John Hammerslough worked at CBS-TV in New York City in 1950, starting in the mailroom and then messenger before he was called up for the Korean War. When he got out of the military, he went back to CBS-TV in 1953 as a reporter/contact man. He stayed for a few more years before changing careers. He was answering phones the night of the Edward R. Murrow "See It Now" broadcast on Joseph McCarthy in 1954. He said the callers were very angry at Murrow and called him a communist.
Mike Conway interviewed John Hammerslough as part of Conway's "The Visualizers" research project on the early days of American television news. The interview was conducted at Hammerslough's home in Weston, CT.