fish (archives intern) and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1987.
Contents List
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Mss 731
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Series: General Files
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Personal expense records, undated
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Broadcast standards manuals, undated
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GA 195
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NBC Peacock logo film
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Series: Program Files
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Mss 731
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Sports files
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Box
1
Folder
3
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General correspondence, 1960-1977, undated
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Interdepartmental memoranda, 1959-1971, undated
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Advertising correspondence and copy
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Formats and announcer's copy
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Box
6
Folder
1
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Assignment schedules for ACC basketball, 1979-1980
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Meet the Press
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Box
1
Folder
6
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General correspondence, 1959-1952, undated
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Interdepartmental memoranda, 1959-1963, undated
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Routines, 1959-1960
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Box
1
Folder
9-12
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Shooting scripts, 1960 January-1963 June
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Transcripts, 1961 July 23 and 30
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Miscellaneous schedules and assignments
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Box
1
Folder
15
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Promos
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Floor plan and set design
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David Brinkley's Journal
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Interdepartmental memoranda, 1961-1962, undated
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Shooting scripts
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Box
1
Folder
18
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1962 June-November
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Box
2
Folder
1-3
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1962 December-1964 January
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Advertising correspondence and copy
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Box
2
Folder
4
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General file
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Box
2
Folder
5-6
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Pittsburgh Plate Glass
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Box
6
Folder
2
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Set designs and floor plans
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Box
6
Folder
2
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Coordination plans
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Non-news specials
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Box
2
Folder
7
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“The Early Light of Dawn,” Shooting script and revision, 1965
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Box
6
Folder
3
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“Dinner with Ike,” Shooting script and revision
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General News Programs
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Box
2
Folder
8
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General correspondence, 1959-1978, undated
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AC 461
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[Jim] Thompson House film
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AC 462
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[Congo Brutality] film
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Mss 731
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Intepartmental memoranda
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Box
2
Folder
9-10
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1958-1968
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Box
3
Folder
1-8
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1969-1982
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Box
4
Folder
1-2
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1983-1984, undated
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Shooting routines and script fragments
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Box
5
Folder
2
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1960-1973
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Box
4
Folder
3
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1974-1977
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Box
4
Folder
4
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1978-1982
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Undated
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Schedules and assignments
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Box
5
Folder
4
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1960-1973
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Box
4
Folder
5
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1974-1975
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Box
5
Folder
5-6
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1976-1982, undated
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Box
5
Folder
7
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Promos, 1962-1971
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Box
5
Folder
8
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Story research material, undated
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Box
5
Folder
9
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Technical reports, 1977, undated
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Box
5
Folder
10
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Technical work orders, 1965-1982
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Set designs and floor plans
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Coordination plans
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