Famous News Broadcasters - April 6, 2012

Q:
This early TV broadcaster was born in Wichita and studied two years at the University of Kansas before making his mark as an NBC news anchor, commentator and pitchman. What’s the name of this man, who used his first, middle and last name on the air?

A: John Cameron Swayze (- the man who’s Timex wristwatch “took a licking, but kept on ticking!”)

Wichita native John Cameron Swayze was a radio newsman in the 1940s but became famous as a TV news anchor and commentator in the early days of television. As an anchorman for NBC’s Camel News Caravan and the Plymouth News Caravan, Swayze wore a carnation in his lapel as he invited viewers to go “hopscotching the world for headlines.”

In 1956, Swayze became a pitchman for Timex. During the next 20 years, he appeared in commercials where he put his wristwatch through all kinds of abuse. His catchphrase slogan for Timex? “It Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking.” Swayze died in Florida in 1995.

1954 - NBC - Camel News Caravan - with John Cameron Swayze

Classic Timex Motorboat Commercial