Closely following the moment more than 11,000 spectators gathered at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City to watch the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square air its 5,000th episode of “Music & the Spoken Word,” at least 20 media outlets worldwide reported on the celebration, noting the impact the program has had as the world’s longest, continuously running broadcast.
“What started as a live, local broadcast, captured by the organist’s son standing on a ladder and holding a microphone toward the choir, now airs on more than 2,000 radio and television stations around the world,” reported The New York Times on July 22.
The Times’ report paid tribute to the weekly show of music and inspiration, which has run every week since 1929, noting that “the number ‘5,000’ alone may not capture the scale of the longevity of the show.”
Thus providing context for the choir’s historic achievement, the Times pointed out that “Saturday Night Live,” in its 50th year, has not yet hit 1,000 episodes, and “The Simpsons” has aired just 790.
CBS News’ Jericka Duncan reported on the celebration the evening of July 13. She detailed some of the preparations the choir and orchestra — “560 people strong” — undertook ahead of the milestone broadcast.
She also noted some of the long-standing broadcast’s memorable moments, including the times former CBS anchors Charles Osgood and Walter Cronkite served as guests on the show.
Featuring the choir’s performance of “The Morning Breaks” — a hymn that was also performed during the show’s very first broadcast, according to a news release — Fox News’ report of the historic broadcast included reflections from choir participants, long-time viewers and Church of Jesus Christ President Russell M. Nelson.
“I was born in 1924 … I can remember, as a little boy, listening to Sunday broadcasts,” President Nelson said in Fox News’ July 13 report.
Also on July 13, The Hill reported on the broadcast, including commentary from Perry Sook in its report.
Sook is a joint board chair of the National Association of Broadcasters and chair and CEO of Nexstar Media Group. According to a news release, he participated in the broadcast’s post-show celebration at the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“The 5,000th episode of ‘Music & the Spoken Word’ represents more than longevity and international reach,” Sook said in the report. “It represents unwavering excellence, a commitment to public service and the enduring power of faith and music to unite us all.”
French-language magazine Teknomers also reported on the event, attributing the show’s success to the universal language of music that President Nelson discussed in a news release.
Music “communicates to the heart and soul of individuals in a way that written words cannot duplicate,” Teknomers’ July 14 report quoted President Nelson as saying.
More locally, other news organizations such as KSL-TV, ABC4, Telemundo Utah, Church News and Deseret News, reported on the choir’s historic broadcast.
“As we look to the future, we only want to be better and better. It only energizes us more to be the best we can possibly be and to reach as many people as possible,” Mark Wilberg, the choir’s conductor for 17 years, told KSL-TV.
KSL-TV, a Salt Lake City-based NBC News affiliate, also provided multiple television reports on the program’s history and impact.
Likewise, Deseret News’ coverage included a variety of reports, ranging from a behind-the-scenes video to an in-depth summary of the event.
One such report detailed Rabbi Jarrod Grover’s journey to watch the broadcast live in Utah after having written to the show as a regular viewer from Canada.
“I bet you nobody would think that a rabbi in Canada is watching this broadcast as part of his ritual every week. I’m going to write an email and shock them,” Grover recalled thinking as he shared his story with the Deseret News.
Little did Grover know he would be the one surprised when Derrick Porter, the show’s presenter, emailed him a personal invitation to attend the milestone broadcast in person.
Other news outlets, such as Beliefnet, Patheos, Axios, KVNU, KUER, Radio Ink, Meridian Magazine, Davis Journal, Latter-day Saint Life Hacker and LDS Daily, also provided coverage of the program’s history and historic accomplishment.
“To the casual observer, ‘Music & the Spoken Word’ may appear as just another musical performance,” Beliefnet wrote. “But to the millions who have tuned in over the decades, it is much more — it’s a place of calm in chaos, a pause in a noisy world and a regular reminder of what really matters.”
