ABC News January 1968

Now this a good treat right here. I believe this a full broadcast of the ABC Evening News from January 1968. ABC Went through a lot of changes in 1968, the year started with Bob Young as the anchorman, he took over for Peter Jennings in late 1967 after the failed experiment. But he was unaffected and boring, and Young served through to at least May or June, then Frank Reynolds took over for his first stint, which lasted until December 1970. Young covered the assassination of MLK and Reynolds took over for the assassination of RFK and the election, but did not anchor the election night coverage, that was Howard K. Smith's job.
The main story of this is about disgareemnts between the US and North Korea, and how President Johnson responds to it. There are some other stories, a commentary, and even an ad included as well!
I hope you all enjoy!

[@Delatta1961]

I love watching these old news shows. I comfortable place to remember when the news could be trusted without question. If possible, please keep more coming

[@jchow5966]

Thank you for this historic blast from the past. I was a lil kid but i remember some of this. It is fascinating to see this as an adult. Thank you and please post more.

[@ernestconnell8087]

Two days before my second birthday. Leading off with Frank Reynolds from East Chicago, Indiana, where I grew up as a kid.

[@shawnmalone9711]

This was the way news used to be presented in this country. It was objective , informative and free of spin. There wasn't any celebrity news stories about trivial events. Our country has really been " dumbed" down.

[@nedwart]

You're a fool if you think there wasn't "spin" back then

[@mitchweiner]

When I was a kid I always loved watching Frank Reynolds and Max Robinson.

[@jchow5966]

Me too!!

[@kevinfitzmaurice4072]

Contrary to the description above, I did not find Mr. Young boring, but refreshingly sober and straightforward. He did not come across as being enamored by the showbiz side of the business.

[@allenwiedl5419]

Let me think I was just 9 days short of my 6th birthday when this was broadcast. Oh man do I feel young just watching.

[@dougfinlay7528]

Bob Young, who anchored the ABC news for a short time in 1968, has been largely forgotten within the long list of anchors.

[@PopleBackyardFarm]

it is interesting to see these old newsreels.

[@fromthesidelines]

It only LOOKS like an "old newsreel". This is a black and white kinescope film of the original color videotape of that day's "ABC EVENING NEWS" {the tape no longer exists}.

[@itrthho]

In 1969, Charles Evers was elected mayor of Fayette, Mississippi, the first African-American mayor in his state since Reconstruction. Evers served many terms as mayor of Fayette. Admired by some, he alienated others with his inflexible stands on various issues. The political rival who finally defeated Evers in a mayoral election, Kenneth Middleton, used the slogan: "We've seen what Fayette can do for one man. Now let's see what one man can do for Fayette."

[@ericsamuelson5656]

Bob Young replaced 29 year old Peter Jennings in Nov 1967. After Peter was demoted, he became an ABC News foreign reporter. For one week in 1971, Peter Jennings subbed for Roger Grimsby co-anchor WABC Eyewitness News with Bill Beutel.

[@JHollowayNetwork]

In contrast to the stability of the other networks (Walter Cronkite (CBS), Chet Huntley and David Brinkley (NBC)), ABC underwent a number anchor changes (from Ron Cochran, to Peter Jennings (1965-67), then Bob Young (this one) and later Frank Reynolds (paired alongside the older Howard K. Smith) etc...).

[@raelraven2]

Piers Anderton--the reporter who comes in around 4:18--is one of the reporters who gave an eye witness account of the RFK shooting in June of 1968. He was particularly calm and collected in describing the shooting to viewers.

[@mikewrasman5103]

When there were space programs (many, many times), we ALWAYS watched ABC News. My dad said that Jules Bergman knew more about the space programs in his pinkie finger than those other guys on CBS and NBC covering the space program combined.

[@wmbrown6]

Later in 1968, Young joined WCBS-TV (Channel 2) in New York to anchor their 11 P.M. newscast, replacing Tom Dunn; Young remained there until about January 1971.

