Collection of news stories from WTHI in Terre Haute Indiana from around 1980. These stories include reports on the Air Guard and 39th President Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy Carter’s relationship with Libya (the high profile Libya investigation also dubbed “Billy Gate”).
The audio quality is poor for the first half of the video. Features stories about Cindy Manson’s murder, a plane crash and public opinion on President Jimmy Carter’s brother, Billy Carter.
Logsheet:
(0:29): Two US Air Force soldiers stand near a plane. The camera cuts to two planes taking off very quickly.
(0:50): A news anchor, likely Ann Ryder, says Chris Deckard was acquitted for the murder of Cindy Mason.
(01:07): The camera cuts to Carl Mason, Cindy’s father, being interviewed in the family home. He says Christmas won’t feel the same without her. Carl and Mildred Mason, Cindy’s parents, want someone to pay for her death.
(01:33): Ryder says it’s been six months since Cindy died. It’s been difficult for the parents to adjust since finding out Deckard was acquitted. Carl Mason says it would feel better if someone was convicted.
(2:11): Ryder interviews two people on the street in the small town of Linton, Indiana, about Deckard’s acquittal. One says he thinks Deckard was let go too easily.
(2:50): Ryder says Chris Deckard’s stepfather, Mike Casey, said he thought Deckard’s verdict was fair and just, but he didn’t feel it would be appropriate to be filmed for the show.
(03:21): Cuts to a new news segment.
(03:21): Ann Ryder and Greg Baker share the night’s top story, about a commuter airline crash that Ryder calls “the worst in area history.” A plane crashed in a cornfield with no survivors.
(03:45): Cuts to footage of the plane crash, a fire in a cornfield, southwest of I-70 and State Road 46.
(4:05): Broadcasters interview Denise Leminger, a neighbor who witnessed the crash that
morning.
(4:12) They also interview John Leminger, her husband, who was first on the scene.
(04:43): Authorities have to sift through the plane wreckage to find the bodies of Delbert
Huffman of Terre Haute and Gary Gerbert, and Brain Leahy. Brian’s obituary can be found here.
(05:50): In a new segment, back in the studio, Ryder says police have made an arrest in
connection with the beating of an elderly Terre Haute woman the month prior.
(06:22): Camera briefly cuts to Baker, but his segment is cut and the camera returns to Ann Ryder, who says an amendment has been passed in the Indiana State House to delay statewide banking until 1985. Some Republicans were worried the measure would allow cross-country banks to wrestle control of local community’s credit, Ryder says.
(06:59): Cuts to a weather segment, where Ryder and Baker interview a weatherman about incoming cold weather.
(08:01): Advertisement for Smiddy’s Carpets.
(08:02): Cuts to a shot of a flagpole with an American flag. The audio is static, you cannot hear or read any words.
(09:47): Cuts to an interview of a newscaster interviewing a man, named Howard Smith, if he supports President Jimmy Carter. Smith says “Now, we’re Republican.” He says what President Carter’s brother “has been doing” likely won’t influence him. His wife, Carolyn Smith, then says President Carter can’t be held responsible for everything his brother does. She says Carter’s brother is an alcoholic.
(11:08): Random footage of the cameraman zooming in on women’s behinds.
(11:35): Newscaster asks William Bannon, another man on the street, what he thinks of President Carter and his brother. He says he doesn’t support President Carter, but he feels bad that the media is examining his family so closely.
(12:57): Newscaster asks Elzia Stevens the same questions. He says he doesn’t care about President Carter or his brother because he doesn’t vote, because he thinks politicians who will fix the problems in the U.S. don’t get elected because “something happens to them,” or they are politically stonewalled. He says they, being politicians, won’t do anything to help poor people.
(14:58): In a new clip, the newscaster stops Linda Stephens, who says she’s unsure if she’s a supporter of President Carter. She says she’d vote for Carter if she had to, and she doesn’t really care about his brother. Her husband, John Stephens, says Carter is still the best alternative.
(15:58): Random B-roll footage of people shopping outside what appears to be a mall. No sound.
(16:52): Newscaster interviews Phil Right, who is “not 100%” a supporter of President Carter. He says he can’t “blame Jimmy for Billy’s actions.” Then the video ends when he starts talking
Clips:
*(13:01): “Mr. Stevens, do you support President Carter?” to (14:07): “If I was rich, I wouldn’t
care, what the heck?”
Clip would be useful in showing public opinion of President Jimmy Carter in the 1980s,
especially among people who felt like the US government was not fully supportive of its citizens.