Flashback Friday: News During my Childhood

Did your parents watch the national and/or local television (or radio!) news when you were growing up?

Yes, they've always been news junkies. To them, "knowledge is power."

Did they have a particular favorite network or newscaster?

My mom loved Peter Jennings. She called him her second husband. I think my mom's infatuation with Peter Jennings was a combination of his being politically and geographically astute, using impeccable grammar, having a sonorous voice, and possessing dry wit, Canadian accent, and charming good looks-- though she would never admit to the good looks of any man other than my father and her own father. When 6:30 rolled around, "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" trumped all other matters, big or small. All the noise and clamor in the house had to cease (the said noisemaker risking life and limb); all questions were put on hold, everyone's needs unattended to. Perhaps if you were red, white or blue (bleeding, passed out, or not breathing) she would excuse herself from Peter, but that was about it. If you needed toilet paper and the only person present to supply it was Mama when Peter was on TV, too bad. You either had to drip dry or waddle into the other bathroom for a new roll.

What about subscribing to the newspaper?
They weren't newspaper readers that I recall. My dad couldn't sit still long enough. I don't know why my mom didn't subscribe. I don't know if the decision was financial or political, because she certainly was (is) a voracious reader. I do know that, for decades after we moved away from Kansas, they subscribed to the Sterling Bulletin. There was something refreshing about keeping abreast of the petty happenings in the small town where Daddy had pastored. Summarily, the news that came into our home was either global or small-town, nothing in between. Either the world was in a state of crisis, or Mr. Long had just found the first robin's egg of the spring in his backyard maple tree.

Did they shelter you and your siblings from news or was it discussed out in the open?
They would discuss news if we wanted to, but usually we didn't. It was dull, boring, grown-up stuff that "went in one ear and out the other."

Were you easily frightened by news events? Did your parents explain them?
No, I was not an easily-frightened child. I had big faith in God and a belief that my daddy would always take good care of me. My folks instilled a sense of "you're protected, don't worry," which I've appreciated so much. My parents are now the ones frightened by the news, probably because they are CNN junkies. Somewhere along the line they became doom-and-gloomers and survivalists. Not me. I still have big faith in God, and a belief that He will take good care of me. My hubby is also doing a darn good job at looking out for our welfare .

What significant news events do you remember from your childhood? What stands out about them? What is the earliest historical/news event about which you say "I'll never forget where I was when ________ happened"? (And where were you?!)
I remember campaigning for Richard Nixon. Yup, Nixon. My mom was involved with a college poli-sci group (she was a student) and was gung-ho into politics (always has been). We were living in Kansas City, Missouri. I was in second grade (the year I hated my first name, so went by my middle). I remember handing out all those ginormous lapel pins with the future Tricky Dick's picture on them.

I remember when the Watergate trials were all over the news. We couldn't watch anything else. It was soooooo boring. The only thing I gathered from what my parents told us was the President was being tried for something illegal. I thought someone as old as my grandpa couldn't possible be doing wrong. Only young people did wrong things, not ancient grandpa-types.

I remember exactly where I was when Nixon resigned. We were on vacation at a rinky-dink motel probably in Colorado (we only took one vacation that I remember that wasn't to relatives' houses when I was a little kid). I was at the motel pool with my sisters and dad. For the life of us, we kids couldn't figure out who'd rather be watching the boring TV instead of swimming in the pool ! I remember images of Nixon holding up two fingers of each hand and shaking his head, "I am not a crook!" and his cheeks sort of flubbered when he shook.

I also remember having a very nationalistic mindset that the US was bigger and more powerful than any country on earth. When people talked about the Soviet Union and the Cold War, I thought. "Well, of course any war in Russia is gonna be cold. Duh!"

Those are my childhood newsy memories. How about yours?