Ford: Memorials On The Evening Newscasts

Charles Gibson‘s opener on World News:

“Good evening. America has lost a president. As everyone knows by now, Gerald R. Ford — Gerry Ford — died last night at the age of 93. He was the common man who served in uncommon times. He was the man who assumed the presidency in some of its darkest days and brought it into the light. He succeeded a man seen as duplicitous — dishonest. Gerry Ford was precisely the opposite. Some historians refer to him as the accidental president — the only leader of this nation neither elected vice president nor president. But those same historians agree — he was exactly what this nation needed at the time.”

Gibson, Dean Reynolds, Cokie Roberts, and George Will contributed reports and analysis. The broadcast closed with an excerpt of Ford’s historic first address as president to Congress.

The NBC Nightly News also prepared a special broadcast to remember Ford. “Brian Williams‘ opener ran 14 minutes without a commercial interruption,” an e-mailer notes. And after the first commercial, Williams featured one of his interviews with Ford. The final segment was about David Hume Kennerly‘s “portraits of a president.”