Americans by Gordon Sinclair/Byron MacGregor
Stevie Nice
from a Canadian's perspective yet? I have then in an email that was
sent to me; if the NG doesn't mind I would post them, may be a bit
apropo at a time like this.
Doug
Can mp3's be sent through e-mail?,if so I can send it to anyone who would
like it.
Or possibly post it here instead of sending it to multiple e-mails.
56K makes for slow transmission of mp3's.
-Dougaroo
--
We can judge the heart of a man by his
treatment of animals. - Immanuel Kant
"Stevie Nice" <stevi...@raidersfan.net> wrote in message
news:23f3443b.01091...@posting.google.com...
Yeff
Doug<dou...@bright.net> wrote in
alt.culture.us.1970s:
> I have "The Americans" by Gordon Sinclair in mp3 format.
> Can mp3's be sent through e-mail?,if so I can send it to anyone who would
> like it.
> Or possibly post it here instead of sending it to multiple e-mails.
> 56K makes for slow transmission of mp3's.
On June 5, 1973, Gordon Sinclair sat up in bed in Toronto and turned on his
TV set. The United States had just pulled out of the Vietnamese War which
had ended in a stalemate - a war fought daily on TV, over the radio and in
the press. The aftermath of that war resulted in a world-wide sell-off of
American investments, prices tumbled, the United States economy was in
trouble. The war had also divided the American people, and at home and
abroad it seemed everyone was lambasting the United States.
He turned on his radio, twisted the dial and turned it off. He picked up
the morning paper. In print, he saw in headlines what he had found on TV
and radio - the Americans were taking a verbal beating from nations around
the world. Disgusted with what he saw and heard, he was outraged!
At 10:30, on his arrival at CFRB to prepare his two pre-noon broadcasts, he
strode into his office and "dashed-off" two pages in 20 minutes for LET'S
BE PERSONAL at 11:45 am, and then turned to writing his 11:50 newscast that
was to follow. At 12:01 pm, the script for LET'S BE PERSONAL was dropped on
the desk of his secretary who scanned the pages for a suitable heading and
then wrote "Americans"" across the top and filed it away. The phones were
already ringing.
Gordon Sinclair could not have written a book that could have had a greater
impact in the world than his two-page script for THE AMERICANS. A book
should have been written on the events that followed. But, no one at CFRB,
including Sinclair himself, could have envisioned the reaction of the
people of the United States - from presidents - state governors - Congress
- the Senate - all media including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines - and
from the "ordinary" American on the street. Nor could have the Canadian
government - stunned by the response to what has come to be regarded as one
of Canada's greatest public relations feats in the history of our relations
with the United States of America.
But, how did Sinclair's tribute to Americans reach them? It had been swept
across the United States at the speed of a prairie fire by American radio
stations - first, a station in Buffalo called and asked to be fed a tape
copy of the broadcast with permission to use - both freely given. Nearby
American stations obtained copies from Buffalo or called direct. By the
time it reached the Washington, DC area, a station had superimposed Sinc's
broadcast over an instrumental version of BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER, and
was repeating it at fixed times several times a day.
Congressmen and Senators heard it. It was read several times into the
Congressional Record. Assuming that it was on a phono (33 1/3 rpm),
Americans started a search for a copy. CFRB was contacted. To satisfy the
demand, CFRB started to make arrangements with AVCO, an American record
company, to manufacture and distribute it as a "single".
As they were finalizing a contract that would see all royalties which would
normally be due Gordon Sinclair be paid (at his request) to the American
Red Cross, word was received that an unauthorized record, using Sinclair's
script but read by another broadcaster, was already flooding the US market.
(Subsequently, on learning that this broadcaster had agreed to turn over
his royalties to the Red Cross, no legal action was taken).
Sinclair's recording of his own work (to which Avco had added a stirring
rendition of THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC) did finally reach record
stores, and sold hundreds of thousands of copies, but the potential numbers
were depressed by the sale of the infringing record. Other record producers
and performers (including Tex Ritter) obtained legal permission to make
their own versions. In Ritter's case, because of the first-person style of
the script, Tex preceded his performance with a proper credit to Sinclair
as the author. The American Red Cross received millions of dollars in
royalties, and Gordon Sinclair was present at a special ceremony
acknowledging his donation.
Advertisers using print media contacted CFRB for permission to publish the
text in a non-commercial manner; industrial plants asked for the right to
print the script in leaflet form to handout to their employees.
