_JFK: Breaking the News_ -- Is there an easier way to purchase this DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Jack Briggs]

Jim*F: KCET broadcast that very same 800 number. But I smugly decided to traipse over to ShopPBS.org instead. Bad move.

So, do you still have that 800 number? I'll order the disc in a heartbeat at that price.

David, yes, KCET rebroadcast the program on the following Sunday.

 

[Jim*F]

Jack, the number is 1-800-496-3198. And as I said above, I'll gladly give a summary of the extras when the DVD arrives (since it appears I'll be the first person here to have it).

 

[David Von Pein]

Allan ... I have that 2-Disc (DVD/CD-ROM) set you inquired about, "The Story Behind The Story", from WFAA's original coverage.

Good stuff. Much better in quality than my VHS copy of the same coverage.

Although, this statement re. that program is misleading......

"The DVD features more than four hours of original WFAA-TV news coverage from the Friday afternoon of Kennedy’s death through the following Sunday..."

The 2-sided DVD actually contains approx. 2.5 hours of WFAA footage, not "more than 4 hours". However, possibly they really meant that the DVD (overall) has about 4 hours of material on it. Including the compelling 59-minute extra bonus program, called "A Year Ago Today" (which features newscaster remembrances in November 1964 of "Where They Were" a year prior), by my data, the total run time of the DVD is approx. 3.6 hours.

There's also a rather interesting CD-ROM included, which contains additional info on the assassination & its aftermath. (Some repeated WFAA clips are also contained therein.)

A worthy purchase, IMHO.

(That place ships 'em out fast too. Got one in just days after ordering.)

 

[David Von Pein]

One thing Dallas residents benefited from last weekend was an 8 hour broadcast of the WBAP coverage of the event from 1963.

It wasn't just Dallas residents who were privvy.
WBAP.com offered it up to anyone with an Internet connection, via their "Listen Live" link.

It was rather fascinating stuff indeed. As was the KLIF-Dallas Radio non-stop 7-plus hours of coverage provided by that station the next day (November 23, 2003).

I liked the KLIF stuff even more than WBAP. The early bulletins of the shooting were interjections within a local "Disc Jockey" platter-spinning program of the day, which was really quite compelling (in a "time warp" sense) in & of itself. Bobby Darin, Elvis, Peggy Lee, and others are heard with their pop hits of 1963, plus many, many old-time commercials, punctuated with the occasional "This just in from Dallas..." bulletins. Then, they went to full-time "bulletin" status for the next several hours.

(One of the plethora of commercials included was one I'll bet many
people here might recall: "N-E-S-T-L-E-S ... Nestle's makes the very best ... Chooooooooocolate!" )

I'd love to be able to hear other local TV & Radio accounts of 11/22/63....such as the large Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Atlanta local markets, to hear how each station handled the crisis.

I often wonder how many of those non-Dallas radio/TV tapes might have survived after 40 years.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I didn't know about KLIF, but I'll keep it in mind for next year. As for the Nestles ad, I only know of it from the revival in the late '80s (I'm too young for the original version). That version was for their white chocolate bars. "Creamy white! Dreamy white! Nestles is the very best!" Etc. But, now we're really far afield.

 

[David Von Pein]

As for the Nestles ad, I only know of it from the revival in the late '80s (I'm too young for the original version). That version was for their white chocolate bars. "Creamy white!

Oh yeah. *slaps forehead*
You know, I thought I'd heard that jingle since the '60s!
Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Well, now that I think about it, the last time WBAP did that broadcast was in '98. That would have been the 35th anniversary, of course. They either unearthed more material since then or were just hyping up the latest airing, because they were acting like this was a new thing this time. It wasn't.

But, you're probably right. They probably won't do it next year. So, that gives me five or ten years to get my recording materials together. :frowning:

 

[Jack Briggs]

Jim*F: Thanks for the number. I just ordered the disc for $24.95 plus $3 shipping and handling. Can't wait! JB

 

[RobertR]

Fifteen years ago I watched a rebroadcast of NBC-TV's coverage on that day, as it happened. Probably a good 10-12 hours worth. Fascinating stuff.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I saw Jim Leavelle tonight. I got to meet him about 10 years ago, but I thought I had heard he had passed away. So, when I saw him tonight, I didn't approach him. I figured it was just a strong resemblance (besides, he was out to eat with friends/family and didn't need me bothering him). But, a quick search on the internet finds articles from last month interviewing Mr. Leavelle. From the very brief time I talked to him, he seemed like a very nice man.

Just thought I'd share my brush with history.

 

[Eric Paddon]

Thanks for letting me know about the 800 number. I missed this special, but it looks like I should get it.

I have found so many different TV and radio broadcast versions of the assassination it's staggering. This is my own personal list.

TV
ABC-14 hours reaired on WFAA-Dallas in 1983 including first break in to WFAA local programming. All ABC coverage for 11/22 and WFAA local stuff for the rest of the weekend. (ABC was the only network that didn't have a camera in the basement for the shooting of Oswald)

NBC-Seven hours of 11/22 coverage replayed on A+E in 1988 and PBS in 1993. Also have 12 minutes of NBC's live coverage of Oswald's shooting and a 1983 three hour replay of procession and funeral coverage only.

CBS-18 hours from the vault, including all 11/22 coverage beginning with "As The World Turns" and the first bulletin, plus CBS coverage of the Oswald shooting and the 11/25 150 minute wrapup of the weekend's events.

