Camel News Caravan

The "Camel News Caravan" was a 15 minute prime time American television news program aired by NBC from 1949 to 1956. Sponsored by the Camel cigarette brand and anchored by John Cameron Swayze, it the first NBC news program to use NBC filmed news stories rather than movie newsreels. In early 1955, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, maker of Camel cigarettes, cut back its sponsorship to three days a week. Chrysler's Plymouth division sponsored the other days, and on those days, the program was labelled the "Plymouth News Caravan". The program featured a young Washington correspondent named David Brinkley. It competed against "Douglas Edwards with the News" on CBS.

Network news had a humble beginning. Launched on February 16, 1948 by NBC, "Camel Newsreel Theatre" was a 10-minute program that featured Movietone News newsreels. John Cameron Swayze provided voice-over for the series. The "Camel News Caravan" was an expanded version of the "Camel Newsreel Theatre".

The "Camel News Caravan" was replaced by the "Huntley-Brinkley Report" on October 29, 1956.

ource

* "60 Years Of Nightly News on NBC" http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/60_years_of_nightly_news_on_nbc_77670.asp
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLE9OaO7fRs YouTube clip of "Plymouth News Caravan," 1955]
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External links

* [http://www.poynter.org/content/content_print.asp?id=99440&custom= Early TV Anchors]