In the Early Hours

nich -and ended shortly after announce- (BROADCASTING, Aug. 28), was not due ment that the hostages had been killed. to be affected by the reshuffled Olympics ABC hailed its coverage as "a unique line -up. cooperative journalistic effort" between The big ratings that Olympic coverage ABC newsmen and ABC sports commen- had been attracting in New York and tators. Sports commentator Jim McKay Los Angeles, the only areas for which was anchorman throughout. Within a few ratings were available last Thursday, hours after the attack, ABC reported, a were also present for Tuesday night's re- dozen of its sports employes managed to port on the violence. The 8 -10:30 period get through suddenly tightened German had a 26.8 rating and 45 share of total security and find vantage points from audience in the Nielsen overnights in which to feed reports to coordinating pro- New York, versus a 14.9 and 25 for CBS ducer Geoff Mason in the ABC control and a 5.1 and 9 for NBC. In Los An- room 500 yards from Olympic Village. geles, it was 28.7 and 45 for ABC as John Wilcox, an associate film producer, against 13.9 and 22 for CBS, 7.1 and 11 found place for himself and his hand- for NBC. held camera 50 feet from the building For nights when ABC was devoting all where the hostages were being held. He of its prime time to' the Olympics, the reported he could see the Israeli captives network said that from the start of its sitting on a couch, their hands tied be- games coverage on Aug. 25 through last hind their backs. Monday (Sept. 4) it had averaged a 26.0 ABC News correspondent Jennings, rating and 47 share of the total TV audi- 150 yards from the Wilcox vantage point, ence in New York and a 29.9 rating and had a view commanding the area where 49 share in Los Angeles. These figures, German negotiators moved back and according to ABC, translated to 59% of forth to meet with the Arabs and discuss the three -network audience in New York, their demands. He aired reports from the 61% in Los Angeles. Even CBS -TV's scene and also served as a relay station high-rated All in the Family fell three for his colleagues, taking their beeper- points short of the Olympics' 37 New phone reports and telephoning them to York share in their Sept. 2 confrontation. anchorman McKay. From another posi- tion Vince Colvig, a film equipment tech - nician, gained his first broadcast experi- ence with an on -air report of the de- Radio gets a beat parture of the three helicopters taking the Arabs and their captives out of the area. in the early hours Other figures in the ABC coverage in- cluded sports commentator Cosell, who ABC night -news service is first among other things found and interview- with reports on Munich events, ed a close friend of the first Israeli killed shortly after 3 a.m. NYT by the guerrillas; Bonn bureau chief Lou Cioffi; Jim Flood, manager of production Television had the dramatic pictures, but services, whose duty ended when security radio was first with word of the tragedy forces found him, hustled him away and in Munich. locked him in a nearby shoe company, Radio flashed the news of the guerrilla and Marvin Bader, ABC sports produc- attack shortly after 3 a.m. NYT last tion manager, whose job was to get fresh Tuesday through stations on the air at film to the cameramen inside, get lights that time. The others started to broad- to the right places after darkness set in cast news of the "Munich massacre" at and organize the runners dispatched peri- sign -on time and continued throughout odically to get video tapes back to ABC the day as networks, group -station op- headquarters. erations and audio services examined the For much of its coverage ABC used story from all angles, including on -the- a zoom camera mounted on a high bridge scene reports, interviews with dignitaries near the network broadcast center and in Washington and other world capitals focused on the rooms where the hostages and comments from the man- in -the- were being held. The German DOZ street. ABC News, which maintains an camera, perched on an 800- foot -high overnight service called News Watch, transmitting tower, also was used exten- notified its affiliates by closed circuit at sively by ABC as well as by CBS in its 3:17 a.m. that the attack had begun. At live originations. The DOZ camera sub- 3:55 a.m. ABC Radio News assignment sequently was taken over by police and editor Martin Bush, on the scene in Mu- used for surveillance as the deadline for nich, filed a voice -circuit report on de- meeting Arab demands approached. velopments. The 24 -hour suspension of the games Starting at 6 a.m., network coverage meant that ABC's Olympics coverage, began, including reports on the hour and originally scheduled to end last night special bulletins and feature material. (Sept. 10), would be extended one day - Among the ABC News correspondents into the first night of ABC -TV's new fall broadcasting from Munich were Jim Mc- season. But officials said the scheduled Kay, Peter Jennings, Martin Bush, Harry premiere of The Rookies at 8 tonight Curtis, Lou Cioffi and Keith Jackson. (Sept. 11) would go on as originally Periodic special reports were anchored planned; however, the movie that had by John Grimes. been set for 9 will be preempted for CBS Radio's network transmissions be- wrap -up Olympic coverage that will ex- gan at 6:30 a.m. as Dave Marash, a tend at least to 11, perhaps later. Zenith wCBS(AM) New York sports reporter Radio Corp.'s 90- minute special, Zenith covering the Olympics, supplied the flash Presents a Salute to Television's 25th bulletin. Mr. Marash provided additional Anniversary, set for last night at 9:30 CBS NEWS PHOTOS details on the network's hourly news pro- Broadcasting Sep 11 1972 23 .

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