"We were going to tape the voiceover in the studio and Roone Arledge says, 'I think that opening stinks.' I said, 'I do, too.'  So we went into an engineer's room with a bunch of equipment and we sat down and put some words together, not knowing they would still be heard years later, about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."

    About This Interview

    In his nearly three-hour interview, Jim McKay (1921-2008) talks about starting his career in 1947 at WMAR-TV in Baltimore. He discusses going on to work with producer Roone Arledge at the beginning of ABC's Wide World of Sports, staying nearly four decades with the job as the show's host and commentator. McKay speaks about hosting the network's coverage of the Olympics for over 30 years, including his critical coverage of the terrorist hostages and killings that interrupted the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Gerry Sandusky and Michael Rosen conducted the interview on October 28, 1998 in Monkton, MD.

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Jim McKay

    Jim McKay on the studio and the kinds of acts he hosted on The Real McCay

    02:34
    Thumbnail of Jim McKay

    Jim McKay on the philosophy behind ABC's Wide World of Sports

    01:58
    Thumbnail of Jim McKay

    Jim McKay on the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    18:38
    Thumbnail of Jim McKay

    Jim McKay on his interview with Fidel Castro and on the Cuban Missile Crisis

    03:58
    Thumbnail of Jim McKay

    Jim McKay on fellow broadcaster Howard Cosell

    00:58
    Thumbnail of Jim McKay

    Jim McKay on his friendship with writer Paddy Chayevsky

    02:36
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On his early childhood and influences; his early interest in sports; on his early interest in performing and announcing

    11:50

    On his experience of World War II; on going to work for the newspaper the Baltimore Sun

    08:19

    On his earliest experiences of television; on his first time on the air broadcasting horse races from Pimlico; on advice he got from Arthur Godrey

    08:34

    Chapter 2

    On hosting National Sports Parade; on changing his name for broadcasting, and hosting the local New York series The Real McKay; on the studio and the kinds of acts he hosted on The Real McCay

    14:55

    On the cancellation of The Real McCay, and on his transitioning into sports at the behest of Roone Arledge at Wide World of Sports ; on working with Walter Cronkite on The Morning Show on CBS as the sports guy

    08:22

    On hosting The Verdict is Yours; on hosting the Summer Olympics on CBS

    06:48

    Chapter 3

    On broadcasting from the first foreign Olympics to be televised in the United States, the 1960 Summer Games in Rome and on interviewing Cassius Clay; on why he wanted to do ABC's Wide World of Sports and impressions of the producer Roone Arledge; on the philosophy behind ABC's Wide World of Sports

    12:36

    On how broadcasting from Moscow helped keep ABC's Wide World of Sports on the air; on the opening for ABC's Wide World of Sports and how it changed; on the small staff on ABC's Wide World of Sports when they went on-air

    06:31

    On how Roone Arledge was hired to ABC's Wide World of Sports and how they hired different commentators; on covering Demolition Derbys on ABC's Wide World of Sports;

    05:05

    On how technology changed things for sports television: tape versus live TV in auto-racing on ABC's Wide World of Sports; on winning an Emmy for ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1968

    06:08

    Chapter 4

    On how CBS handled coverage of the 1964 Olympics; on the first time TV was used to decide an event; the 1968 Olympics

    10:14

    On the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    18:38

    Chapter 5

    On reporting on the Olympics following the tragedy of the 1972 Games; on the influence of women on the Olympics; on Dorothy Hamill and other Olympic stars

    14:42

    On the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; how the coverage has changed; on ABC's Wide World of Sports after Roone Arledge left the show; on the role television has played in Sports history and what sports get coverage

    10:00

    On sponsorship and the changes in sports and athleticism; on television's impact on sports; on interviewing Fidel Castro

    05:31

    Chapter 6

    On various people he worked with during his career, including Dick Swift, Walter Cronkite, Paddy Chayevsky, Howard Cosell, and Roone Arledge; on his son and his wife

    08:57

    ABC's Wide World of Sports

    Jim McKay on the cancellation of The Real McCay, and on his transitioning into sports at the behest of Roone Arledge at Wide World of Sports

    02:57

    Jim McKay on why he wanted to do ABC's Wide World of Sports and impressions of the producer Roone Arledge

    07:31

    Jim McKay on the philosophy behind ABC's Wide World of Sports "if you can get them interested in individuals, you can get them interested in the sport"

    01:58

    Jim McKay on how broadcasting from Moscow helped keep ABC's Wide World of Sports on the air

    03:23

    Jim McKay on the opening for ABC's Wide World of Sports and how it changed

    01:36

    Jim McKay on the small staff on ABC's Wide World of Sports when they went on-air: Chet Simmons, Roone Arledge, and Ed Scherick

    01:32

    On how Roone Arledge was hired to ABC's Wide World of Sports and how they hired different commentators

