In 1973, local Thirteen program The 51st State aired this video ode to the World Trade Center in honor of its grand opening. It’s abstract and a little strange; stranger still today. Read more about The 51st State and this segment.
Notes:
The WTC segment starts at :20 in, and ends around 8:00…it’s in its original context, as it would have aired in 1973.
Produced by Ron Finley.
About The 51st State
On the air from 1972-1976, The 51st State began as a nightly news program with a mission to present in-depth and thoughtful reporting of regional issues. During this period, New York City was struggling with the national traumas brought on by the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and the Vietnam War, as well as facing a rising crime rate and heading towards the largest financial crisis of its history (“Ford to City: Drop Dead”).
The program was noted for an unorthodox journalistic style and covered a wide range of subjects, from a town hall meeting of youth gangs in the Bronx and the pollution of the Hudson River to statewide hearings on abortion legislation and the New York City take on such national issues as pornography and the war in Vietnam.
