What was it like to be in the ABC Sports Control Room during the network’s coverage of terrorism at 1972 Munich Games

Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 454 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Geoff Mason and Sean McManus. Mason was the lead producer for ABC Sports on Sept. 5, 1972 when Israeli athletes were taken hostage. McManus, the longtime head of CBS Sports, is the son of ABC Sports broadcaster Jim McKay, who anchored the coverage to the American public. McManus was in Munich with his father for those Games. How ABC Sports covered terrorism at the 1972 Munich Olympics is the subject of a new motion picture, “September 5.” The movie features both Mason and McKay extensively. In this podcast, Mason and McManus share their experiences being in Munich; how closely the film parallels the reality; McManus discusses how his father processed the experience during and after; Mason and McManus examine the moral and ethical dilemma that comes with cameras showing the terrorists and hostages; how the American public treated McKay after the Olympics; the telegram McKay received from Walter Cronkite, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

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