[@johnnysama]

ABC News' quality wasn't on par with the other two more established networks at this time. This is a great piece of history, and a window into what would become one of the most tumultuous years in history.

[@megateriollamas183]

Thank you!

[@mikewrasman5103]

Wow! Two segments of commentary in a 15 minute newscast (by Bill Downs and Howard K. Smith)!

[@fromthesidelines]

Originally telecast in color (only a black and white kinescope copy exists).

[@jchow5966]

Lyndon Johnson was a fascinating President/historical figure. It had to be rspecially difficult for him to be president at a difficult time. I was a kid then and remember everyone blaming him for everything.

[@warlaker]

So this was what the news was like around the time I was being conceived....

[@thomaschristopher8593]

+warlaker yeah, nothing about safe spaces and micro aggressions.

[@epaddon]

I hadn't realized Anderton had worked for ABC since he was with NBC in the early 60s, and was with NBC again in 1968 at the time of the RFK shooting (he had a camera crew inside the kitchen just seconds after RFK was shot)

[@BuddyNovinski]

Little did anyone know what would happen five days later -- Tet! What the broadcasters did not get is that public opinion overwhelmingly had been spectators. After Tet, one fifth turned against the war, but no one knew it until 12 March.

[@hoss73ford]

I had just turned 13 at the time and kept up with current events. I believed at the time the USS Pueblo incident would probably lead to war with North Korea. 1968 was not a good year for the USA.

[@TheJMascis666]

The reason it didn't was because LBJ resisted some of the more hotheaded suggestions from certain Congressmen and Senators.

[@ronisgoated8309]

it is nice to hear what the news was like while i was there in korea pusan in 1968 as a spec 4 us army

[@Zoomer30]

About a year before Apollo 8.

[@FurbyGender]

Are any of these anchors still living? I enjoy watching old news stories even though I'm only in my 30's. In 30-40 years people will be watching our news on some media site and laughing at how old our technology was.

[@efan2011]

COC Leader Bob Young, the lead anchor here died about a year before I uploaded this. He only lasted 5 months as the lead anchor but covered MLK's shooting and LBJ's refusal to run for another term. He took over for Peter Jennings who resigned because he wasn't doing well. Young got re-assigned to the ABC station in NYC but left for the CBS station in NYC but didn't last long. He later worked in radio before falling and injuring his head which almost killed him. He never did news again after that. Very sad. Frank Reynolds (then White house correspondent,) followed Young as the lead anchor, he lasted 2 years before Harry Reasoner came in and knocked him to the lead Washington Correspondent. He was McGovern's ABC reporter during the 72 election and eventually got the lead role back when Reasoner left in July 1978 when he refused to do a new contract. Reynolds took back over and lead ABC to the promised land before he died in 1983 of bone cancer. Peter Jennings got his job and took the newscast to even bigger heights. Howard K Smith was at ABC from 1962-79 he quit because ABC cut his editorials out and he didn't like the way it was going. He later freelanced for a bit and moderated the 1980 Presidential Debate before retiring. He died in February 2002 from Pneumonia. As for the others maybe...

[@FurbyGender]

efan2011​ Oh wow! You have so much more information than I thought anyone would have. So all of their careers except Peter Jennings pretty much ended by quitting? Do you know if any of them ever returned to any news anchor jobs again? I wonder if those anchors were required to have some sort of qualifications or education like they do today?

[@efan2011]

