NBC Coverage of JFK Assassination

[bgadow]

Among the things found in the stash of VHS tapes I picked up recently is a copy of the NBC coverage of the JFK assassination. This was reaired at least a couple times-the one I have was done by PBS in 1993. It is 6+ hours, uninterupted, starting shortly after the special coverage began. A truly amazing time capsule; I was particularly surprised at how much information they were able to get out-by the end of the recording they were able to air a recorded interview that Lee Harvey Oswald had done with a Louisiana TV station. There are all sorts of technical problems they encountered throughout the day but overall they made excellent use of their facilities.

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?

[Sandy G]

I've always thought they looked like they were made in a different century. (no pun intended) The cameras were obviously primitive, even for 1963 standards, w/many "artifacts" & distortion. I don't remember "live" programs from then looking so bad. Kinda looks like they drug the oldest junk they had out of the storage barn, slapped it on the side, & made do...

[etype2]

For anyone living at the time, will never forget the week. You may have heard, " I remember exactly what I was doing when the news broke" It's true, I was 17 at the time and the announcement came over the PA system in study hall. I was living with my parents and they did not have a color TV.

Back then (1963) color TV was limited to a few hours in prime time, so I suspect most or all live remote broadcasts were B&W. I remember that the networks went mainstream with all day color telecasting in 1966-67. That was a big incentive to buy a color TV which were expensive then. My first was a 67 RCA purchased late 1966. :-)

[holmesuser01]

My mom was laid up in bed with a slipped disc in her back. My dad bought her a brand new GE 19" portable B/W set with a stand that morning so she could watch TV. Then, the assassination happened, and we all watched the events unfold at the foot of my parents bed for the next few days.

I still think the networks did an incredible job with coverage of the event.

[Sandy G]

I was in 1st grade. It was a GLORIOUS fall day, that "chrome-blue" it only gets that time of year. We had just come from Recess into the school cafeteria. They had the radio playing over the lunchroom PA, I remember my 1st grade teacher, Lois Armstrong, her eyes got big as saucers. We went back up in the room & prayed for him. Seems like they let us outta school early that day, & the kids outside were eerily quiet...

[NowhereMan 1966]

I have that 1993 tape somewhere that I taped myself. BTW, one of my co-workers was a young kid at the time and he told me that he remembers getting angry because they cancelled the cartoons in the afternoon.

[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 >>>"

[colorfixer]

Wasn't JFK's funeral in color?

I remember hearing from a tech at a tv station I worked at telling me that the cameras of the day took so long to stabilize that the networks and their news affiliates had to go to air really quick, which meant that the b/w cameras had to be used and even those took a long time to fire up.

[Dennman6]

[QUOTE=colorfixer;2997860]Wasn't JFK's funeral in color?

I remember seeing the CBS black & white videotape coverage on a special in 1993. The only color footage I've ever seen from the JFK funeral has been film sourced, probably 16mm Kodachrome. So far I've not ever been aware of color videotape. But if there WAS any, even limited amounts of it, I'd expect to see it come from NBC since they'd been doing colorcasts since 1954.

[alespn]

Originally Posted by colorfixer

Wasn't JFK's funeral in color?

I remember hearing from a tech at a tv station I worked at telling me that the cameras of the day took so long to stabilize that the networks and their news affiliates had to go to air really quick, which meant that the b/w cameras had to be used and even those took a long time to fire up.

I also seem to remember that the funeral, or at least part of it was in color on NBC. I assume they just set up a side by side with the pool gear. I also watched a replay of the coverage, I think on CSPAN. I remember that the early reports from WBAP in Dallas were in color... mainly because the videotape unlocked verytime the color source was placed on the air. Not too much later the same reports were in black & white. Someone at NBC must have told them to shut off the color.

[Dan Starnes]

I was in 1st grade. Principal stepped in the room and told us right after lunch. Old school and had no PA system. We had B&W set so I dont know if any of the coverage was in color. My memory is the footage was standard quality for the day.