WBAP MORNING EDITION: ABC NEWS, NOVEMBER 22, 1963

President Kennedy leaves the Hotel Texas for a scheduled outdoor speech before a large crowd gathered outside the hotel’s parking lot in Ft. Worth. Escorting the President is Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough, Texas Representative Jim Wright, Governor John Connally, Vice President Lyndon Johnson, Secret Service agent Rufus Youngblood, and Assistant Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff. *(Photo: William Allen)*

Friday, November 22. 8:30 A.M., outside the Hotel Texas in Ft. Worth. President Kennedy handshakes with a receptive crowd after his speech at the hotel’s parking lot before addressing the Forth Worth Chamber of Commerce. The President’s breakfast address was scheduled for sometime after 9:00 a.m., inside the hotel’s Grand Ballroom.

President Kennedy is presented with a Washer Bros. Stetson Road Hat “*for some protection against the rain*” by Raymond Buck, president of the Ft. Worth Chamber of Commerce, before addressing a crowd of 2,000 guests gathered for breakfast in the Grand Ballroom at the Hotel Texas. (Photo: Ft. Worth-Star Telegram)

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The Dallas Morning News. Early-Friday, November 22, 1963

The morning of November 22 began as auspiciously as any day during President Kennedy’s first term in office. In Texas, having arrived on Thursday, November 21, for two pre-scheduled stops in San Antonio and in Houston, the Presidential entourage flies to Ft. Worth late that evening. At 11:50 p.m. C.S.T. President Kennedy and the First Lady was booked into Suite 850 at Hotel Texas for the night, in downtown Ft. Worth.

For Friday morning, the White House itinerary calls for two public speeches to be given by the President. One outside the hotel’s parking lot, and the second speech will be given at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast event inside the hotel’s Grand Ballroom. Thereafter, Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy will take a short 13 minute flight from Carswell AFB to Lovefield in Dallas for a scheduled motorcade through the city, before an afternoon luncheon and a major speech Mr. Kennedy will give at the Trade Mart. President Kennedy and his party will then fly to Austin for a late-evening Democratic fundraising dinner event at the ranch of Vice-President Lyndon Johnson.

The marque at Hotel Texas welcomes President Kennedy’s arrival there in Ft. Worth. November 21, 1963

Meanwhile, in the day’s national news, the “Soviet staff” abruptly was ousted in the Congo. Debris from a crashed U2 plane was found in the Gulf north of Havana. South Africa rejects UN compliance to end racial bias. Bobby Kennedy stated he will not direct the Presidential campaign in 1964. Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz” is dead. While in Dallas, Richard Nixon tells the press JFK “will drop LBJ” from vice presidential contention in 1964. In Viet Nam news, the Detroit Free Press reports (United Press International) the Kennedy administration, under Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara — ‘Confirmed: 1,300 Viet GIs To Leave Within 2 Months’.

The Detroit Free Press. Early-Friday, November 22, 1963

In Detroit, in local news. Due to the 1963 auto boom, Lansing reports the state’s jobless rate dips to 3.9 percent, a 7-year low. An investigation of Teamsters union pension funds revealed 20 million dollars was appropriated for Vegas “gambling enterprises.” Another headline reads, “Hoffa Unaware of ‘Fix’ Try.” In money markets, the ‘Detroit Stock Exchange’ volume in trading reports a significant October markup. In sports, the Detroit Red Wings are 6-8 in NHL standings. In the theater district downtown, the Fox theater marquee reads, now showing, “The Man With The X-Ray Eyes.” At the Olympia, through Sunday, tickets were available for the ‘Ice Follies of 1964’. The Tigers trade Rocky Colavito to Kansas City. For Saturday collegiate football, it will be Michigan State versus Illinois. Also reported in the morning Free Press, Detroiters read, “JFK Walks Into Texas Party Fight”. And the day’s newspaper retail ads reminds Detroiters — 33 shopping days left until Christmas.

For SE Michigan and the Detroit metro area, the day’s weather forecast calls for above average ‘mild’ temperatures. Friday’s highs, 60s. Evening lows, 40s.

In Ft. Worth and in Dallas, the biggest story of the day is President Kennedy’s 2-day whirlwind trip to Texas. At 7:00 a.m. C.S.T., Ft. Worth ABC News affiliate WBAP 570 news anchor Norwood McClendon reports the day’s morning news with ‘Morning Edition.’ And from New York, it is ‘News Around The World’ with ABC News anchor, Don Gardiner. The same ‘News Around The World’ segment you will hear in this presentation aired 8:15 a.m. [E.S.T.] that Friday morning at ABC affiliate WXYZ Radio 1270 in Detroit.

This was the news. On this day, sixty years ago. It is early Friday morning, November 22, 1963. — Jim Feliciano

Audio was digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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Dallas. 12:20 p.m. The presidential motorcade on Main Street west heading towards Houston and Elm, then it’s on to the Stemmons Fwy. for a state Democratic luncheon at the Dallas Trade Mart, scheduled for the 1:00 p.m. hour.

If viewing on your mobile device, tap over the images. Open to second window. “Stretch” images across your device screen to magnify detailed print and view. On your PC, click on images 2x for largest detailed view.

The selected audio file in this featured presentation was obtained by the author and selections were culled and were combined from 20 hours of actual WBAP radio programming the station aired (and recorded) during that tragic weekend, November 1963.

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All photographs selected herein for this feature presentation was found to be in the public domain. All photos were captioned by the author. The selected photos displayed in this presentation are used as historical references and are used for educational purposes only.

The photographs (including the newspaper images) was digitally re-imaged, re-framed by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

Jubilant, receptive crowds line the streets to greet President Kennedy and the First Lady as they traveled through Dallas. Main St. near N. Ervay. The time is 12:25 p.m., Friday, November 22. *(Photo: Bob Jackson, Dallas Morning News)*

ABC SPECIAL REPORT: DEATH OF MALCOLM X. 2/21/65

ABC RADIO PRESENTS: ‘MALCOLM X. MISFIT OR MESSIAH?’

(As aired on ABC affiliate WXYZ 1270, Detroit, Sunday night, February 21, 1965)

THE KILLING OF MALCOLM X

—FEBRUARY 21, 1965—

On Sunday, February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was preparing to address the OAAU in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom when someone in the 400-person audience yelled, “Get your hand outta my pocket!” As Malcolm X and his bodyguards tried to quell the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot him once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun and two other men charged the stage firing semi-automatic handguns. MalcolmX was pronounced dead at 3:30pm, shortly after arriving at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. The autopsy identified 21 gunshot wounds to the chest, left shoulder, arms and legs, including ten buckshot wounds from the initial shotgun blast.

One gunman, Nation of Islam member Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan), was beaten by the crowd before police arrived. Witnesses identified the other gunmen as Nation members Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson. All three were convicted of murder in March 1966 and sentenced to life in prison. At trial Hayer confessed, but refused to identify the other assailants except to assert that they were not Butler and Johnson. In 1977 and 1978, he signed affidavits reasserting Butler’s and Johnson’s innocence, naming four other Nation members of Newark’s Mosque No. 25 as participants in the murder or its planning. These affidavits did not result in the case being reopened.

(In 2020, the Netflix docuseries Who Killed Malcolm X? explored the assassination, which launched a new review of the murder by the office of the Manhattan District Attorney. The series is currently streaming on the network.)

Malcolm X 1963 (click on image 2x for larger view)

Butler, today known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, was paroled in 1985 and became the head of the Nation’s Harlem mosque in 1998; he maintains his innocence. In prison Johnson, who changed his name to Khalil Islam, rejected the Nation’s teachings and converted to Sunni Islam. Released in 1987, he maintained his innocence until his death in August 2009. Hayer, who also rejected the Nation’s teachings while in prison and converted to Sunni Islam, is known today as Mujahid Halim.He was paroled in 2010.

The public viewing, February23–26 at Unity Funeral Home in Harlem, was attended by some 14,000 to 30,000 mourners. For the funeral on February27, loudspeakers were set up for the overflow crowd outside Harlem’s thousand-seat Faith Temple of the Church of God in Christ,and a local television station carried the service live.

Among the civil rights leaders attending were John Lewis, Bayard Rustin, James Forman, James Farmer, Jesse Gray, and Andrew Young.Actor and activist Ossie Davis delivered the eulogy, describing MalcolmX as “our shining black prince. . . who didn’t hesitate to die because he loved us so” . . .

Malcolm X was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Friends took up the gravediggers’ shovels to complete the burial themselves.

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(Source: Malcolm X; Wikipedia)

THE ABC RADIO NETWORK. 55 YEARS AGO TODAY

**Detroit Free Press** Monday, February 22, 1965

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The above featured Detroit Free Press article was ‘clipped,’ saved, and was digitally imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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—ACKNOWLEDGEMENT—

The above presented ABC Radio recording is courtesy of (the outstanding) pastdaily.com website and its site’s curator, Gorden Skene.

(please see Past Daily link in this site’s blogroll).

ABC-WXYZ RADIO PRESS PHOTO: THE BREAKFAST CLUB

**ABC RADIO WXYZ 1270** The Breakfast Club (Press Photo) **1955**

ABC RADIO The Breakfast Club WXYZ 1270

Fran Allison, Don McNeill, Dick Noel, Betty Johnson and the show’s humorous Sam Cowling. The Breakfast Club was a long-run morning variety show on NBC Blue Network/ABC radio (and briefly on television) originating in Chicago, Illinois.

Hosted by Don McNeill (right), the radio program ran from June 23, 1933 through December 27, 1968.

McNeil’s 35½-year run as host remains the longest tenure for an M.C. of a network entertainment program, surpassing Johnny Carson (29½ years) on The Tonight Show and Bob Barker (34? years) on The Price is Right.

ABC RADIO: ‘NEWS AROUND THE WORLD,’ 07/29/1967

ABC RADIO NEWS * WXYZ (ABC affiliate) * SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1967

‘ABC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD’

Saturday, July 29, 1967

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It’s the top of the hour with ‘NEWS AROUND THE WORLD’ from ABC NEWS in New York. Opening with the hour’s top story is a report from ABC correspondent Don North, on the devastating fire which sparked explosions on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal, minutes before the carrier was to launch an air strike over North Vietnam. An undetermined loss of life had been reported. Twenty-nine planes were heavily damaged or destroyed in the blaze.

In this segment you will hear ABC NEWS reports from Saigon, Washington, and Miami Beach.

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ABC News anchored by Jim Harriott, New York. ‘News Around The World’ was broadcast on ABC radio affiliate WXYZ 1270 in Detroit.

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Audio source from the Gordon Skene Collection.

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For more historic audio references like the audio above, visit Gordon Skene’s fabulous website at http://pastdaily.com/ You can also find the Past Daily link in our blogroll on Motor City Radio Flashbacks.