The LuLac Edition #2566, November 21st, 2013

JFK FIFTY YEARS ON

Iconic photo published in the Philadelphia Inquirer the Sunday after the death of Kennedy. This Photo hung in thousands of homes in LuLac land.

KENNEDY AND THE MEDIA

John F. Kennedy was the first television President. Kennedy was made for the cathode ray tube. Handsome, telegenic and quick on his feet, John Kennedy knew how to handle the media. He innately knew which camera to look at and had a very good sense that the best way to portray an image was to use this new medium that he knew was becoming the most important piece of media in the 60s.
Kennedy’s father bought RKO films in the thirties and schooled his young son on image. When Kennedy ran for his first office, U.S. Congress, he utilized his entire family to canvas the district. Radio was a friend but television was where Kennedy became the bride groom of that medium.
When Kennedy became a Senator, he was not terribly effective and pretty much did little to distinguish himself. But he made the rounds on the Sunday morning TV talk shows and got noticed. In 1956 Kennedy gave a concession speech at the Democratic convention when Adlai Stevenson opened up the nominating process to pick a Vice President.

When he did garner the 1960 Democratic nomination, TV devastated his main opponent Hubert Humphrey. And in the 1960 Presidential debate against Richard Nixon, his grace under pressure gave Americans permission afraid of his inexperience a reason to vote for him.
Once in the White House, the Kennedy press machine was relentless in promoting the agenda as well as the family. Kennedy held televised press conferences eat least twice a month and was good at them.

Even though Kennedy was perceived to be the darling of the media, he did ban certain newspapers from the White House if he thought they were unfair.
Every trip this President was taking was now more available because of the increase in technology for television. By the time Kennedy died, the television news media was on the cusp of covering daily news with much more immediacy than previous administrations.
The death of John Kennedy brought the Network TV news media into another sphere. The Kennedy assassination was the very first version of what we now consider “Breaking News”. These were now live reports that chronicled the tragedy of the trip, the churning events of those four days and the ultimate details of how a nation buries their President.
Not to be crass but the Kennedy death was made for TV. The last President to die in office was the frail Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. FDR passed away, Kennedy was violently murdered. First there was talk of a coup, then the collateral damage of Office Tippett and then finally on TV that Sunday, the very first televised murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. The most imaginative and provocative script writers in Hollywood could not tell a story like this.
John Kennedy used television as a way to achieve the peak of the highest office in the land. His demise was the catalyst that made that very medium come of age. My father who was born a few years before Kennedy was stunned that the events could be brought to him by television. Throughout the entire tragic weekend he said over and over , “Television is a wonderful thing”.
On a Sunday morning I sat with my Godfather in our TV room as others in the House went about their business. When Lee Harvey Oswald got shot we looked at each other. The silence was broken when he said “Holy Blazes Davey, did you see that?” I did. So did the rest of America.
John Kennedy, the President who was omnipresent in life on TV became immortal in death on the little screen too. Kennedy was frozen in time when he died, but the fledgling TV News Industry would never again move at a glacial pace again.

MEDIA MATTERS

NOVEMBER 22, 1963

When the assassination occurred, the media in Northeastern Pennsylvania went into high gear. Local newspapers stepped it up to get voluminous editions out on the street. TV stations gave way to the networks as all but essential local programming ceased.
Radio stations stopped programming. WILK aired church and religious programs while WBAX had an announcer recite the Rosary four times a day. The dominant station in our area at the time was WARM and one of the few surviving members of the Sensational 7, Tom Woods along with the late George Gilbert told the story on how WARM coped.

NOVEMBER 22nd, 2013.

Tomorrow morning on WILK Radio Webster and Nancy speak with guests who will share their thoughts on the 50th anniversary of John Kennedy’s death. Here is the schedule:
7:10 Former Scranton Mayor James McNulty.
7:35 Former 11th Congressional District Representative Paul Kanjorski.
7:50 Judge Tom Munley
8:10. Dr. Antoinette Glover, known as The Little Girl In Blue.Plus Karel Zubris speaks to people on the streets about the anniversary.

LULAC ON……..

WILK’s Sue Henry program in the 11 O’Clock hour. 
The Sports Hub with Joe Thomas and L.A. Tarone at 1:30PM on 102.3. 
WBRE TV’S PA Live Program in the 4 O’Clock Hour with  Dave Kuharchik and Brittany Sweeney. 
WYLN TV at 530PM with Anne Gownley.

ECTV

Live hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will welcome Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty to their program during the week of November 25th, Not long after taking office the city, under Mayor Doherty's direction, purchased a Christmas lighting display that was originally displayed at the Lackawanna County Stadium. Every since they have become a major holiday attraction at their new home in Nay Aug Park. The history, success and future of that free public display will be discussed on the show which can be seen on Comcast Ch19 throughout the week at Noon and Midnight.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Brian Hughes speaks with Dr. Joanne Buzaglo about cancer pain, and how to better communicate with your doctor.
This Week in Harrisburg examines the passage of a state transportation bill,
legislation by State Representative Karen Boback of Luzerne County calling for new testing for Pennsylvania newborns.
And an encore of Brian's interview with Jessica Engle from Home Instead Senior Care about their "Be a Santa to a Senior" program.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on NASH-FM 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:25am on Magic 93, and 7am on True Oldies 590, WARM.