Its unusual longevity was first noticed in 1972 by reporter Mike Dunstan. After weeks of interviewing people who had lived in Livermore all their lives, he wrote "Light Bulb May Be World's Oldest", published in the "Tri-Valley Herald". Dunstan contacted the "Guinness Book of World Records", "Ripley's Believe It or Not", and General Electric, who all confirmed it as the longest-lasting bulb known in existence. The article came to the attention of Charles Kuralt of the CBS-TV program "On the Road with Charles Kuralt".