COC Leader Haha I'm just a news junkie/nerd. Pretty much. Before 1978 and especially in the late 50's/60's ABC was considered a wasteland. You would have has been's (Howard Smith, John C Daily, John C. Swayze,) rookies with great potential (Reynolds, Jennings, and Koppel,) and never would be's. They weren't bad per se but they were cheap and under-appreciated. For instance until 1964 their election coverage was really cheap and primitive. They didn't get a computer to tabulate results until at least then as far as I know and CBS/NBC had them beat by at least a decade. Jennings was a failure for a good 10 year period. He was the trivia answer to "Who was that kid ABC put on the anchor desk?" It wasn't a bad move at all but he was cursed to challenge Huntley/Brinkley and Cronktie. Jennings quit around November/December 67 and in come Young. He tried but the tide was against him. Things started turning around when Young was replaced by Smith and Reynolds. They made a rather good pair and ratings went up a little but not enough to satisfy the network and they got Reasoner who was the heir apparant at CBS. He helped ABC tremendously but it wasn't until World News in 1978 when ABC News became a power. Only persons that came there and prospered were Smith, Reasoner (to a point,) Max Robinson (before he was fired,) and Baba Wawa. Then you have Koppel and Gibson who earned what success they got. As for the reporters I'll try but a majority of them were local anchors from the areas of the stories. NY, LA, Chi town contributed their own newscasts. ABC had national anchors for elections, wars, NASA stuff but It wasn't until late 68/69 when ABC grew their reporters solid. By 1972 it was a good mix. As for requirements a Bachelor in Communications probably wouldn't hurt. I came close to doing that but I'm heading in more of a history route. In the old days you just needed desire and English skills. Jennings actually dropped out in the 10th grade. Reminds me of an old quote I heard from someone on here who sat in on a lecture of his at a news school. He asked him what education he had Peter said: "I didn't go to school, I went out in the field and went to work."

[@hoss73ford]

+Mentholian Smoke Frank Reynolds died in 1985 at age 62 or 65 I believe. He worked almost til the end.

[@kevinfitzmaurice4072]

Piers Anderton died in 2004. A former print journalist, Anderson was a correspondent for NBC News before joining ABC. By the time Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968--a little more than four months after this ABC broadcast--Anderton had returned to NBC (specifically KNBC-TV, Los Angeles) and was on hand at the Kennedy celebration at the Ambassador Hotel in LA the night of the California primary when Kennedy was shot.

[@mt22201]

14:18 "The bombing will continue until the Communists stop shooting completely."

[@MAR1962]

This is one scary newscast.

[@jchow5966]

It was! And it was like that day after day year after year til the Vietnam war ended in 1o75. After that they did mot show as much in depth stuff about any war/military conflict we we in for different “reasons”.

[@warlaker]

218 names that would go up on the Vietnam Memorial Wall

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Was this originally in black and white? I know ABC was late to go color on a number of programs, but I would think the news was in color by 1968.

[@tomloft2000]

this is likely an archive copy which were generally in B/W.

[@sd31263]

It's a kinescope. Videotape was prohibitively expensive as an archival medium.

[@jchow5966]

I think ot was in color. We has a color tv then and the news was always in color.

[@thomaschristopher8593]

14:30 the body count - i think we are winning!

[@TruckerLerone]

North Korea? Lol, the more things change is the more they stay the same. Which Kim Jong was it behind this lol.

[@bill291212]

6 days later Nam went to shit

[@CaptchaNeon]

*Looks like this was filmed in the 1930s, terrible quality for 1968*

[@sd31263]

You're looking at a kinescope. The actual color broadcast didn't look like this.

[@thegreatnessoftheraiders4948]

14:51 wow us military personnel deserting to Sweden.

[@joshuakurc8437]

daljit Daliwal got started with BBC news.

[@efan2012]

ABC cutting Bob Young for Reynolds was the smartest thing they ever did.. Young was SO boring and bland as an anchor; even on the JFK coverage he was a bore. Hated what happened to him later in life but he shoulda stayed a commentator/reporter. They wanted Reynolds in the first place as he was the most talented and commanding option they had but he didn't want it; Howard K Smith talked him into it. Reynolds's first run started the tide turning of ABC News's fate. Ratings and quality went up; not super high on the former but it showed. They should left Reasoner at CBS but at the time it was a smart move. In hindsight Reynolds was always the answer for ABC; thankfully Peter was read to take back over when Frank died. 1968 started it all; ABC had great election coverage the year; imo the best from a coverage standpoint. Other 2 networks had more money but ABC was less boring and more interesting.

[@samcuthbert1266]

It sounds like the same shit tbh...