Main Street, looking west, in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes hit Richmond in June of 1972. The storm ripped up the East Coast, bringing heavy rainfall and killing 129 people. Damage was estimated at $1.7 billion. It was the most damaging hurricane ever recorded up to its time.
Portions of Richmond suffered massive flooding as the James River overflowed its banks, primarily in Shockoe Bottom and on Main Street. For days, WTVR fielded crews to cover the storm and its aftermath, devoting most of its newscasts to the story. I remember dramatic scenes of dead cattle, even small houses, floating down the James River.
One of my assignments as the waters receded took me to Main Street. I was standing ankle-deep in mud on a brilliantly sunny morning -- have you ever noticed that big storms are followed by sunny days? -- when news director Bob Trent called on our news-car's radio. "The Cronkite show wants a package on how Richmond is doing after the flooding," he said.
After I wrapped up our local story, I did a couple more standups to make a separate package for CBS. While I recorded new narration, the photographer who was working with me shot fresh film for CBS. Then we raced to the airport to put the raw film and narration on a plane for New York.
Then it was back to the studio on West Broad Street to process our local film and make packages to run on the 6 and 7 o'clock portions of "News/90."
I didn't have a lot of hope that I'd actually be on the Cronkite show that night. CBS often asked for film and packages that never got used due to the press of other news.
But at 6:30, I made sure I was in front of the TV set in the WTVR conference room. In those days, the Cronkite show started with a wide shot of Walter Cronkite at his desk while a booth announcer said, "This is the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite in New York, and reports tonight from Dan Rather in Washington, Bob Schieffer in Philadelphia," and so on, as the reporters' names and datelines were superimposed on the screen.
And there it was: "and Don Dale, in Richmond, Virginia."
Even better than appearing on my idol's nightly newscast was the check: CBS paid me $150 dollars. I split it with the cameraman.
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I never knew this -- the CBS part I mean. I remember Agnes well. I was living on Grace Street in my very first apartment. Sandy and Kathy were regular visitors. We lost water for about four days I think, though not power. We went down to look at the river; I was thunderstruck by the breadth and power of it.
ReplyDeleteI would argue about the money though: doing a spot on the CBS Evening News, $150. Being on Walter Cronkite's show: priceless.
Do you think the footage still exists?