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which is our terribly powerful printed message, that which we use so
effectively, and have used so effectively for so long to reach people
with the printed word, to make the PLAIN TRUTH into a television pro
gram as well. How many of you are conversa ry t with things like 20/20,
60 MINUTES, and the like? Well, we've had many offers during the past
two years from people in the industry and from people who would like
to become involved in it with us to take QUEST to television as well.
The reason that we didn't pay much attention to it was we felt that
QUEST was in its formative stages and if the television program did
not pan out as a commercial venture, it would have some impact on
whether or not the magazine would ever be successfully launched. The
same considerations would not be involved with something as powerfully
entrenched as the PLAIN TRUTH. We think we may be able to come up with
a very dynamic program.
The first thing Mr. Armstrong said when I mentioned it was, "Well, do
you think you can get Mike Wallace and all those people from CBS?"
Well, maybe we can make a stab at it. But most of those people have
long-term contracts. But we can come up with people, I think, who can
make it just as exciting and it's a big challenge, of course, to our
television people here in Pasadena. But I'm sure we have the creative
talent and drive to come up with a program of that sort, and it would
blend very nicely with what Mr. Armstrong just produced today and
help us to get the message out with greater and greater impact, help
ing it register everywhere. If such a program could in fact be
produced and be produced well, I think you can all see how it would
integrate our entire media effort. We already have a million copies
of the PLAIN TRUTH going out on newsstands. We're going to be
increasing that. And of course we have already passed the three
million mark in overall circulation for the PLAIN TRUtH. If the
television audience, which is immense, were to really begin to recog
nize the name, the PLAIN TRUTH, it would immediately increase the
acceptability of the magazine. The magazine in turn would create new
listeners or viewers for the TV people.
So we are hard at work at that.
I'm reading here from the PASTOR'S REPORT. I understand that Mr. Cole
did speak last week on rumoring. By coincidence, Mr. Fahey has written
a very strong article in the PASTOR'S REPORT. I think it's so good
that I'm going to recommend that it appear also in the GOOD NEWS. He
covers it perhaps from a different approach, maybe a more positive one
even. He says here at the beginning, "Talk about rumor is usually too
simplistic. Communication people know that rumor can be a good sign
in that it shows interest. Somebody cares about the person being
discussed. His actions are important and significant. People talk
about what is of interest to them. We have given our lives to this
Work. We are concerned about every facet of its operations. We care
about the triumphs and the troubles. We discuss-them both. We want
to know particularly about the leadership, what they are doing, think
ing, planning, or even dreading because those activities will affect
the Work and us. So we are concerned. We want to know. That is good.
We do not discuss what is of no interest to us. A few years ago,
you could not get away from news about Jackie Kennedy. She complained
about her lack of privacy. And if you saw photos (I did), with good
reason. Now she has the privacy she wanted. But she may not be
happy with that either. The public is saying in effect, we don't care