NBC Coverage of JFK Assassination

[Vidiot]

Originally Posted by bgadow

some questions, for those "in the know":
The recording is primarily b/w. I'm assuming the NBC news studios were not color equipped at the time? They do numerous remotes from WBAP-TV, the earliest ones in color. There was another remote later on in color from somewhere else. I wonder, were these broadcast live (and recorded) that way, or were they initially bw to the network, with color recordings edited in later?

Yes, most broadcast TV was B&W prior to about 1965-1966. 1966 was the big changeover year, when prime-time went pretty much 100% color for American networks.

NBC did showcase color specials and some limited color programming (like Wonderful World of Color and Bonanza on Sunday night), but most of their news was B&W. I'd say 100% of the assassination coverage was B&W.

Like some of the older farts here, my memories of November 22nd, 1963 are pretty much seared into my brain. I was 9 years old, and had just seen Kennedy 3 times in the motorcade parade through Tampa, Florida four days earlier on November 18th. It was a huge shock for everybody in my home town when Kennedy was killed.

I often say, the 1950s really ended when Kennedy died, in terms of innocence and pop culture. And the 1960s really began in January of 1964, when the British Invasion exploded.

Note that 2013 will be the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination, and I'm sure there'll be a lot of TV coverage about it. We keep waiting for the smoking gun, some guy on his deathbed to finally confess the whole story... but it hasn't happened yet.

[mrfoxboy]

Originally Posted by Vidiot

Note that 2013 will be the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination, and I'm sure there'll be a lot of TV coverage about it.

And I intend to tape as much of it as I can onto VHS (I don't trust PVR's still as they seem to fail at the worst of times).

I'll also chime in and say that the coverage does seem to have some heavy artifacts, even by 1963 standards. I agree that they did a great job with covering the incident, but those cameras seem to be of terrible quality

[Einar72]

The JFK events broadcast live looked okay on our '62 Silvertone 23-incher! I saw Oswald take it in the belly through the eyes of an 8-year old! 50 years is a long time for a recording - film or videotape - so some degradation is to be expeted. I have seen some old Dick Clark footage of bands on the beach just 3 years newer where the camera had very bad horizontal linearity. Video quality became better over time, now we're so darn spoiled if it's not in HD we have a cow...

[etype2]

I think I mentioned this in another forum at VK. Never forget that day, was 17 and in study hall when the first news came over the P.A. system. Damp windy fall day in Milwaukee. Watched the coverage after school, was a Friday, I think. Watched the killing of Oswald live on TV over the weekend. Monday was declared a national day of mourning, no school. Watched the entire funeral like everyone else at the time. The nation was in shock, as I was. My parents had a black and white TV so don't know if there was color coverage. If there was, it had to be limited in 1963.

I to rank the Kennedy assassination, the first moon landing, the Challenger accident and 911 as the most memorable events in my life time. I have vague memories of Queen Elizabeth's inauguration on TV. First images from Telstar was a big deal. After this post will probably remember more events ...

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by etype2

I think I mentioned this in another forum at VK. Never forget that day, was 17 and in study hall when the first news came over the P.A. system. Damp windy fall day in Milwaukee. Watched the coverage after school, was a Friday, I think. Watched the killing of Oswald live on TV over the weekend. Monday was declared a national day of mourning, no school. Watched the entire funeral like everyone else at the time. The nation was in shock, as I was. My parents had a black and white TV so don't know if there was color coverage. If there was, it had to be limited in 1963.

I to rank the Kennedy assassination, the first moon landing, the Challenger accident and 911 as the most memorable events in my life time. I have vague memories of Queen Elizabeth's inauguration on TV. First images from Telstar was a big deal. After this post will probably remember more events ...

For me, the memories that stick in my mind was the attempted assassination of President Reagan, The Moon Landings, the Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger and of course, 9-11. BTW, I remember the words "live via satellite" meant a great deal as well as "in color." I even remember "In Stereo <<< where available >>>"