In my memory, Marty Haag is standing in a familiar place. Armsfolded casually across his chest and wearing a light bluebutton-down dress shirt noticeably lacking a tie, Haag is standingin the digital newsroom in the SMU campus. His casual demeanorbrings calm to an otherwise hectic scene of rundowns, re-prints andcamera shots.
Haag is patiently watching students connect microphones and setcameras for two live in-studio interviews while engaged in jovialconversation with the day’s guests. While explaining theprocess to the visitors, Haag never turns his attention away fromthe flurry of activity surrounding him. Excusing himself, Haagwalks between the three cameras, arms folded behind his back,pausing at each one to check focus and shot range. At the wide shotcamera Haag requests, “Can we tighten this shot?”
As soon as the studio is set, Haag accompanies students into thecontrol room and asks his token line, “All right gang, are weready?” Haag then takes his normal position in the back rightcorner behind the row of computers holding the script for the showand the names of the interviewees until prompted to spring forwardinto action as questions arise regarding names and placement in theline-up.
“Hold on gang. We need to check the spelling andpronunciation of the names,” he said. “You wait hereand fix any other problems while I go and check on [thenames].”
After the question is resolved, Haag seems to merge with theback corner silently surveying the control room and all aspects ofthe broadcast by looking over his small, square glasses.
Running every aspect of a broadcast from script writing totaping was not unfamiliar territory for the SMU Division ofJournalism Executive-in-Residence. Haag was vice president/news ofBelo’s broadcast division before retiring from Belo in 2000to pursue a consulting job.
Haag began working as news director for Belo’s WFAA in1973. At Belo, Haag changed the way Dallas viewed nightly news by,according to Haag, developing a clear idea of what stories areimportant and assigning reporters to specific beats.
Haag made history in broadcast news in 1985 when he droppednetwork television programming in order to broadcast live coveragefrom Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport of the crash of DeltaAirlines Flight 191. The footage from the crash was re-broadcastnationally on ABC, Nightline and CNN.
According to Bob Phillips, a former reporter for Channel 8,Haag’s calm demeanor the day of the crash was the epitome ofprofessionalism.
“I remember when CNN picked up our live feed of the Deltaplane crash,” Phillips said. “We walked into thenewsroom and there was Marty sitting with a legal pad with everyonegathered around him in a circle. [He was] looking over thoseglasses and pointing to each person with a pen assigning everyone ajob. It was incredible.”
Haag’s determination to deliver news by focusing onplacing stories in context and proper perspective led to a ratingschange for WFAA. Within two years of becoming news director, theratings for WFAA rose dramatically.
According to Haag, to be a successful news director entailshaving “courage to say this is what we need to do.” Andthat is exactly what he did at Belo by emphasizing that the newswould consist of important stories and spot news.
Courage is not an emotion unfamiliar to Haag. Haag graduatedfrom the University of Missouri and, having been a member of theROTC, immediately entered into two years of military service, as aSecond Lieutenant. After military service Haag pursued a job as acity editor for The Dallas Morning News, took a year-long trip toEurope and worked as a broadcast news director for a radio stationin Fort Worth before heading to Columbia University’sGraduate School of Journalism. According to Haag, graduate schoolwas the key to landing a job in network news.
“I thought, if I go to Columbia I could get a foot in thedoor [which could turn out] to be an entrance,” Haagsaid.
Haag’s graduate degree did get him a foot in the door atNBC where he began his career as an overnight news desk director,which led ultimately to WFAA.
Haag’s creative thinking resulted in two George FosterPeabody Awards, six Alfred DuPont-Columbia Awards and three EdwardR. Murrow Awards for WFAA. These achievements were greater than anyother major market station in the nation. Haag was also awarded apersonal George Foster Peabody Award in 2001 upon his retirementfrom WFAA.
According to Haag, he wanted to show students how professionalnews is produced by “show[ing] the flag” and, thereby,”be[coming] a resource for students.” The mostimportant advice Haag hoped to convey to his students was to”keep your head down, work as hard as you possibly can and beintellectually curious – always ask why.”
Haag passed away Sat., Jan. 10 from complications due to astroke. The broadcast division of the department of journalism hasbeen very saddened and shocked at the unsuspected loss. He was ateacher, mentor and proponent of the student-produced SMU’s”Daily Update.” The “Daily Update”continues to diversify broadcast content in order to fulfillHaag’s high standards of journalism.
Genevieve Barr is a junior broadcast journalism major. Shecan be reached at [email protected].
