JFK Assassination (CBS Coverage) - Part 4/10 (1963)

RIP Walter Cronkite 1916-2009

From Wikipedia:

By 2:00 EST, Cronkite was informed that the camera was ready, and told the viewers over the air that CBS would be taking a station identification break so that affiliates could join the network. Within twenty seconds, all the CBS affiliates (with the exception of KRLD in Dallas, which was covering the tragedy locally) joined the network's coverage. Cronkite appeared on-air in shirt and tie but without his suit coat, given the urgent nature of the story, and opened with this:

"This is Walter Cronkite in our newsroom in New York. There has been an attempt, as perhaps you know now, on the life of President Kennedy. He was wounded in an automobile driving from Dallas Airport into downtown Dallas, along with Governor Connally of Texas. They have been taken to Parkland Hospital there, where their condition is as yet unknown."

Cronkite then tried to throw to KRLD's coverage of the Dallas Trade Mart meeting that the President was supposed to address, but the camera was not ready. After a few seconds, Cronkite started speaking again, but shortly after he had begun, the broadcast abruptly cut into the aforementioned meeting where the station's news director Eddie Barker was reporting (a director was audibly heard saying "Okay, go ahead. Switch it" while Cronkite was talking). He said that the President was still alive (as Cronkite had been told by the report from Congressman Thomas earlier and directly by Congressman Jim Wright just moments before Barker's report was filed). About five minutes later, Barker reported that rumors had begun to circulate that Kennedy was in fact dead.

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[fromthesidelines]

That's why, after this, a "warmed-up" camera was in place in Cronkite's newsroom at all times. The 10 second station I.D. cerrtanly helped him rush back to his desk in the newsroom (but forgetting to put on his jacket, draped on the back of his chair)- but that was already scheduled just before 2pm(et) {"WCBS-TV, Channel 2, New York"}, when all the affiliates were "in place", and ready to carry the continous coverage that would last until Monday, November 26th.

[MiscVideos78rpm]

@fromthesidelines - Thanks for the info!

[MJJR1]

This is incredible footage from a day I'd like to forget. I was in Texas, at school that day. I'd heard the news on a transistor radio that belonged to a friend at lunch time. I remember rushing into a classroom, informing a teacher that President Kennedy had been "assassinated" in Dallas. The teacher laughed and told me that I didn't know what I was talking about. She should have taken notice because I was repeating a word not commonly used by a 5 year old pre-schooler.

[MiscVideos78rpm]

@MJJR1 Great story.

[susannreno]

They actually reported the news back then.

[blueguitarblue]

@jjddjjddaa How old are you? 13? How shallow. Who cares what he looked like? Do you prefer the pseudo journalists today? And whimpering on air IS professional when called for. He, like most Americans loved JFK, the LAST president of the USA. He wasn't a political pimp. Not showing emotion is callous when your beloved President is assassinated. Grow up!

[ADAMSIXTIES]

No cellphones and no internet ;-p

[newstarcadefan]

@Jiltedin2007 True, KRLD retained their calls after the TV side swiched their Calls to KDFW (now Fox 4).

[sean2015]

@blueguitarblue Actually Walter Cronkite (reportedly) did not care for John F. Kennedy personally. However you are right that any journalist would've been emotionally traumatized to have to report something like this on live national TV. He's only human after all.

[Basssinger86]

@jjddjjddaa Yeah....because being attractive is all you need to be a great reporter, right? Wow your dumb!!

[67rml]

@jjddjjddaa Idiot

[tomitstube]

@andrelebaron ~ why did the dallas police put out a description of oswald as the killer when no one witnessed the shooting and there were 15 employees not accounted for at the book depository? no one in the dallas police could answer this question, all eye witness accounts of oswald that day were on floors 1 thru 4. a cop saw oswald on the first floor within his own calculation 2 minutes after the shooting and actually talked to him. no prints were found on the gun.

the perfect fall guy.

[andrelebaron]

@tomitstube oswald killed kennedy because he couldn't accept that he wasn't important.

[jjddjjddaa]

Pretty hard to be so ugly on Black and White TV....Cronkite was hideous looking. Could have never been on HDTV.