Networks are planning special reports and broadcasts for the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy.
CBS News will include reporting from the only current network news anchor who was in Dallas on the day of the shooting. Bob Schieffer, who was a reporter with the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, will anchor his “Face the Nation” from Dallas on Sunday, Nov. 17. The night before, Saturday, Nov. 16 at 9pmET/PT, Schieffer will host “As it Happened: John F. Kennedy 50 Years” produced by the “48 HOURS” team. Schieffer will give viewers a look at four days that changed America and American television history.
On Friday, Nov. 22, the actual anniversary, Scott Pelley will anchor the “CBS Evening News” from Dallas. Pelley will interview with Clint Hill, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who was in the presidential motorcade when President Kennedy was assassinated.
More details after the jump…
CBS NEWS WILL PRESENT A PRIMETIME SPECIAL ON SATURDAY, NOV. 16, “AS IT HAPPENED: JOHN F. KENNEDY 50 YEARS,” ANCHORED BY BOB SCHIEFFER, FOLLOWED ON SUNDAY, NOV. 17 BY LIVE BROADCASTS OF “FACE THE NATION” ANCHORED FROM DALLAS DEVOTED TO THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION, AS WELL AS THE “CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY” LIVE FROM DALLAS ON NOV. 22
CBS News announces its multi-platform coverage plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, beginning on Sunday, Oct. 27 with FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHIEFFER and continuing on CBS THIS MORNING, CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY, CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLES OSGOOD and a primetime special, AS IT HAPPENED: JOHN F. KENNEDY 50 YEARS. The coverage will include video from CBS News’ extensive archives from the day of the assassination, Nov. 22, 1963, including the unforgettable first television network news report from legendary CBS anchor Walter Cronkite.
Schieffer, who was a reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on the day of the assassination, will share details about his extraordinary experience as the young journalist who conducted the first interview with Mrs. Oswald as he rode with her from Fort Worth to Dallas to see her son in custody hours after he fired the fatal shot.
CBS THIS MORNING (7:00-9:00 AM, ET) will feature a series of original stories highlighting interviews with eyewitnesses and rare photos from the day of the assassination, and will examine President Kennedy’s influence on America today.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, CBS News will present a primetime special, AS IT HAPPENED: JOHN F. KENNEDY 50 YEARS (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). Produced by the team behind 48 HOURS, the broadcast will be anchored by Schieffer and will give viewers a look at four days that changed America and American television history. The special gives a portrait of a presidency 1,000 days in and a Kennedy family that was being catapulted into superstardom. The assassination would change everything.
AS IT HAPPENED: JOHN F. KENNEDY 50 YEARS is re-telling the past in present tense. Schieffer brings viewers into the fear and tension surrounding that historic day as it unfolds before their eyes. Viewers are in the moment with legendary anchor Walter Cronkite and journalism’s iconic reporters: Charles Collingwood, Harry Reasoner, Charles Kuralt and Mike Wallace.
Fifty years after the assassination, the debate continues on whether or not there was a conspiracy to kill the President. Schieffer will explore new theories, new documents and the ongoing conspiracy debate.
CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLES OSGOOD will look at the legacy and lessons of President John F. Kennedy on Sunday, Nov. 17. Rita Braver will report on the overall Kennedy legacy and what it means to the country. Among a variety of stories in the broadcast will be Martha Teichner’s report on the mystique behind the Camelot era, Mo Rocca’s look at the city of Dallas’ 50-year fight to shake the negative image left behind as the city where he was killed, and Michelle Miller’s report on Kennedy’s love of writing letters.
On Sunday, Nov. 17, Schieffer, the only current network news anchor who was in Dallas on the day of the shooting and conducted an exclusive in-person interview with Mrs. Oswald, will anchor FACE THE NATION live from Dallas.
Scott Pelley will anchor the CBS EVENING NEWS (6:30-7:00 PM, ET) live from Dallas on Friday, Nov. 22. That week, the broadcast will feature an interview with Clint Hill, a former United States Secret Service agent who was in the presidential motorcade when President Kennedy was assassinated.
CBS Radio News will broadcast remembrance and history reports from several correspondents, including Peter Maer, Dan Raviv and Barry Bagnato, who will report from Dallas Thursday, Nov. 21 – Friday, Nov. 22. CBS Radio News will also broadcast special reports throughout the anniversary day.
Throughout the week, CBSNEWS.COM will stream the original CBS News broadcast coverage of Kennedy’s assassination in real-time as it evolved 50 years ago. The online stream will feature the breaking news coverage from the four-day period following the shooting. Viewers will relive the extraordinary 1963 CBS News reports from New York, Dallas, Washington and around the world as Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid, Harry Reasoner, Charles Kuralt, Roger Mudd and others reported the tragedy. In addition, CBSNEWS.COM will feature coverage of the ongoing commemoration events and in-depth looks at Kennedy’s presidency from all angles, including the space race, civil rights, and foreign policy.