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By: fuzzymemories

Description: This clip made possible by the donations from our generous group of "Fuzzketeers" during the Spring 2012 Tape Transfer Fundraiser.

Here's Part 2 of coverage of the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy as it was breaking, from Metromedia Television News, originating out of KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles (a future sister station to WFLD Channel 32) and aired on sister stations WNEW (now WNYW) Channel 5 in New York City and WTTG Channel 5 in Washington, DC. This 32-minute report was submitted by Metromedia in black-and-white 16mm kinescope film form for consideration for an award for "Reporting of an On-the-Spot News Story" as given by the Radio-Television News Directors Association. The anchor on this part (which originally aired in color, but is presented here in glorious black-and-white) is Pete Miller, KTTV's political editor. Also featuring Metromedia News reporter Clif Kirk. Includes:

Pete attributing the slow vote count in the June 4th California primary to a new automated voting system, which led to a long wait in the Embassy Ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel. Bobby's acceptance speech is shown, followed by the aftermath and chaos in the wake of the shots ringing out, with a reporter (probably Pete) seeking to get word at the scene (a very brief shot of a Norelco PC-70 camera with a CBS color sticker on its side is shown), an eyewitness (Mr. Kennard?) describing his vantage point of what went on when Bobby was shot; followed by another witness, Howard "Cap" Hardy, giving his account of what happened. As Pete notes, both witnesses noted that RFK was still breathing and conscious after being shot, in the shoulder and the back of the skull behind the right ear. Photos of RFK after the shooting, as well as a profile photo of him pointing where in the back of the head he was shot, are then shown.

Pete then introduces a report from Clif Kirk at the headquarters of Kennedy's opponent in the Democratic Presidential race, Senator Eugene McCarthy, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. Cliff reports that a band member at the McCarthy HQ advised of Bobby's shooting, and the camera points to the crowd at the hotel's ballroom all gathering around a TV set reporting on what happened to RFK, and sounds of the reports on the scene are heard. Pete then closes this part by mentioning that this was all that went down in the wake of what at that time was Bobby's assassination attempt.

This aired on local Los Angeles TV (and also on the aforementioned Metromedia stations in New York and Washington) on Wednesday, June 5th 1968.