Ian Hillson
JFK was shot on 22nd November in 1963 – or "shot dead" as some young, inexperienced journos like to say (erroneously).
As a teenager, I was watching the Granada regional programme when they broke the news around a quarter to seven on that evening. I have found a couple of items that throw light on the reporting:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/jfk-how-manchester-first-break-6331085
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/how-the-kennedy-assassination-caught-the-bbc-on-the-hop-78973.html
On BBC Television, “Points of View” was scheduled for 19:00 and “Tonight” at 19:05 says Genome:
http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1963-11-22
Dave Mundy
… I was in Riverside canteen having a tea break!
Peter Cook
I was alone in the Gallery of D or E at Lime Grove where I believe I was working on “Panorama” or some such current affairs programme. I was making a sneaky telephone call home when I saw an announcement or news flash on one of the gallery monitors. Grasping the significance of the news I ended the call and legged it to the canteen to spread the word.
Pat Heigham
Yes, I remember the news of Kennedy’s death.
I was supping a beer in the New Inn at Sutton with Buster Cole, when the landlord came in with the news.
Alasdair Lawrance
I was buying cigarettes (remember those?) with my older sister in a corner shop at the junction of Albert Place and Whitehall Place in Aberdeen.
In those long gone days, the Beeb paid for 6 visits home for new recruits in their first year.
Being north of Edinburgh/Glasgow, I was given air tickets, so as to make best use of leave. This would’ve been the first such visit, and what an impression it made on family and school "friends"…
It was also the first time I’d flown, (Viscount, probably), checking in at Gloucester Road, now a supermarket, I think, and being driven to Heathrow in a BEA Routemaster with a trailer full of luggage on the back!
Peter Cook
I had a similar deal in 1963 but to Glasgow (Renfrew). I too remember the West London Air Terminal. BEA were flying Vanguards on that route and boy did they shudder and shake! I also remember the scramble to get on the plane, as it was in the days before seat allocation. Sadly one couldn’t fly from Evesham so had to take the train. (Although I did hitch hike once).
Dave Plowman
I do remember working on TW3 when they pulled the entire show during rehearsals and wrote new for TX. I can still see in my mind’s eye Millicent Martin singing her tribute to JFC.
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Dave Buckley
I was based at AP from September 1963, and was off duty on 22nd November.
I had arranged to take a couple of friends to AP to show them around and just as I was leaving the house, the news came in about Kennedy being shot. When I collected my friends, I asked if they had heard the news – no they hadn’t, so I filled them in with what I knew.
At AP, there seemed to be a lot of confusion as no-one knew what had actually happened. As has been commented on before, news coverage wasn’t 24 hours, and getting news stories from anywhere in the world wasn’t as easy as it is today. In fact, I’ve read somewhere that even CBS’s newsroom cameras weren’t powered up at the time the news came in so there was a delay in getting a report on the air. After that, it was decreed that newsroom equipment should be left permanently on.
Even at AP, I don’t think they were able to comprehend what had happened and, as the place wasn’t run 24 hours, some areas had closed down – the canteen for example (the BBC Club was open though!). I remember passing one of the editorial staff talking to the canteen manager, who looked somewhat harassed as I think she was being told to get the canteen open again and all the staff had gone home!
My friends and I watched the 9pm go out sitting in AP reception.
Geoff Fletcher
I had only been with the BBC for a month, having joined on October 21 that year. I was with Crew 4 in TC 5 doing “Signpost” followed by auditions in the afternoon.
I did some Vinten tracking and camera work practice under the guidance of Mike Harrison. I remember the news filtering down and an odd feeling of disbelief. I also remember Millie singing her tribute song on TW3 – very moving I thought at the time.
I took the attached photo of JFK on our home TV the previous July on what I think was the first transatlantic live broadcast via Telstar.
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Janis Goldring
I had just come home from college and saw the news and burst into tears – my mother couldn’t understand why I was so upset – she said “But you didn’t even know him!” She couldn’t understand how the younger generation though he was like a beacon of light shining in the world and that the light had just been snuffed out.
Mike Minchin
The day of Kennedy’s death (which was a Friday) I was on Camera 4, in G, about to go on air with "Tonight". The start of transmission (scheduled 19:05) was delayed because Pres had to insert "A News Bulletin". Those of us on cans heard that Kennedy had been shot, but his condition was uncertain. I’m not sure whether Cliff Michelmore and the other presenters were told. We then went into our programme – which, as it happens, was fairly sombre throughout. At maybe 15 minutes in, we were told to hand over to News, and that was the bulletin that Kennedy had actually died. No vision or sound of this was fed to the floor, but the presenters got some idea of the seriousness of the story, and we shared our cans with them – Derek Hart shared mine.
Our production team told the Presentation Editor (I’ll not say who, but it is fairly well known) that we could continue, in an appropriate mood. He had to make a decision on his own, as all the top brass were at an Awards Ceremony at The Dorchester (see BBC genome) – they were observed to dash from the room as the news broke. He decided that we would not continue, and put out a caption (BBC Globe) with solemn music. Then, when our slot finished (19:45) he put out the scheduled programme : “Here’s Harry” (Harry Worth) – not very appropriate.
In the mean-time, instead of derigging, we were turning the studio round for a neutral "current affairs" set (probably after we menials had had some supper) while the production team drummed up an Obituary, using "stock footage" for illustration purposes and live contributions from Politicians. I think we transmitted at around 23:00. The brilliant TW3 obituary programme was transmitted live in their usual slot the next day.
Roger Bunce
More importantly, of course, the first ever “Doctor Who” was broadcast the following day!
I was still at school, in the sixth form. My memory is very clear. I was at home, on the phone to my school friend Keith, talking about an 8mm movie we were making at the time. Then my Dad appeared from the living room to announce that the TV had just shut down, because Kennedy had been shot.
30-ish years later, I regained contact with my old school chum Keith, and reminded him of the occasion. No No! he insisted – He had been in the cinema, when the film had been stopped, and the manager had come out to announce the shooting.
No No! insisted a third old school chum – Keith and I had been at his house, when we heard the news!
So – It seems that Frederick Forsyth was right. We all remember where we were when Kennedy was shot – but we don’t necessarily remember it correctly!
Graeme Wall
I was in Nairobi: we’d only arrived in the country four days before and had moved into our house the day before. We didn’t have a TV or radio at the time so I didn’t hear until my father got back from work.
Alec Bray
I was at home – a non-work day. I watched the BBC Globe and listened to the solemn music.
