New Podcast, 'We Interrupt This Broadcast: Before It Was History, It Was News,' Debuts July 20, 2021
"Not only do people remember where they were when a momentous story broke, they remember who reported it to them, and who talked them through it.” - Brian Williams
NEW YORK (PRWEB) July 12, 2021
It is said that “breaking news” is the first draft of history. “We Interrupt This Broadcast: Before it was history, it was news” marks the first time the stories of these historical events are told exclusively by the broadcasters and TV journalists whose work created those drafts in real-time.
Created by Joe Garner, author of the eponymous New York Times Best-Selling Book, this 12-episode audio docuseries launching July 20, 2021, celebrates the crucial role broadcast journalism has played throughout our nation’s history.
Hosted by legendary broadcaster Bill Kurtis and narrated by NBC’s Brian Williams, each episode unfolds with the brisk pace and tone of a thriller while presenting an in-depth look into the reporting of, and reaction to, events that have since become benchmarks in history. The contributors are a “Who’s who” in broadcast journalism. Along with the thrilling broadcast news audio, exclusive, rare, and never-before-heard recordings are woven throughout each episode.
The docuseries, produced by i4 Media Ventures, LLC, will be presented over six seasons. Each season is comprised of 12 episodes, all published simultaneously: 10 episodes in each season are based on events that occurred in the broadcast era and two are based on seminal moments that occurred in early American history (such as the passing of the 19th Amendment) and dramatized as if reported by broadcast journalists. Each episode concludes with the journalists offering candid and critical analysis on how they and their fellow reporters covered the event.
“None of us lucky enough to have these anchor jobs got into the business for the perfectly average Tuesday in August,” notes Williams, who is an executive producer as well as narrator of the podcast. “While I have nothing against Tuesdays in August, we measure ourselves, our talent and ability, by how we work without a net. The rush to the studio and the need to describe and explain breaking news in real time. Calm becomes a critical commodity -- awareness of how the world works helps, and that includes a working knowledge of politics, history, aircraft, weapons, geography and about a dozen other subjects.”
“Not only do people remember where they were when a momentous story broke,” Williams added, “They remember who reported it to them, and who talked them through it.”
Kurtis, an acclaimed documentarian, 30-year veteran of CBS News, and host of the podcast, said, “I have spent a good deal of career reporting and analyzing these world-changing events and I am pleased to participate in this project, which amplifies and hones in on the very important work that broadcast journalists do to ensure the news is reported quickly, accurately, and fairly.”
Season One features the following landmark moments in American and world history:
- “Oh, the Humanity!” – the Hindenburg disaster (May 6, 1937)
- “…about to embark up on a great crusade” – D-Day Invasion (June 6, 1944)
- “In Dallas Texas, three shots were fired…” – JFK Assassination (November 22, 1963)
- “One Small Step…” – Apollo 11 Moon Landing (July 20, 1969)
- “The president was [not?] hit,” – President Reagan shot (March 30, 1981)
- “Can we all get along?” – L.A. Riots following the Rodney King verdict (April 29, 1992)
- “Princess Diana has died…” – The Death of Princess Di (August 31, 1997)
- “Shots fired at Columbine High School” – The tragedy at Columbine (April 20, 1999)
- “…Nobody knows for a fact who has won Florida” – The 2000 presidential election (November 8, 2000)
- “This has to be deliberate” – 9-11: America Under Attack (September 11, 2001)
- “Band of rebels on a killing spree” (dramatization) – The Nat Turner slave uprising of 1831 (August 21, 1831)
- “Tennessee House gives women the right to vote” – The passing of the 19th Amendment (June 4, 1919)
“We Interrupt This Broadcast” is available now for preview on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play and wherever listeners get their podcasts. You can find a trailer at this link.
We Interrupt This Broadcast is being represented for ad and sponsorship sales by New York and Los Angeles-based Crossover Media Group Sales (http://www.crossovermediagroup.com).
About Joe Garner
Dubbed “the Ken Burns of the written and recorded word” by talk legend Larry King, Joe Garner is a veteran radio industry executive, narrator, host and producer, as well as a multiple New York Times bestselling author. His seminal multimedia book, We Interrupt This Broadcast, innovatively pairing audio, photographs and text, has sold more than one million copies and has for two decades served as a go-to chronicle of America’s broadcast history. The “We Interrupt This Broadcast” docuseries podcast is the maiden project of i4 Media Ventures, LLC, co-founded in December 2020 by Garner, Ron Hartenbaum and Scott Calka.
