Innsbruck 1964

United States

ABC Broadcast Schedule

As originally written by BD Sullivan

1964 Winter Olympics (January 29-February 9)

(Innsbruck, Austria) (ABC)

1/29 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

1/30 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

1/31 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

2/1 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m, 6:30 p.m-7 p.m.

2/2 3 p.m.-5 p.m.

2/3 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

2/4 9 p.m.-10 p.m.

2/5 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

2/6 9 p.m.-10 p.m.

2/7 8:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

2/8 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m., 6:30 p.m.-7 p.m.

2/9 3 p.m.-5 p.m.

*While I doubt it was ever considered, it's a good thing ABC chose not to show the closing ceremonies in prime time--it would have been up against the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

ABC Commentators

As originally written by tvnut

1964: Innsbruck (ABC Sports, 17.25 hours, $597,000)

Broadcasters (in part):

Host: Jim McKay

Play-by-play: McKay (Alpine skiing)

Play-by-play: Jim Simpson

Play-by-play: Curt Gowdy

Analyst: Dick Button (figure skating)

Analyst: Carol Heiss (figure skating)

Analyst: Andrea Mead Lawrence (Alpine skiing)

Analyst: Willie Schaeffler (Alpine skiing)

Analyst: Stan Benham (bobsled)

A portion of the Closing Ceremony was televised live via satellite (Telstar, which had to be tracked and allowed about a 15-minute window between the U.S. and Europe when it was zooming over the Atlantic). Everything else was videotaped and flown to the U.S. via a Munich-London-New York route (as I recall). There was little margin for error. If a flight was canceled, ABC had a tape of a U.S.-Romania hockey game, played the day before the Opening Ceremony and shipped over, ready to play. All went well and it never made the air.