PBS is marking the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation. They are showing a documentary on the Watergate scandal from the perspective of Dick Cavett’s talk show.
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Americans tuned into the television to tune into the Watergate hearings. Cavett’s program was broadcast on ABC. The PBS documentary features new interviews with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
“As the Watergate scandal unfolded on TV and in the newspapers, it had all the ingredients of high drama – gripping and all consuming,” Stephen Segaller, WNET Vice President, Programming said, according to Channel 13’s official website. “Watergate changed American politics forever, and we are still living with its consequences.”
Cavett also interviewed Watergate figures including Nixon aides, John Ehrlichman, Alexander Haig, G. Gordon Libby, and Jeb Magruder, according to Associated Press. The interviews took place from 1972 to 1974.
At the time, Cavett’s reporting didn’t gain him friends near the White House. He was mentioned in the White House tapes 26 times.
The show will air on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 9PM on PBS.