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November 22, 2022 6:53 pm  #1


Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

Hard to imagine it's been almost six decades since this seminal moment when many say network TV news came of age: Walter Cronkite announcing on CBS that Pres. John F. Kennedy had been shot and killed during a tour of Dallas. 

It may be the only time in his storied career that "Uncle Walter" almost broke up on the air. It's amazing to me how many people were watching CBS back then. All the other networks had it, as well. But the Eye Network seems to be the only one everybody remembers. 

Still chilling all these years later.

 

November 22, 2022 7:14 pm  #2


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

Video is geoblocked in Canada.

 

November 22, 2022 8:00 pm  #3


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

Sorry. Had my VPN on and didn't check it. Here's an alternate.

     Thread Starter
 

November 22, 2022 8:19 pm  #4


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

And if you ever needed proof that anything and everything is for sale in the U.S., here's an ad that appeared in the American TV Guide in Nov. 1964, a year after the tragedy. Yep, a great way to remember a slain leader of your country. And no, this isn't a joke. It really was for sale. 



As sleazy as this thing was, I wonder how much a pristine copy might actually be worth today.
 

     Thread Starter
 

November 22, 2022 9:05 pm  #5


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

I was in high school in the electronics shop. A radio was playing but I wasn't paying much attention. I heard something about a President being assassinated and I just thought is was about some third world country. A while later they announced the news over the PA system.

One thing I remember well is that instantly, all radio stations flipped to playing hymns and other sacred music. And it lasted for several days. I was in my teens and always listened to top 40 stations from the US.. It amazed me that they even had that kind of music in their libraries.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
 

November 22, 2022 9:49 pm  #6


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

I was at work. One of the women who worked there came back from lunch and told us President Kennedy had been shot and killed.  I didn't believe her. At that time I was in Port Colborne and my go to station was WKBW Buffalo. KB played quiet solemn classical type music until the day after the funeral. Even when they returned to their hit music format the dj's remained very subdued until Joey Reynolds came on at 7PM and started to bring things back to life.   

 

November 22, 2022 10:23 pm  #7


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

Some of the stations, even after they ended the solemn music, didn't return immediately to top 40 some just played easy listening standards for a few days after that.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.
 

November 22, 2022 10:40 pm  #8


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

I know they were in Canada, but anyone know what CHUM did during those terrible few days?

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November 22, 2022 10:45 pm  #9


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

I was in the shower in Welland when the tragic story began to unfold. WKBW was on the radio and programming had just been interrupted with news that Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.
Ironically, it was the day I was supposed to drive over to Buffalo to meet KB’s PD, Dave Sennett.

Got out of the tub, towelled off, called Sennett and we agreed to put it off until a few days later. Went out to
the living room, turned on my mother’s TV and stayed there for days, including the almost immediate news
from Walter that the president was dead. Still couldn’t believe it, I was a huge Kennedy fan, both Jack and
Bobby. Stayed glued to the TV set at Nero’s Billiard Emporium during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the whole bit.

To this day, I still carry three Kennedy half-dollar coins, one very worn from our first night in Windsor (‘67) and the other two from different stays in Las Vegas.

 

November 22, 2022 11:10 pm  #10


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

When the Twilight Zone was remade by CBS a few decades ago, this was the only episode I thought was on par with the Rod Serling version. It's called "Profile In Silver" and it claims to tell the real story of the assassination of John Kennedy in a way you've never seen before.

I know it's not true, but in some ways, I wish it were. It explains all the anomalies conspiracy theorists have had for years about what really happened that day in Dallas. What a great ending and a great story, a completely fictional take based on a historical tragedy. 

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November 23, 2022 12:05 am  #11


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

RadioActive wrote:

When the Twilight Zone was remade by CBS a few decades ago, this was the only episode I thought was on par with the Rod Serling version. It's called "Profile In Silver" and it claims to tell the real story of the assassination of John Kennedy in a way you've never seen before.

I know it's not true, but in some ways, I wish it were. It explains all the anomalies conspiracy theorists have had for years about what really happened that day in Dallas. What a great ending and a great story, a completely fictional take based on a historical tragedy. 

 
Isn’t that something? That’s some kind of follow-up post, silver coin and all. Really enjoyed this, RA. I can’t
think of one scintillating thing to say. Best to just enjoy the moment. Thank you.

 

November 23, 2022 12:40 am  #12


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

The amazing thing is that I haven't seen that episode in decades and yet it's stuck with me all these years. It would explain all that stuff about not finding his brain, the confusion at the hospital and all the other weirdness that surrounds this case. It's not true but it would be great if it was! Glad you enjoyed it. 

Last edited by RadioActive (November 23, 2022 1:01 am)

     Thread Starter
 

November 23, 2022 4:16 am  #13


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

I was born in the 70's so I was not born yet when this happened.


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

November 23, 2022 3:03 pm  #14


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

I was 13, in the gym at New Toronto Secondary School, the class was Phys Ed. At 1:30 in the afternoon, the teacher, Mr. Liotta, came into the gym and told us President Kennedy had been assassinated. I looked up at the windows at the roof line and they showed a light gray, cloudy sky. That scene and where I was when Paul Henderson scored his winning goal are the two scenarios etched into my brain.

 

November 24, 2022 10:39 am  #15


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

The main reason everyone remembers "Uncle Walter" interrupting As The World Turns to deliver the initial report that Kennedy had been shot is because in 1963 NBC had no programming between 1pm-2:30pm. ABC had no network offerings between 1:39pm-2:30pm. Uncle Earl's Classic TV Channel site has the entire ATWT episode from 11/22/63 complete with commercials, network promos and Cronkite's several interruptions.

 

November 24, 2022 11:01 am  #16


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

Actually, NBC did interrupt whatever programming it was showing for the announcement, as this 5-hour long(!) video of the network's coverage shows. I'm not sure if this was a network broadcast, but they appeared to be in the middle of some kind of fashion show when a slide of the NBC snake appeared and the first announcement of the shooting was aired. (None of the networks had cameras in place and all were forced to audio only at first.)

I had no idea but the voice on that original bulletin is unmistakable - it was Don Pardo, later to be the voice of the original Jeopardy! and Saturday Night Live. A great future trivia question. The video is restricted to YouTube site playback only, and you can see it there.

The video covers hours and hours of the Peacock Network's coverage that day, and it's fascinating to watch how primitive the technology was back then. At one point, the anchor holds a mic up to the phone for an on-the-spot report from one of their correspondents with an update.

ABC TV began with an interruption - from ABC Radio. It starts at around the 7 minute mark here. 

     Thread Starter
 

November 24, 2022 11:57 am  #17


Re: Where Were You When This Went To Air 59 Years Ago Today?

Here’s live local coverage from WFAA, the ABC affiliate in Dallas:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=32sGmHLUg0w

JFK aside, you really notice the smoking on-air here, something you never see these days.