NBC’s evening news program turns 60
Don Day February 15th, 2008
Sixty years ago Saturday, NBC launched a regularly scheduled evening news program - then known as the NBC Television Newsreel. That evolved over time with a variety of hosts (John Cameron Swayze, David Brinkley, Chet Huntley, Roger Mudd, Tom Brokaw).
Here’s a few minutes of the June 14, 1948 broadcast - featuring “late news, pictures and film from NBC cameramen at home and abroad.”
9 Comments Add your own
1. Safran | February 15th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
There are so many things wrong with this package, it’s hard to know where to start.
1. Giving a producer credit up top? Producers should be abused when small flaws occur and otherwise not credited.
2. Using music under the piece the whole time? Unethical.
3. Visiting a flood zone but no close-ups of pathetic, washed-out refugees? No shots of reporter, teary-eyed, standing among the victims cursing the systems? Speaking of which…
4. The reporter doesn’t do a single standup. How is the audience supposed to relate to him and the network’s brand?
5. One SOT from the president? And it doesn’t come in until 1:19, five seconds past the maximum length for a package. AND his soundbite goes 24 seconds? 20 seconds too long.
6. Nothing about Britney.
2. Don Day | February 16th, 2008 at 9:30 am
You forgo tone.
7. It’s about stories from the West Coast - and NOT even California. Blasphemy.
3. Safran | February 16th, 2008 at 10:23 am
8. Also in June, 1948:
Jane Wyman divorces Ronald Reagan after her on-set affair with “Johnny Belinda” co-star Lew Ayers. How is THIS not the lead? Didn’t the AP West Coast have a commandment that ALL stories about Jane Wyman were breaking news?
4. A. Reader | February 16th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
A newscast without an endless barrage of drug ads? Impossible!
More than two minutes on one story? Incredulous.
A president against big business? Unbelievable!
5. Rob | February 16th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Pres. Truman’s Western Tour? They could’ve called it “Deadly Flood ‘48″ for crying out loud. And there were no locators? I couldn’t tell he was in Portland! It looked more like Lake Oswego to me.
On the other hand …
1. At least they got aerial footage of the disaster.
2. Mentioning other news organizations covering the news … did NBC pioneer content aggregating? I always though Al Gore did when he invented the Interwebs.
6. Rob | February 16th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Oh …. and to tack on to Don and Safran’s comments …
9. A president visiting Oregon and Washington without a meeting with fundraisers for his re-election campaign or a grip-and-grin with local legislators running for office? Unheard of!
7. Dave | February 17th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Truman:
“If you people out here stand for it, it’s you own loss! I’m fighting for you, now, do some fighting for yourselves!”
Wow… Today, Chris Matthews and The Best Political Team in Television would be all over that comment.
8. discreet_chaos | February 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Rob - While there surely wasn’t as much need for fundraising, you’d think that the “grip & grins” were done off-camera and if the stories weren’t filed in the same drawer as JFK’s “bimbo eruptions”, then they were simply dismissed as “business as usual”.
9. Gertrude Claycomb | March 27th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I would like to know why all the news agency are jumping on the Obama bandwagon and ignoring all the other candidates? It seems that the news agency are trying to make everyone adhere to there views. I have never hear any news anchor ask Obama any questions about his minister and his remarks that have offended my if not all the people of the USA. It seems that you can ask Mrs. Clinton any and all imbarrassing questions about her [past and any misquotes.,but God forbid you ask Obama.
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