WHEN THE NEWS WENT LIVE: Dallas 1963

Before November 22, 1963, people depended on the morning or afternoon newspaper for their news. But once Kennedy was shot, America turned to television for up-to-the-minute reports—most of which were supplied that fatal weekend by Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix and Wise of Dallas's KRLD, a CBS affiliate. As Huffaker explains, back then a TV reporter had to be able to do everything, from getting the scoop at the scene to writing the piece and reading it on the air. Mercer describes the huge sound cameras they'd lug, with film that they'd have to process and edit in time for the next newscast. As each of the authors gives his account of the segment of the Kennedy assassination he was most involved with—the race to get the injured president to the hospital, Oswald's flight and capture, Ruby's shooting of Oswald and Ruby's trial—he opens a window into that earlier era of broadcast history. In the conclusion, the contributors make comparisons to today's "embedded" reporters. One big difference emerges: in 1963, the KRLD crew had a whole nation awaiting their latest report. The integrity and dedication of these four veteran journalists is impressive, as is their ability to make a 40-year-old event come alive again. 43 b&w photos. (Oct.)