posted 01-27-2007 10:26 AM               

Jay Barbree is in his 49th year with NBC News. He has never missed covering a single launch of American astronauts for the NBC network. Barbree is currently writing the history of space flight for Smithsonian Books, titled "Live From Cape Canaveral." The book is to be released in late September for the 50th anniversary of Sputnik's launch.

posted 01-28-2007 04:49 AM               

One day I will go through the hundreds of audio recordings of his (and many others) reports I taped over the years — concise, factual, to the point but above all else he conveyed his love of what he does in each and every single report.

posted 02-08-2007 03:07 PM               

At that time, Jay's title for the book was "Memoirs of the Space Program" due out as a coffee table edition for the Christmas holidays. His deadline was Dec. 31 with Harper Collins for the Smithsonian.

Jay called me to say he met his deadline and wanted me to know that the Gemini XII photo and how it got to be was in the book (a Martin Caiden/Lola story).

posted 08-01-2007 10:30 AM               

We will be kicking it off on the Today Show! It is being published by Smithsonian Books and introduced by Tom Brokaw. It has reviews by John Glenn, Walter Cronkite, Larry King, Scott Carpenter & Tom Brokaw on the jacket.

posted 08-31-2007 08:03 AM               

We are scheduled to be in the 8:30 a.m. segment of Monday's Today show. That's September 3rd. There is to be a feature package with Lester Holt interviewing me at the launch sites at the Cape on Sunday September 9th. I do not have the time for that.

posted 08-31-2007 08:08 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Lola Morrow:
Also there's an AP feature by Marcia Dunn running this weekend in many papers

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Only one person on the planet has covered every manned launch out of Cape Canaveral and now, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of spaceflight, he's written a book about it.

Veteran NBC space correspondent Jay Barbree's memoir, "Live from Cape Canaveral," is being released over the Labor Day weekend by Smithsonian Books.

posted 09-04-2007 09:00 AM               

My disappointment in this section is based on Jay not writing about the background to these stories. I was sure 50 years of close participation would bring untold anecdotes and personal stories from behind the scenes, but one story of a Christmas dinner with a Mercury astronaut was not enough. I would also like to have read Jay's view of his profession during this time.

During his career he saw the transition from radio to TV, the end of film and introduction of videotape, the rise of digital imaging plus a great improvement in the speed and ease of transferring images and data around the world. None of this is touched on but a single paragraph on the differences between TV and radio personalities is one of the best in the book.

But then Jay has a chapter about covering Jimmy Carter in his bid for the presidency. Jay writes beautifully about his shared background with Carter as a southern Georgia person, and his warmth and personal stories make this chapter special. In the next chapter Jay has a health scare and this seems to have affected the final half of the book in a positive way.

In talking about NASA during the shuttle era Jay is full of interesting anecdotes and not afraid to tell us his real feelings, or the thoughts of others behind the scenes at NASA as they experience both triumph and tragedy. For me this saved the book.

Overall I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars or very good. It needs more human stories and personal reflections in the first half to be truly excellent.

posted 09-04-2007 10:51 AM               

Review: "Live from Cape Canaveral"

A month from today will be the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the generally accepted beginning of the Space Age. Thus, it should be little surprise that a number of books are arriving on bookstore shelves that look back at that event or the history of space exploration in general, either from those who directly participated in those events or from historians and others who later studied them. Jay Barbree, in "Live from Cape Canaveral", provides a unique perspective: that of a journalist who covered the American space program since virtually its inception.

posted 12-27-2007 09:26 PM               

I found the book to very interesting. Mr. Barbree has a pleasant writing style. I liked the layout of the photos that are found within the chapters. I prefer that layout over all of the photos in the middle of the book in one big cluster. Dispersed within the chapters makes for an easier read.

Not too much new (not before known) knowledge to be gained in the book would be my only negative.

I took two items away from the book that I found to be very interesting... The story of his meeting with Glenn after the A8 launch, as well as the Challenger investigation as seen from a reports point of view.

I think the Challenger portions were the best parts of the book. I was pleased to see Sam Beddingfield mentioned in two chapters and I never knew Sam's involvement with the public learning of the investigation's early findings.

posted 05-25-2016 10:30 AM               

Martin Caidin and I were working on a secret space book as the Thor/Agena raced away..,