You can find NBC Radio’s “breaking news” coverage of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, elsewhere. You won’t find what we have, below, anywhere else. It’s NBC Radio’s all-evening documentary on Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963 — summing up what had happened that weekend and what the world ahead might look like. (Audio courtesy of Jim Taylor and Louis Castaing)
NBC Radio and JFK’s Assassination, part 1 — Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963
Time: about 51 minutes
Produced by Monitor’s Bud Drake and Charles Garment and anchored by Russ Ward, this is the first part of a truly magnificent effort by NBC Radio on Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963, to sum up the events of the unbelievable weekend that began on Friday when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. In this part, you’ll hear readings from American actor Alexander Scourby, interviews with Harvard professor Oscar Handlin and with many who knew JFK, and the beginning of an audio biography of the President.
NBC Radio and JFK’s Assassination, part 2 — Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963
Time: about 46 minutes
This segment on Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963, features a look back at JFK’s election in 1960, Inauguration Day in ’61, and some of his early accomplishments, including the establishment of the Peace Corps and America’s entry into space.
NBC Radio and JFK’s Assassination, part 3 — Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963
Time: about 51 minutes
This segment on Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963, features a look back at Kennedy’s battle with the steel industry, the Cuban missile crisis and the civil rights movement, as well as interviews about JFK’s legacy.
NBC Radio and JFK’s Assassination, part 4 — Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963
Time: about 51 minutes
Featured in this segment on Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963, are more interviews about JFK’s legacy, and NBC newsman Robert MacNeil’s recounting of the president’s assassination just two days earlier. In addition, NBC sportscaster (and voice of the Yankees) Mel Allen reflects on Kennedy’s life, NBC newsman Bryson Rash reports on Jackie Kennedy’s absolutely heart-breaking visit to the Capitol on that Sunday night, and NBC reporters Robert Abernathy and Nancy Dickerson report on Kennedy’s legacy and the challenges facing new President Lyndon Johnson.
NBC Radio and JFK’s Assassination, part 5 — Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963
Time: about 51 minutes
Featured in this segment on Sunday night, Nov. 24, 1963, are NBC’s correspondents around the world — including John Chancellor in Berlin — reporting on the foreign reaction to JFK’s death. This documentary ended at 11:21 p.m. ET, but you’ll hear about 20 more minutes of NBC Radio’s continuing coverage of the assassination immediately after that.
Russ Ward’s commentary after JFK’s funeral — Monday, Nov. 25, 1963
Time: three minutes
NBC’s Morgan Beatty was anchoring NBC Radio’s continuous coverage of JFK’s funeral on Monday, Nov. 25, 1963, when he tossed to reporter Russ Ward in Washington. Nearly overcome with emotion, Mr. Ward barely made it through his brief piece.