Indiana Broadcast History Archive

Cassirer, Henry -oral history interview and other video

Aired

2003-07-21

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Henry Cassirer lived through two world wars, played an important role in Great Britain and United States Broadcasting, and later expanded the use of radio and TV around the world for UNESCO. As a Jew, Cassirer and his family had to flee Germany during the Nazi regime. He settled in London where he was an announcer for the German-language version of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Cassirer was at the microphone when England declared war on Germany. When Cassirer didn't feel safe in London, CBS's Edward R. Murrow helped him get to the United States with a job recommendation at CBS. Cassirer worked in the CBS "Listening Station," translating German war broadcasts. In the mid-1940s, Cassirer moved over to the nascent CBS television news operation after the war, serving as one of the first television news producers in history. Mike Conway traveled to Annecy-le-Vieux, France to interview Cassirer as part of Conway's "The Visualizers" history project on the early years of American television. Also includes video of a trip to a cafe near Mount Semnoz. Interview took place on July 21-22, 2003.