[News Engineer]

I’ve yet to see the documentary, but if it’s right Dermot Murnaghan is claiming he got to Buckingham Palace first and so got the best spot, that’s a little bit cheeky.

For the Queen’s death all the positions were drawn out on a plan long in advance. Once different broadcasters turned up, those with allocated spaces (the UK networks, US networks, news agencies) all began to setup in their agreed positions.

So Dermot might have ensured Sky got their spot, which would have been one of the best, but if he’d have gone in the wrong place he’d soon have been moved, as would anyone taking Sky’s spot!

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Who was the first of the US networks to break the news of her being unwell that day? As I know when the news of her death broke , CNN was the first of the cable news networks to announce it, whilst ABC was the first of the three main networks to break the news (I remember when her death was announced, both ABC and NBC went into special report mode for 2.5 hours, whereas CBS was only in special report mode for an hour)

In terms of the announcement of her being unwell I think ABC got it on Good Morming America first, think NBC and CBS were a little behind I think, possibly not by much.

CNN and ABC got the announcement of her death on air very close to each other, can’t quite remember who was first. From what I remember NBC were next, CBS not long after.

CBS’ funeral coverage was much shorter than the other networks, they went back to regular programmes as the coffin was leaving London, not long after CBS Mornings would have finished anyway. ABC and NBC carried on until after the internment in Windsor.