When the News Went Live

By Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, Wes Wise

Witness the birth of live broadcast journalism during a national tragedy in Dallas, 1963.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 81 ratings

224 pages

$16.95Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

In Dallas, 1963, four reporters find themselves at the heart of a national tragedy, tasked with delivering the first continuous live news coverage. As they navigate the chaos of JFK's assassination, they must balance the urgency of reporting with the weight of history unfolding before them. This unprecedented moment in broadcast journalism challenges their skills and emotions, offering a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on a day that changed America forever. How did they manage to keep the world informed amidst such turmoil, and what untold stories do they now reveal?

From the publisher

When routine coverage of JFK’s Dallas visit suddenly evolved into reporting a worldwide tragedy, KRLD reporters assumed the duty of reassuring a shocked nation and an anxious world. Broadcast journalism came of age in that crisis, and KRLD News earned the profession’s highest honor for its on-the-scene reporting. The writers worked in support of Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite as they reported the first on-camera murder and initiated the first continuous live coverage. Reporters who were part of this watershed in broadcast journalism have had four decades to consider events that were too fast and stunning to allow emotional detachment or reflection. They have never written their account of what happened on the scene in Dallas in 1963 until this book, and no other group had quite the behind-the-scene perspectives these four shared.

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