MakikiBoy Bob Sevey on local coverage of 11/22/63 Mon Oct 22 07:27:28 2001 In the pre-satellite days of 1963, Honolulu's television stations were on big-time tape delay. Early evening network newscasts were taped (on 2-inch quad) in Los Angeles or San Francisco and rushed by motorcycle messenger to the airport to catch Hawaii-bound flights that arrived in the islands around 10 p.m. If the planes were on time, the top stories would be shoe-horned into the local ten o'clock newscasts; if not, too bad. The full network news broadcasts were aired later that night or early the next morning. Prime time shows also traveled by air and were shown on a week's delay. Fringe and daytime programming sailed on Matson freighters and were generally seen a month later than on the mainland. It didn't make all that much difference except during the holiday season when the delays were glaringly obvious. It was about 8 A.M. (HST) on November 22, 1963, when the first radio bulletin from Dallas was heard in Hawaii. At KHVH-TV, the ABC affiliate, we interrupted regular programming with voice-over updates based on wire service and radio reports. At 9:15 A.M. we learned that President Kennedy was dead. My memory of the next few hours is blurred. I know that I went on-camera with a handful of wire copy and a transistor radio plugged into one ear and stayed there for what seemed like forever. For the next eight hours or so, we did the best we could with what we had -- wire copy, radio audio, slides and photos, local reaction live and on film, and long intervals of still photos of JFK accompanied by somber music. The photos and music replaced regular programming for the next 72 hours. In the meantime, we were on the phone with the network and the airlines trying to expedite shipments of an enormous volume of news videotape. The network folks were busy with their own problems and had no time to edit tailored coverage for Honolulu, so they sent everything, hour after hour of live coverage, much of which was of little relevance by the time we got it. It all had to be edited and presented in context with the "new" news that was coming in on the wires. All of this by a news staff of about 20 people who were also responsible for keeping an all-news radio station on top of the story. On day 2 (11/23/63) we did what made sense under the circumstances: we called our competitors at KGMB (CBS) and KHON (NBC) and suggested a cooperative effort. We all agreed to pool our staffs and our tapes, to put together the best video from the three networks and simulcast it, along with current developments, at specific times on all three stations, although the stations were free to do unilateral updates at any time. The news simulcasts originated at one station and involved the anchors from the three stations along with guests from various fields -- politics, business, labor, education, etc. -- the network tapes and film packages from the local reporting staffs. Our competitive energy was redirected toward solving the common problems of logistics and the time difference. There were no commercial considerations since all commercials were on hiatus. Viewer reaction was overwhelmingly positive. If memory serves, we did the simulcasts for the two hectic weekend days that followed the assassination. By Monday the 26th we had all worked out programming plans with our networks and went back to normal, unilateral news broadcasting. Looking back at it, I think the public interest, in a time of public shock and grief, was well served. And that's the way it was, or at least the way I remember it. Aloha, Bob Sevey Carlson Mun Pearls before swine Thu Oct 25 00:27:53 2001 A gem of a post, shows the potential of this forum. If only we could raise the average posting to a 10th of what you have done. Thank You. Erika Engle Thank you for posting this! Mon Oct 22 23:16:43 2001 I hate to sound like a groupie, but Sevey's always been among my heroes and the post illustrates the "why." ... what a great post! Scott Kaalele Bob Sevey Wed Oct 24 22:29:32 2001 I agree....growing up in Hawaii Bob Sevey was one of the hardcore news guys I watched and read. There are never enough honest, hardcore newspeople and we have one. Cool Bob. Survivor Sevey and the KGMB crew... Thu Oct 25 11:11:31 2001 Were far and away the best news team in Hawaii for a very long time. Sevey,Bob Jones,Tim Tindall, Joe Moore,when he actually went in the field and reported!!!Ken Kobashikawa(sp?) went on the network news. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting-got CRS disease these daze-Can't remember S---! I did enjoy Jacquie Scott on KHVH TV as Ch 4 was called in the 70's.Nowadays,local tv news is depressing!!Too many readers. Dan Cooke is a nice guy,but he carries no weight.Joe is an embarassment-another fine example of someone who couldn't make it on the mainland.And what's with those stupid sound effects on KHNL news? And the sports reporters!!!!!I don't watch any of 'em.Rip and read,basically. Well,pay low wages(not compared to radio,tho) and get beginners. At least for the field reporters. The anchors make decent bucks for being able to read.Depressing MakikiBoy : Old KGMB crew Thu Oct 25 17:36:32 2001 Hard to believe Sevey has been retired for 15 years, last time I saw him on air was when he appeared on Bob Jones final KGMB newscast from 1994 from his Olympia, WA home. Bob Jones took me out to lunch a couple months ago after I sent him a tape of him doing the news for NBC in Vietnam from 1969 for the Huntley-Brinkley Report. Nice guy and had a good chat with him. If anyone has old newscasts with Sevey, Jones, Moore, Tindall, etc. from back in the 1970's or early 80's please drop me a line as I would greatly appreciate it. I have a ton of news material and other subjects I could offer you in exchange for a copy or if I could borrow a copy. Last I heard Tindall was working somewhere in California, I'm not sure if he is still with E-News Hawaii, the online Hawaii news information service.\ MakikiBoy TV News TV News Today Sun Oct 28 18:35:50 2001 The old saying 'right place at the right time' really applies both to Sevey & Company during their heyday and even to Joe a decade ago. Today with cable being such a huge influence, and the corporate ownership of local media, it only makes sense that the 'golden days' would be over. I still think once Joe retires, the entire era of a dominant station in Honolulu will come to an end. The trends are already well in place. I also think Honolulu isn't big enough for 4 'full-service' TV stations doing local news. Ultimately, unless the KHON-KGMB formal merger happens, someone will have to get out or develop a really different strategy. .