Dan Rather might have been shut out of CBS’s coverage of the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, but he’ll still have his say on the matter.
Rather, who was on the scene in Dallas when Kennedy was killed and was the first reporter to confirm Kennedy’s death, will offer his first-hand account of the day in a special, “My Days in Dallas: A Remembrance With Dan Rather.”
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In the special, Rather — the host and managing editor of AXS’s “Dan Rather Reports” — will deliver personal, behind-the-scenes account of Kennedy’s Dallas visit, and discuss being one of the first people to see the Zapruder home movie that chronicled Kennedy’s assassination.
“It was a tragic event to cover as a newsman and as an American citizen. That was my President and here I was at my news bureau having to hear that he died over a phone call and then report that to the world,” Rather said of the assassination. “There are few words to express what I was feeling that day while professionally having to keep my composure and of sound mind.”
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“My Days in Dallas” will premiere Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. RT, with re-airings on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24.
On Nov. 22, the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s death, Rather will also appear on NBC’s “Today” as well as an NBC primetime special hosted by Tom Brokaw.
Watch a preview clip for the special below: