The First big TV affiliate swap in Cleveland-March 2, 1955.

Akron Beacon Journal Ad for Paige Palmer's new program on channel 49 (2-28-55)

A TV Guide Ad for WXEL-TV 8's new transmitter..From the February 26-March 4, 1955 TV Guide Cleveland Edition-Notice the notation at the bottom: "A Storer Station"
(I apologize for the quality of some of the images, especially off microfilm..40 year old film of a 50 year old magaine unfortunately isnt going to look pristine)



Advertisement for NBC's Steve Allen Tonight Show on WNBK-3 "A Service of RCA"

Most of us recall the Channel 8 CBS-To Fox affiliate swap in 1994..I have heard there are some people in Northeastern Ohio who still think Channel 8 is CBS..even after 13 years! We will look today at the FIRST Northeast Ohio affiliate swap..Storer Broadcasting had bought WXEL-TV 8 from Herbert Mayer's Empire Coil Company in December 1954. WXEL had been a DuMont TV affiliate, sharing ABC shows with Channel 5 since it's (WXEL's) inception in 1949. Scripps-Howard owned WEWS-TV 5, the first station in Ohio, was affiliated with CBS from its sign-on in 1947. George B. Storer, President of Storer Broadcasting, used his position on the CBS Board of Directors to take the CBS affiliation from Channel 5. This left Channel 5 to fill several hours a day of programming locally that they hadnt had to before, While Channel 8 was now affiliated with one of "The big two" Networks, with the resulting programming and ratings boost CBS affiliation would provide. I want to look at the March 1 and 2, 1955 Schedules to highlight the varied changes on both stations..But first, The Cleveland Dateline in TV Guide for Feb. 26-Mar. 4, 1955...This is actually a large part of a January 14, 2007 posting from Radioinsight.com..Most of the column is intact with a few edits and comments of my own..

TV's Week: Wednesday's [March 2] the day of the "Big Switch" in programming on channels 5 and 8. On that date, shows originating with the CBS Network will be seen on WXEL. The ABC and DuMont shows will move to 5. Check TV Guide's complete listings and eliminate dialing confusion.

Almost lost in the changeover of all the programs this week is the debut of the new "Eddie Cantor Show" Banjoeyes premieres on 5 Thursday at 7:30 PM. The Show, Picked up locally by Fisher Foods, is a weekly half-hour production on film featuring plenty of guest stars-From Eddie Fisher to Brian Aherne.

Channel Chatter: Jackie Gleason was head, shoulders, and tummy ahead of all other shows in the Cleveland area last month according to the American Research Bureau's survey. Second to his 58.4 rating was I Love Lucy with a 49.9 rounding out the top ten were:

You Bet Your Life
Your Hit Parade
Disneyland
Toast Of The Town
Dragnet
[Arthur] Godfrey and Friends
Talent Scouts
This Is Your Life

Paige Palmer starts a new daily routine "It's Worth Knowing" on 49 daily at 6:30 PM. She'll still exercise on 5 each morning at 9:30 AM.

Eddie Elias, lawyer-athlete-sportscaster, makes his "Trophy Room" a twice-a-week feature on 49. The sports show will be seen on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:50 PM..

(A few years later, Elias would become founder of the Professional Bowlers Associstion)

Other news (my edits) Arthur Godfrey says no date has been set for his hip surgery, which is expected to keep him off the air up to 5 months..Also rumored changes in Godfrey's programs for the 1955-56 season are denied by CBS brass.

First-season sitcom Father Knows Best is canceled by CBS for a "New Live Show" to start April 3 despite a letter writing campaign by fans.


(Father Knows Best is subsequently picked up by NBC where it remained from 1955-58 until CBS regained the show for its last two first run seasons..[1958-60]


TV Guide Schedule

3 WNBK-NBC
5 WEWS CBS (As of 8:55 AM 3-2-55 ABC/DuMont)
8 WXEL DuMont/ABC (As of 7AM 3-2-55 CBS)
21 WFMJ NBC Youngstown
27 WKBN CBS/ABC/DuMont Youngstown
49 WAKR ABC Akron

Tuesday March 1, 1955

7AM
3-21 Today-Dave Garroway
5-27 Morning Show-Jack Paar

8:25
5 On Wings Of Song

8:30
5-27 Morning Show

8:55
5 On Wings Of Song
8 Preview Corner
21 Health and Happiness Club

9AM
3 Movie-Song Of Mexico
5 Western Reserve (University)-College Classes
8-27 To Be Announced
21 Movie-(Morning Matinee)-That Certain Feeling

9:30
5 Paige Palmer

10AM
3-21 Ding Dong School
5-27 Garry Moore Show
8 Alice Weston

10:30
3-21 Way Of The World
5 Arthur Godfrey Time
8 Charming Children
27 Movie-TBA

10:45
3-21 Sheliah Graham-John Wayne Guest

11AM
3-21 Home-Arlene Francis
8 Nancy Dixon-Shopping

11:05
8 Maggie Wulff

11:30
5-27 Strike It Rich-Hull

Noon
3-21 Tennessee Ernie Ford Show
5 Valiant Lady
27 Noon Show

12:15
5 Love Of Life

12:30
3-21 Feather Your Nest-Game
5 Search For Tomorrow
8 Rena And Bob

12:45
5 Guiding Light

1PM
3 Movie-Forced Landing
5 Woman's Window
8-27 Portia Faces Life-CBS
21 News

1:15
8 Road Of Life-CBS
21 Hal's A Poppin-Hal Fryar-Local Variety
27 Home Cooking-Hendricks

1:30
5 Welcome Travelers
8 All For You-Weston

1:45
27 Movie-(Feature Matinee) Ginger

1:50
21 Strange Experiences

1:55
21 International Playhouse

2PM
5 Robert Q Lewis
8 Movie-Thunder Pass

2:30
3 Maggi Byrne-Fashion
5 Linkletter's House Party-Jack Slattery Guest Host while Art is on Vacation
21-Kitchen Corner-(Marjorie) Mariner

2:45
27 Casteel's Carousel

3PM
3-21 The Greatest Gift-Soap
5-27 Big Payoff

3:15
3-21 Golden Windows-Soap

3:30
3-21 One Man's Family
5 Bob Crosby
27 Paul Dixon-DuMont-As DuMont was on the critical list as a network by this time, many of their longer running shows were canceled or moved to other networks..Paul Dixon's last DuMont show was April 8, 1955. Of course, Dixon remined a fixture on the "Crosley" Network in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, etc..Through 1974.

3:45
3-21 Miss Marlowe-Soap

4PM
3-21 Nawkins Falls
5 Mixing Bowl-Cooking
8 Brighter Day-CBS
27 The Little Show
49 Movie-Scared To Death

4:15
3-21 First Love-Soap
8 Secret Storm-CBS
27 Grizzly Pete-Kids

4:30
3-21 World Of Mr. Sweeney
5 On Your Account
8 King Jack-Kids

4:45
3-21 Modern Romances

5PM
3 Pinky Lee
5-8 Captain Video-DuMont-Shown on both 5 and 8 here, on 5 only starting the next day. However, Captain Video would be canceled April 1, 1955.
21 Susie Sidesaddle-Kids
49 Hinky Dinks-Kids

5:15
5 Dinner Platter-Bob Dale
8 Desert Deputy-Kids

5:30
3-21 Howdy Doody
5 Uncle Jake's House-Gene Carroll
49 Quick On The Draw

5:50
27 Ohio Story-Documentary program produced in the 1950's..I'd love to know if any of these still exist.

6PM
3 Abbott and Costello
5 Little Eascals
21 What's Your Trouble
27 You Are There-CBS
49 News

6:15
21 Mr. Mayor
49 Tail Waggers

6:30
3 Sports
5 News-Fuldheim
8 News Parade-Bob Lang
21 Sports
27 News
49 Paige Palmer-Doing double duty as she was on 5 in the mornings

6:40
3 Weather Vane
27 News At Home

6:45
3 Today's News-Tom Field
5-27 Sports
8-21 Weather

6:50
8 Ohio Story
21 Sports-Eddie Lane
49 Trophy Room-Eddie Elias

6:55
5-27 Weather

7PM
3 Ella Raines Show (Janet Dean, Registered Nurse)
5 Pooch Parade-Would later become a major part of Ron Penfound's Captain Penny Show
8 7:00 Playhouse
21 The Visitor (The Doctor reruns)
27 The Vise-ABC Fri. 9:30
49 News Jack Fitzgibbons

7:10
49 Sports

7:15
5 Meet Your Schools
49 John Daly-ABC News

7:30
3-21 Dinah Shore
5-27 Doug Edwards-CBS News
8 Cavalcade Of America-ABC Tues. 7:30
49 Chef Lorenzo-Cooking-He had been on Cleveland stations earlier

7:45
3-21 News Caravam-John Cameron Swayze-NBC News
5-27 Jo Stafford

8PM
3-21 Bob Hope
5 Forian Zabach-Syndicated
8-27-49 Bishop Fulton J. Sheen-DuMont-His last DuMont show was April 26, 1955. He would move to ABC in October 1955.

8:30
5 Halls Of Ivy
8 Twenty Questions-ABC
27 Treaury Men In Action-ABC Thurs. 8:30
49 Liberace-Syndicated

9PM
3-21 Fireside Theater
5-27 Meet Millie
8-49 Danny Thomas Show

9:30
3-21 Circle Theater
5 Red Skelton
8-27 US Steel Hour-ABC
49 Wrestling-Hollywood

10PM
3-21 Truth Or Consequences
5 Mr. District Attorney-Syndicated

10:30
3-21 It's A Great Life-Comedy
5-27 See It Now-Edward R. Murrow
8 To Be Announced
49 Stop The Music

11PM
3-8-21-27-49 News (8, 27 Sohio Reporter-Warren Guthrie)
5 Movie-TBA

11:05
3 Weather-Joe Finan

11:10
3-8-21-49 Sports

11:15
3 Fame-Story Of Henry Ford
8-27 Weather
21 Movie Museum

11:20
8 Movie-Cheer The Brave
27 Movie (Stage Door) The Broken Horseshoe

11:30
3-21 Tonight-Steve Allen

12:30
5-27 News

1AM
3 News

Wednesday March 2, 1955

7AM
3-21 Today-Dave Garroway
8-27 Morning Show-Jack Paar (Tv 8's first official CBS show, though thye had been running some CBS afternoon soaps for awhile.

8:55
5 News
21 Health and Happiness Club

9AM
3 Movie-Life, Liberty and Orrin Dooley
5 Western Reserve (University)-College Classes
8 Movie-TBA
21 Movie-(Morning Matinee)Interrupted Journey
27 To Be Announced


9:30
5 Paige Palmer
8 Charming Children

9:55
5 News

10AM
3-21 Ding Dong School
5 Little Rascals
8-27 Garry Moore

10:30
3-21 Way Of The World
5 Movie-TBA
8 Arthur Godfrey
27 Movie-TBA

10:45
3-21 Sheliah Graham-John Wayne Guest

11AM
3-21 Home-Arlene Francis


11:30
8-27 Strike It Rich-Hull

11:55
5 News

Noon
3-21 Tennessee Ernie Ford Show
5 Bob Dale
8 Valiant Lady
27 Noon Show

12:15
8 Love Of Life

12:30
3-21 Feather Your Nest-Game
8 Search For Tomorrow

12:45
8 Guiding Light

1PM
3 Movie-Pistol-Packin Mama
5 Woman's Window
8-27 Portia Faces Life
21 News

1:15
8 Road Of Life
21 Hal's A Poppin-Hal Fryar-Local Variety
27 Home Cooking-Hendricks

1:30
5 To Be Announced
8 Welcome Travelers


1:45
27 Movie-(Feature Matinee) Army Wives

1:55
21 Pantomime Quiz

2PM
5 Robert Q Lewis
8 Alice Weston

2:25
3 Amy Vanderbilt

2:30
3 Maggi Byrne-Fashion
5 To Be Announced
8 Linkletter's House Party
21-Kitchen Corner-(Marjorie) Mariner

