Whether it was hosting “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” or “American Bandstand,” Dick Clark had a legacy of bringing people together— cementing himself as a cultural icon.

“He was culturally significant. If people were stuck at home (on New Year’s Eve) and they needed a party — Dick was that party,” said Eric Deggans, National Public Radio TV critic.

Deggans spoke as part of a panel on Clark’s career and legacy titled “Dick Clark: A discussion about a great American Broadcaster.” The panel was held on Monday afternoon in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse III as part of a day of events celebrating the dedication of the Newhouse studios.

The Keri and Dick Clark Foundation donated $5 million to the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications for a new, state-of-the-art facility. The new space will allow students to get a more hands-on experience using modern technology so that they are more prepared for when they entire their perspective work fields.

“We spend all day hearing Dick Clark this and Dick Clark that, but it is important to reflect who this guy actually was,” said Robert Thompson, the moderator for the event and trustee professor for television and popular culture.

The panelists to discuss Clark’s career and significance included Deggans, Mary Ann Watson, professor of electronic media and film studies, and David Zurawik, TV critic for The Baltimore Sun.

The panel offered a wide range of individuals who are historians, critics and scholars in television, Thompson said.

“I chose a panel of the smartest people I know,” he added.

Clark’s career spanned decades and included hosting the game show “Pyramid” and the annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” for 40 years. Clark rose to fame when he hosted “American Bandstand.” “American Bandstand” was a music-performance show in which teenagers would dance as various artists performed. He was a pillar for American broadcasting, Thompson said.

Clark made an incredible impact in the young popular culture of the early 1950s, Zurawik said. Clark was able to commodify the teen audience, he added.

Zurawik said that Clark had a personality that jumped off the screen and made television seem like a magical and cool place to be for teens in the ‘50s.

“Part of the genius of the show was its ability to give clues on what to do and how to date,” he said. “He tapped into the power of the television’s ability to teach.”

Published on September 30, 2014 at 12:01 am

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