In the news & on the radio

It’s true that the mid and late 1960s were about more than Vietnam. But the impacts of Vietnam were widespread, touching the lives of millions of Americans. Focusing on 1967, there were multiple anti-war protests at home, a growing drug culture and civil rights riots in several metropolitan areas. Much of American broadcasting, and the pop music of the day, reflected and defined our lives during those difficult times. In ’67, as both a budding broadcast journalist and an active part of the military (U.S. Navy), I recall the pop culture reaction as the world was swirling around us. Here’s a broadcast-prepared piece I produced some years ago, featuring both the music and the big news events of ’67. There are more than 20 song snippets (listen closely — can you identify them all?), and over a dozen corresponding big news events, including several actual broadcast news excerpts. Total running time: about 2:40.