WFAA 1978 Can't Drive 55 report

WFAA forced truckers and other motorists to drive 55 mph between Dallas and Fort Worth in this newscast excerpt of a prime-time special circa summer 1978.

A much younger Byron Harris shows how drivers responded to the limited freedom imposed on them during the late 1970s energy crisis.

Only North Texas's overwhelming news leader back then could have staged this audacious scenario at a time before competition from cable, satellite and other local stations eventually ate away at WFAA's average 60 percent share of all TV viewers with their sets turned on.

I had just joined News 8 about the time this aired, and it clinched a love affair with the station that survives to this day ... albeit unrequited.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• WFAA
• 1978
• energy crisis
• Byron Harris

[MrZombay]

Oh look, my father is the doctor. Hi daddy!

[manolomandi]

hahaha holy crap that doctor talking is my dad. sounds like him...does not look like him. ohhh 70's mustache..

[Quickdraw1111]

@sauerkraut145 Why is it illegal? The speed limit was 55 mph and that was the speed they were driving. Technically, if everyone on the road at the tims was driving 55 mph like they were supposed to be doing, then they would have no reason to pass the news station's cars. (and therefore the news station's cars would not be blocking traffic).

[uwtitanfan]

Good quality for 1978. What cameras did you have back then?

[MiracleMileV8]

@gm1990ss: LOL, that was pretty funny. =)

[MiracleMileV8]

@crb4059: Oh, LOL, if only that were the case.........at least we could've stopped the gov't had they been the main culprit in the '70s. But no, in all reality, it was the oil companies and certain other private forces............we voters can't stop THEM much. =(

[sauerkraut145]

That's illegal for the station to do something like that, blocking all 3 lanes of traffic. There is no oil shortage anyhow, if they would let us drill for our own oil. Alaska is floating on a sea of oil that we can't tap.

[crb4059]

Oil shortages? lol

Thats what you get when you tamper with free market prices and let the govt dictate price ceilings (or floors) for that matter

[gm1990ss]

cb radio. i like it. "got dang it, git of da road!" i love texas.