can. "On Nov. 22, 1963, I was place that would give London that preparing a radio broadcast." "very Far Eastern look." This Ryan said. "In addition to time it was Thailand and the tiny working for WNBC, I did several resort island of Phuket. broadcasts for NBC radio each "We selected all the sight! afternoon. The first bulletin from there, then went back to Sydney Dallas came over the wires. to start shooting the interiors,' Somebody yelled for a London says. "About three week: correspondent. I threw my radio in, the Thai government got wort. copy down onto a desk and ran Bob down the hallway into the flash THE OTHER FAMOUS reporters (emergency) TV studio. I was the who appeared on the air that Nov. first person on camera. Then Chet Greene 22 have become a part of and Frank joined me." broadcast journalism history.' As Ryan recalls it, breaking CBS' Walter Cronkite, of course. into the full network was not as is sort of a one-man Mount easy in 1963 as it is today. "I think Rushmore, the standard against they had to plug us in to different whom everyone else is measured. sections of the country as soon as Chet Huntley is dead. Frank they could technically do it," he McGee is dead. David Brinkley is said. . well. David Brinkley is David True heroics Brinkley. For several generations EVEN NOW, HE 15 unable to of Americans, those broadcasters recall what was going on Inside are as familiar as family him for those hours as the whole on that dark members. nation tuned into the networks— those hours when TV news came of age. "I've gone over it so many day in '63 times in. my head," Ryan said. "I've tried to come up with some HIS IS GREAT — finding human or emotional reaction. I something out that is try to dig up the memories, and T completely unexpected. they're not there. I was mainly You may recall that several conscious of the fact that I was weeks ago 1 mentioned an having to work with not much upcoming television program on more than AP and UPI copy - the A&E Cable Network. The they were handing it to me in program —"JFK Assassination: takes. You know, 'first lede, third As It Happened" — will be add,' stuff like that. I remember broadcast on the cable network seeing the wire copy and trying to on Nov. 22, the 25th anniversary figure out, 'Did I say this before? of the killing of John F. Kennedy. Do I give this information again?' The program consists of a And of course I remember ' videotape pf NBC News' live thinking that I absolutely could coverage that day. The program not say the president was dead will go on the air at exactly 1:56 And Bill Ryan? The man whd' may have done the best job of until I was 100 percent sure." p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 22 - the precise moment NBC anyone that day? Ryan has one vivid memory of interrupted programming in 1963. "I'm here and I'm working and that incredible day in 1963. After I like it," Ryan said the other . In the first column, 1 going off the air at the end of the mentioned that people probably morning. night, he was walking alone down think they remember the NBC Ryan — now 62 years old — is a the hallway when a top NBC coverage that day to have been senior producer-reporter for executive stopped him and said, anchored by the then-popular WNPB-TV in Morgantown, W.Va. "Nice job." team of Chet Huntley and David WNPB is a public television "I just said, 'Oh, shut the - Brinkley. In fact, Huntley station serving a number of West up,' " Ryan said. "I put my head appeared at the beginning of' the Virginia counties. Twenty-five against the wall and I fell apart. coverage, but was called off the years later, Bill Ryan is on public just stood there sobbing for five air soon after. He appeared TV in West Virginia and says he's or 10 minutes." befuddled and out of his element, happy to be doing the best job he Ryan has never seen a as if he could not deal with the videotape of his coverage that breaking story. day. "NBC never sent me a copy," The day's NBC coverage — and he said. "I have nine children and you will see this if you watch the 10 grandchildren, and I'd like A&E cable presentation — was them to see what 1 did. But I've anchored by Frank McGee and never seen it myself." Bill Ryan. McGee was one of I said that I had — I got a copy NBC's most prominent and of the tape from A&E cable, and I respected correspondents. Bill have watched it a number of Ryan, though. I had never heard times. of. He was magnificent — he did I told Ryan that when his as steady and professional a job of children and grandchildren see anchoring that coverage as any the coverage played back on Nov. network executive could ever 22, they will be very proud hope for. The A&E producers, at indeed.