Radio

CBS Radio (First 6 hours breaking in to WCBS-New York)

WFAA (Dallas)-Three hours of afternoon coverage, includes NBC and ABC Radio coverage.

WBAP (Dallas)-The full special aired last week. Includes NBC and ABC Radio coverage (the result of WFAA and WBAP switching frequencies and networks during the afternoon)

KLIF (Dallas)-The full eight hours streamed last week.

Westinghouse Radio-Two hours of various coverage throughout the weekend.

You can also hear streamed on WGN Radio's webpage their first bulletin, interrupting a local farm report show.

 

[Pete B.]

Anyone out there ReplayTV this and still have it available for sharing? Thanks!

Pete

[email protected]

 

[Jim*F]

I just received the JFK: Breaking The News DVD and wanted to give everyone a summary. I haven't had a chance to watch everything on the DVD yet, but the quality looks fine.

The main menu lets you play the entire main program, choose on of three chapters for the main program, or go to two separate sections of extras (each extra segment starts with a card title that explains the extra, where necessary):

JFK: Breaking The News (56 min.)

Extended Interviews with the Journalists (27 min.)
1. Conspiracies
2. More on Jack Ruby
3. Landing of the Maria Oswald Interview
4. Bob Schieffer's Exclusive with Oswald's Mother
5. Removing the Bubble Top
6. Reflecting on the Assassination

From The Sixth Floor Museum Archives (63 min.)
1. A Window on the Sixth Floor (A 17-minute special broadcast on Dallas station KERA in 1989 that reflects on the events of November 1963)
2. Excerpts from the Last Speech in Fort Worth
3. Amateur Photography
4. Interviewing the Newmans (This is the full 8-minute interview of the family of four we see interviewed in the studio just after the shooting)
5. Jackie's Goodbye
6. Arresting Oswald
7. Oswald Press Conference
8. District Attorney Henry Wade Press Conference
9. Living with the Oswalds
10. Jack Ruby Press Conference

The DVD case lists the total running time as just over 2 hours and 26 minutes, and my quick time observations add up to just that!

I thought the special itself was so well done that it was worth the price, but a DVD with the 56-minute special and 90 minutes of extras makes this an even better value.

P.S. Not that this takes away from the DVD at all, but I thought I'd mention that the default caption option is set to ON (yellow captions at the bottom of the screen).

 

[David Von Pein]

Thank you, Jim, for the detailed post on this DVD.

Have you watched the following extra segments as yet? If so, could you possibly post the running times of these specific portions? .....

>> Bob Schieffer's Exclusive with Oswald's Mother.
>> Removing the Bubble Top.

And -- Is the "bubble top" segment actual footage unearthed of the top being removed at some point at Love Field; or is it just people talking about the top removal, and its ultimate tragic results from doing so?

And -- Is the segment "Jackie's Goodbye" the "stock news footage" of Jackie kneeling by the casket at the Capitol? Or something else?

I'm very interested to know your thoughts, as well, on that 17-minute 1989 KERA segment ("A Window On The Sixth Floor"). Don't think I'd heard of that title before.

I have a good 44-minute VHS tape produced by the folks at The Sixth Floor Museum, but from what I can gather none of that KERA Special you mentioned appears on that video. So, naturally, I'm curious as to what might be on that.

I think I have most of those other extra segments on other products. But the ones I mention above somehow don't ring a true bell in my mind, and sound "new" (to me).

Thanks, Jim, for any further data you can provide on these add-on
parts. *tips hat*

 

[Jack Briggs]

Jim, so you just received your copy? Was that yesterday? I still haven't received mine, though I ordered week before last. Would have called the KERA offices, but I was so darned busy last week. Getting concerned.

 

[Jim*F]

Jack, my copy came Friday (12/12), and I think it was postmarked 12/8 from Dallas. I too was getting a bit worried, but figured that they just didn't work as fast as Amazon or BN.com!! (I was waiting to see if it came during the typical "2-4 weeks" many TV commercials advertise.)

David, I haven't had time to look at everything yet, but I have some time information:

Bob Schieffer's Exclusive with Oswald's Mother is about 4 minutes, and is Schieffer's complete telling of the call he received from Oswald's mother and how he picked her up and drove her to the jail (the main program uses less than half of this full interview)

Removing the Bubble Top is 5 minutes of journalists talking.

Jackie's Goodbye is a 3-minute interview with two workers from the O'Neal Funeral Home describing the last minutes in Parkland Hospital.

A Window on the Sixth Floor details the creation of the Sixth Floor Museum in the Texas School Book Depository. This has some clips from 1963, shows some of the planning, restoration, and discussion of the sixth floor, and discusses some of the controversy about the museum (Dallas' reputation after the assassination, the view of some that the museum was one of "morbid curiousity").

I'll again state for anyone reading that this is a great DVD. The 56-minute main program is near perfect, fast-paced yet complete, while the extras give lots of additional information (but are perfect as extras -- the full journalist interviews, press conferences, etc. are very informative, but would have impeded the flow of the program, while the 17-minute news report about the opening of the Sixth Floor Museum in 1989 could not have appeared in the main program since that covered only the four days in Nov. 1963).

 

[Eric Paddon]

What's the phone number again for getting the DVD? I need to see that bumped up to the top of the thread.

 

[David Von Pein]

Here Eric .......

800-496-3198.

Price: $27.95 (inc. the S&H).

 

[David Von Pein]

Thank you, Jim, for the added info.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, I look forward to seeing what mail I received when I get home this evening. Thanks, Jim, for the reassuring reply. Eric Paddon, you will want this disc, I assure you.