On November 22, 1963, the world was forever changed as news broke of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The three major television networks at the time – NBC, CBS, and ABC – made history by staying on the air for four consecutive days, providing live, continuous coverage of the national crisis. This marked the dawn of a new era in media, setting the template for the decades that followed.
Unlike today’s media landscape, where there are countless outlets to catch up on news at any time, in 1963, everyone watched the JFK tragedy and its aftermath simultaneously. Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather recalls that “the only thing on television anywhere in the country was the Kennedy assassination.”
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The limited visual documentation of the assassination, captured mostly by snapshots and home movie cameras, has contributed to public skepticism and generated conspiracy theories about what actually occurred and who was responsible. Today, with the prevalence of mobile devices, such as iPhones, it is easy to imagine that every angle of such a significant event would be covered.
At the time of Kennedy’s assassination, network TV coverage was limited to evening newscasts that were neither immediate nor comprehensive. Live continuous coverage was reserved for planned big events. However, the rapidly unfolding drama in Dallas forced the networks to provide raw video feeds that preempted all regular programming, canceling millions of dollars’ worth of commercial time.
The images that viewers saw on their screens resembled a noir crime drama at times. The networks even helped a grieving nation mourn with the first presidential funeral aired on live TV.
The journalists covering the event saw their careers elevated by the experience. Five of them went on to become network TV anchors. Rather, who was the New Orleans bureau chief for CBS at the time, became a mainstay throughout the weekend, reporting on location in Dallas. This experience set him on a path to becoming Walter Cronkite’s successor at the “CBS Evening News.”
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The assassination of President Kennedy was a defining moment in history, not only for the nation but also for the media. The live, continuous coverage provided by the three major television networks set a precedent for future news events. It was a time when the nation came together to witness and process a tragedy, and the journalists involved played a crucial role in delivering the news and helping the American people navigate through a difficult time.