    03:32

    Jim McKay on covering Demolition Derbys on ABC's Wide World of Sports

    01:33

    Jim McKay on how technology changed things for sports television: tape versus live TV in auto-racing on ABC's Wide World of Sports

    02:06

    Jim McKay on winning an Emmy forABC's Wide World of Sports in 1968

    04:02

    Jim McKay on ABC's Wide World of Sports after Roone Arledge's departure

    02:08

    Jim McKay on how cable television negatively impacted ABC's Wide World of Sports

    00:56

    Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)

    Jim McKay on winning an Emmy for ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1968

    04:02

    Morning Show, The

    Jim McKay on working with Walter Cronkite on The Morning Show on CBS as the sports guy

    05:25

    Olympics

    Jim McKay on hosting the Summer Olympics on CBS

    03:14

    Jim McKay on broadcasting from the first foreign Olympics to be televised in the United States, the 1960 Summer Games in Rome and on interviewing Cassius Clay

    03:07

    Jim McKay on how CBS handled coverage of the 1964 Olympics

    07:30

    Jim McKay on the first time TV was used to decide an event; the 1968 Olympics

    02:44

    Jim McKay on the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    18:38

    Jim McKay on how the Olympic Games have changed since 1972 and on Dorothy Hamill

    14:57

    Jim McKay on how the Olympic Games coverage has changed; the 1984 Games in Los Angeles

    03:05

    'The Idiot Box'

    Jim McKay on the challenge for TV to fill thousands of hours with quality programming

    00:35

    Cold War

    Jim McKay on his interview with Fidel Castro and on the Cuban Missile Crisis

    03:58

    Criticism of TV

    Jim McKay on the challenge for TV to fill thousands of hours with quality programming

    00:35

    Emmy Awards

    Jim McKay on winning an Emmy for ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1968

    04:02

    Historic Events and Social Change

    Jim McKay on his experience of World War II

    03:37

    Jim McKay on his interview with Fidel Castro and on the Cuban Missile Crisis

    03:58

    Memorable Moments on Television

    Jim McKay on the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    20:52

    Olympic Games

    Jim McKay on the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    20:52

    Sports

    Jim McKay on the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    20:52

    Technological Innovation

    Jim McKay on hosting The Verdict is Yours which benefited from the advent of videotape

    03:34

    Jim McKay on how technology changed things for sports television: tape versus live TV in auto-racing

    35:44

    Television Industry

    Jim McKay on the challenge for TV to fill thousands of hours with quality programming

    00:35

    War

    Jim McKay on his experience of World War II

    03:37

    Jim McKay on his interview with Fidel Castro and on the Cuban Missile Crisis

    03:58

    We Cried

    Jim McKay on the Israeli hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics

    20:52

    World War II

    Jim McKay on his experience of World War II

    03:37

    Announcer

    Jim McKay on advice he got from Arthur Godfrey

    33:45

    Hosts

    Jim McKay on advice he got from Arthur Godfrey

    33:45

    Sports

    Jim McKay on hosting the Summer Olympics on CBS, which initially were ad-libbed

    03:14

    Jim McKay on ABC's Wide World of Sports

    27:13

    Jim McKay on co-hosting the Olympics

    31:06

    Jim McKay on the transformative role of television in sports history and coverage

    02:27

    Jim McKay on what has changed most in television and sports tv, and among the athletes themselves

    02:06

    Jim McKay on covering the Olympics

    18:02

    Jim McKay on ABC's Wide World of Sports

    07:37

    Muhammad Ali

    Jim McKay on broadcasting from the first foreign Olympics to be televised in the United States, the 1960 Summer Games in Rome and on interviewing Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali)

    01:06

    Roone Arledge

    Jim McKay on the cancellation of The Real McCay, and on his transitioning into sports at the behest of Roone Arledge at Wide World of Sports

    02:57

    Jim McKay on why he wanted to do ABC's Wide World of Sports and impressions of the producer Roone Arledge

    07:51

    Jim McKay on the talents of producer Roone Arledge

    01:31

    Fidel Castro

    Jim McKay on his most memorable interview with Fidel Castro

    03:58

    Paddy Chayefsky

    Jim McKay on his friendship with writer Paddy Chayevsky

    02:36

    Howard Cosell

    Jim McKay on fellow broadcaster Howard Cosell

    00:58

    Walter Cronkite

    Jim McKay on working with Walter Cronkite on The Morning Show on CBS as the sports guy

    05:22

    Jim McKay on his long friendship with Walter Cronkite

    00:39

    Arthur Godfrey

    Jim McKay on advice he got from Arthur Godfrey

    03:46

    Dorothy Hamill

    Jim McKay on how the Olympic Games have changed since 1972 and on Dorothy Hamill

    14:57

    Chet Simmons

    Jim McKay on the small staff on ABC's Wide World of Sports when they went on-air: Chet Simmons, Roone Arledge, and Ed Scherick

    01:32

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