2:45
27 Casteel's Carousel

3PM
3-21 The Greatest Gift-Soap
5 Paul Dixon-DuMont
8-27 Big Payoff

3:15
3-21 Golden Windows-Soap

3:30
3-21 One Man's Family
8-27 Bob Crosby

3:45
3-21 Miss Marlowe-Soap

4PM
3-21 Nawkins Falls
5 Mixing Bowl-Cooking
8 Brighter Day
27 The Little Show
49 Movie-To Be Announced

4:15
3-21 First Love-Soap
8 Secret Storm
27 Grizzly Pete-Kids

4:30
3-21 World Of Mr. Sweeney
5 Uncle Jake's House
8 On Your Account

4:45
3-21 Modern Romances
27 Clubhouse-Kids

5PM
3 Pinky Lee
5 Captain Video
8 Story Lady-Pat Ryan
21 Susie Sidesaddle-Kids
27 Grizzly Pete
49 Hinky Dinks-Kids

5:15
5 Dinner Platter-Bob Dale
8 Barker Bill-CBS (Terrytoons)



5:30
3-21 Howdy Doody
8 Adventure Theater
49 Quick On The Draw

5:45
5 Captain Video

6PM
3 Wild Bill Hickock
5 Little Eascals
21 Norby
27 Superman
49 News

6:15
49 Spotlight On Sports

6:30
3 Sports
5 News-Fuldheim
8 News Parade-Bob Lang
21-27 News
49 Paige Palmer

6:40
3 Weather Vane
27 News At Home

6:45
3 Today's News-Tom Field
5-8-21 Weather

6:50
5 Sports-Paul Wilcox
8 Joe Portaro-Beauty
21 Sports-Eddie Lane
49 Ohio Story

6:55
27 Weather

7PM
3 Norby
5 Waterfront-Syndicated
8 Matchless Theater
21 Badge 714 (Dragnet)
27 Stu Erwin-ABC Wed. 8:30
49 News, Sports

7:15
49 John Daly-ABC News

7:30
3-21 Eddie Fisher
5 Disneyland (First ABC show as a full affiliate)
8-27 Doug Edwards-CBS News
49 Chef Lorenzo-Cooking

7:45
3-21 News Caravam-John Cameron Swayze-NBC News
8-27 Perry Como

8PM
3-21 I Married Joan
8-27 Arthur Godfrey And Friends
49 Spelling Bee

8:30
3-21 My Little Margie
5-49 Stu Erwin

9PM
3-21 Kraft Television Theater
5 Liberace-Syndicated
8-27 The Millionaire
49 Masquerade Party

9:30
5 Who Said That?-Bob Consideie, June lockhart, Gene Raymond-ABC Wed. 9PM
8-27 I've Got a Secret
49 Junior Town Meeting

10PM
3-21 This Is Your Life
5 To Be Announced
8-27 Best Of Broadway (Blue Ribbom Boxing Pre-empted)
49 Movie-Rolling Home

10:30
3-21 Big Town

11PM
3-8-21-27-49 News (8, 27 Sohio Reporter-Warren Guthrie)
5 Movie (Playhouse) Raw Deal

11:05
3 Weather-Joe Finan

11:10
3-8-21-49 Sports

11:15
3-21 Theater 15
8 Weather
27 Weather, Sports

11:20
8 Movie-TBA
27 Twenty Questions-ABC Tues. 8:30

11:30
3-21 Tonight-Steve Allen

11:50
27 Movie (Playhouse) A Man About the House

12:45
8 News

12:50
27 News

1AM
3 News


Comments:Storer Broadcasting acquired WJW-AM and FM (850, 104.1) from William O'Neil in late 1954..By 1956 WXEL's Call Letters were changed to WJW-TV..Things were still unsettled for a while as several "To Be Announced" slots indicate..These were the last days of DuMont as a viable national TV network..So by the end of 1955 WEWS was exclusively an ABC affiliate..WKBN had ABC shows all over the schedule, even in just the few days shown here..WKST 45 New Castle, Pa. Would begin Broadcasting in 1957 As Youngstown's ABC affiliate..(Now WYTV-33)

Images from The Akron Beacon Journal and TV Guide Cleveland Edition-Other information from Wikipedia and the Complete Prime Time Guide to Network/Cable Shows-Tim Brooks/Earle Marsh