Apr. 21, 1964 - Television is ready to cover the opening of the New York World’s Fair tomorrow morning. Networks and stations will have at least 75 cameras, both video and film, in and around the fair. Six or more helicopters will carry cameras over the area.
Channel 31 will begin coverage at 9 a.m., when the gates open. Channel 7 will begin continuous coverage at 9:15, Channels 5 and 11 at 10:30, Channel 4 at 11, and Channel 2 at 11:30.
Beginning at 7 a.m., Channel 7 has scheduled five-minute live pickups from a helicopter each half-hour. The last helicopter view is scheduled to begin at 8:30.
ABC, CBS, and NBC will televise the address by President Johnson, expected to begin about noon.
All networks have prepared for live and filmed coverage of civil rights demonstrations in and near the fair. Leaders of dissident chapters of the Congress of Racial Equality have threatened a massive traffic “stall-in.”
Yesterday, Mayor Robert Wagner denounced the planned stall-in, stating: “In any case, the law will be enforced. We shall do everything we can to safeguard human life, law, and property. Those individuals who take the law into their own hands must expect to bear the responsibility. I will not parley with or recognize any group which seeks to hold a gun at the heart of the city.”
In order not to encourage demonstrations, the networks have not announced their plans for television coverage. It is known, however, that the networks will have equipment and personnel available as early at 7 a.m. It is understood that all networks will interrupt scheduled programs for news bulletins if developments warrant.
To cover the fair area of more than 600 acres, TV cameras have been installed on some of the highest buildings, including the New York State Pavilion and the Louisiana Pavilion. Laboratories for processing motion picture film have been set up.
Television film crews will be placed in position tomorrow morning in the subway leading to the World’s Fair to cover any demonstrations there.
ABC said a reporter and a cameraman would follow the car of a person who intends to participate in the stall-in. If the driver of the stall-in car is arrested, ABC will rush films of the incident to a studio, using a motorcycle that will accompany the network’s car.
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