Gordon Sinclair received invitations to attend and be honoured at many
functions in the United States which, by number and due to family health
problems at the time, he had to decline. However, CFRB newscaster Charles
Doering, was flown to Washington to give a public reading of THE AMERICANS
to the 28th National Convention of the United States Air Force Association,
held September 18, 1974 at the Sheraton Park Hotel. His presentation was
performed with the on-stage backing of the U.S. Air Force Concert Band,
joined by the 100-voice Singing Sergeants in a special arrangement of The
Battle Hymn of the Republic.
8 years after the first broadcast of THE AMERICANS, U.S. President Ronald
Reagan made his first official visit to Canada. At the welcoming ceremonies
on Parliament Hill, the new President praised "the Canadian journalist who
wrote that (tribute)" to the United States when it needed a friend. Prime
Minister Pierre Trudeau had Sinclair flown to Ottawa to be his guest at the
reception that evening.
Sinc had a long and pleasant conversation with Mr. Reagan. The President
told him that he had a copy of the record of THE AMERICANS at his
California ranch home when he was governor of the state, and played it from
time to time when things looked gloomy.
On the evening of May 15th, 1984, following a regular day's broadcasting,
Gordon Sinclair suffered a heart attack. He died on May 17th. As the word
of his illness spread throughout the United States, calls inquiring about
his condition had been received from as far away as Texas. The editorial in
the Sarasota Herald-Tribune of May 28th was typical of the reaction of the
United States news media - A GOOD FRIEND PASSES ON.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan: "I know I speak for all Americans in saying
the radio editorial Gordon wrote in 1973 praising the accomplishments of
the United States was a wonderful inspiration. It was not only critics
abroad who forgot this nation's many great achievements, but even critics
here at home. Gordon Sinclair reminded us to take pride in our nation's
fundamental values."
Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau: "Gordon Sinclair's death ends one of
the longest and most remarkable careers in Canadian Journalism. His wit,
irreverence, bluntness and off-beat views have been part of the media
landscape for so long that many Canadians had come to believe he would
always be there."
Following a private family service, two thousand people from all walks of
life filled Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto's City Hall for a
public service of remembrance organized by Mayor Art Eggleton. Dignitaries
joining him on the platform were Ontario Lieutenant-Governor, John Black
Aird; the Premier of Ontario, William Davis; and Metro Chairman Paul
Godfrey. Tens of thousands more joined them through CFRB's live broadcast
of the service which began symbolically at 11:45 - the regular time of
Sinc's daily broadcast of LET'S BE PERSONAL.
As Ontario Premier William Davis said of him "The name GORDON SINCLAIR
could become the classic definition of a full life."
Full text of the original broadcast (as well as a RealAudio recording)
can be found here: http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/ccf/news/unique/am_text.html
-Jeff B.
yeff at erols dot com
Stevie Nice
time friend who originally asked for competng chart positions but
would be thrilled to see this. Thanx!!
Yeff <ye...@spamcop.net> wrote in message news:<9np6nf$jvo$9...@bob.news.rcn.net>...
Yeff
> Jeff, great recap, with your permission I haveto send this to a long
> time friend who originally asked for competng chart positions but
> would be thrilled to see this. Thanx!!
I'm an idiot, I forgot the first URL!
The correct attribution would be:
http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/ccf/news/unique/american.html
Sor for that, I feel like a complete idiot!
-Jeff B.
yeff at erols dot com
pat
1. if the file is not to big (depending on your Internet Mail Provider) you
can attach it as a file
2. if the file is too big you can either "shrink" the file by reducing the
file to 64 or lowere kbps instead of the normal 128 or 96 kbps
also you can make the file smaller by making it mono
3. you could break this mp3 into smaller sections using Winzip or MG-Split
1.2 or similar software
4. The easiest way of course, if if you have a website up, all you would
have to do is upload the file to your page, and then you could send someone
a link to that particular file. (if it won't fit on your site, Zipping it up
with Winzip or Reducing the quality (bitrate kpbs) or a combination of the
two should make it fit.
5. or you could use WhaleMail or Freebelt to send/share these large files
over the internet
Please send me this, or a link to where you uploaded it, I would love to
hear it.
Thanks in advance
~Pat
"Doug" <dou...@bright.net> wrote in message
news:YJUn7.32379$ga2.1...@cletus.bright.net...