Watching TV

“Star Trek,” “Bonanza” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” were still going strong during primetime on television, but during the day on June 20, 1967, all eyes were glued to live coverage of a United Nations debate on the Mideast. In this photo, New Yorkers gather at a Zenith showroom window at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street.

The United Nations debate came just over a week after The Six-Day War between Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Viewers were eager to hear what would be said by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Premier Aleksei N. Kosygin of the Soviet Union.

“Extensive television and radio coverage was accorded yesterday morning to President Johnson’s address in Washington and to the emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York,” The Times wrote. “The combined proceedings pre-empted most programs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the networks and some independent outlets.

“The viewer’s interest yesterday morning centered on the possibility of a meeting between Premier Kosygin and President Johnson outside the Assembly, and the viewer had to rely on scattered data and tentative conclusions of the commentators in studios.”