WXEL-TV 9 Cleveland-A Week of Broadcasting

First Test Pattern for WXEL-TV Channel 9 in Cleveland...Signed on December 19, 1949. "The World On View"..From Richard Warner's WJW-TV History (in the links at the right)

Early Remote Broadcast Truck for WXEL Channel 9 in Cleveland. Presumably at the Parma Transmitter location..Courtesy of Richard Warner

April 19, 1952 Cover of "TV Today" A Pre-TV Guide Publication covering the Detroit and Cleveland Markets..With offices in both cities and published in Sandusky. Here a Young Marlin Perkins has fun with "Heine The Chimp." Perkins was host of NBC's Zoo Parade out of Chicago. This was purchased at oldtvguides.com out of Illinois-An excellent resource for vintage TV Guides and other pre-national regional publications, as well as some old newspaper supplements.

We've written extensively about TV stations' Histories in the time we've been here, Including a very well done WJW-TV 8 History by Ex-TV 8 Webmaster Richard Warner, which has been part of our links for some time. What I thought we'd do now is take a specific week of Broadcasting at the old WXEL-TV 9, predecessor to TV 8. We'll look at April 19-25, 1952 as published in "TV Today", a Magazine that covered the Cleveland and Detroit Markets equally from Officies in both cities, publishing out of Sandusky, Ohio..The format was One day of Detroit stations on the left page, and one day of Clevelamd stations on the right page. Both Cities had 3 stations:Detroit 2, 4 and 7 and Cleveland 4, 5, and 9.

WXEL 9 haf been on the air nearly 2 1/2 years at this point..They were considered primarily DuMont but carried ABC and a surprising number of CBS Shows, though WEWS-5 was the primary Cleveland CBS affiliate. ABC was still struggling, as was DuMont..This week shows WXEL at a time when it wasnt certain whether ABC or DuMont would survive, yet DuMont hung around for about 4 more years. ABC would turn the corner in 1953 with its merger with United Paramount Theaters. Cleveland Indians Baseball would begin on WXEL this week, with announcers Bob Neal and former American League Umpire "Red" Jones. According to Franklin W. Snyder, WXEL General Manager, there would be a fourth camera added to the telecasts this year..

WXEL-9 Cleveland-April 19-25, 1952
TV Today

Saturday April 19
10AM Western Story
11AM Kousin (Walt) Kay Merry Go-Round
Noon Big Top-CBS
1PM Mr. I Magination-Paul Tripp-CBS
1:30 Paseball Previews
1:55 Baseball-Detroit/Indians
4:20 Baseball Scoreboard
4:30-6 No Listing
6PM Hail The Champ
6:30 Hi-Game Revue
6:45 Sports Quiz
7PM Bill Gwinn Show-ABC
7:30 Beat The Clock-Bud Collyer-CBS
8PM Paul Whiteman TV Teen Club-ABC
8:30 Sports Camera-ABC
9PM Premier Theater-Feature Film
10:40 Wrestling From Chicago-DuMont
12:30 Sign-Off

Sunday April 20
10:30 A Story For Sunday-Religious Film
11:30 In The Park-Fantasy
Noon Ranger Joe
12:15 Hippodrome-ABC
12:30 Comedy Carninval/Gene Crane-CBS
1PM Here's The Pitch-Gail Egan- Then Baseball Cleveland/Detroit Doubleheader
6PM Space Patrol-ABC
6:30 To Be Announced
7PM Not For Publication-DuMont
7:30 Foursquare Court-ABC
8PM King's Crossroads-ABC (Movie)
9PM Rocky King-DuMont
9:30 Plainclothesman-Dumont
10PM The Ruggles-ABC
10:30 What's My Line?-CBS
11PM CBS Sunday News Special

Monday, April 21
11AM News-Ted Anthony
11:15 Film Shorts
11:30 Good Neighbors
Noon The Egg And I-CBS
12:15 Love Of Life-CBS
12:30 To Be Announced
1PM Alice Weston
1:30 Midday Movie-Allen Freed and Grant Wilson
3PM Film Shorts
4:45 Comedy Carnival
5PM Tune Inn
5:15 Dinner Winner-Rena/Bob Ledyard
5:30 Desert Deputy
6:30 Tom Corbett-ABC
6:45 Evening News-Bob Rowley
7PM Captain Video-DuMont
7:30 Hollywood Screen Test-ABC
8PM Out Of The Fog-ABC
8:30 Johns Hopkins Science Review-DuMont
9PM Guide Right-DuMont
9:30 Bill Gwinn Hollywood Show-ABC
10PM Wrestling-Hollywood (Film)
11PM Warren Guthrie News
11:10 Today's Top Story-Sanford I. Whitman
11:15 Sports Final
11:20 Nite Owl Theatre
12:45 Sign-Off

Tuesday, April 22
11AM News-Ted Anthony
11:15 Film Shorts
Noon The Egg And I-CBS
12:15 Love Of Life-CBS
12:30 Search For Tomorrow-CBS
12:45 Film Shorts
1PM Alice Weston
1:30 Midday Movie-Allen (Alan) Freed and Grant Wilson
3:30 Cheerful House
4PM Pause For Pleasure-Randy Carlyle
4:30 Film Shorts
4:45 Comedy Carnival
5PM Gaylord Hauser-Nutrition
5:15 Dinner Winner-Rena/Bob Ledyard
5:30 Desert Deputy
6:30 Sports Desk-Gail Egan/John Fitzgerald
6:45 Evening News-Bob Rowley
7PM Captain Video-DuMont
7:30 Beulah-ABC
8PM Life Is Worth Living-DuMont
8:30 Keep Posted-DuMont
9PM Battle Of The Ages-DuMont
9:30 Quick On The Draw-DuMont
10PM Danger-CBS
10:30 Boston Blackie-Syndicated
11PM Warren Guthrie News
11:10 Today's Top Story-Sanford I. Whitman
11:15 Sports Final
11:20 Nite Owl Theatre

Wednesday, April 23
11AM News-Ted Anthony
11:15 Film Shorts
11:30 Strike It Rich-CBS
Noon The Egg And I-CBS
12:15 Love Of Life-CBS
12:30 Search For Tomorrow-CBS
12:45 Film Shorts
1PM Alice Weston
1:30 Midday Movie-Allen (Alan) Freed and Grant Wilson
3:30 Film Shorts
4PM Pause For Pleasure-Russ Carlyle
4:30 Film Shorts
4:45 Comedy Carnival
5PM Tune Inm
5:15 Dinner Winner
5:30 Desert Deputy
6:30 Tom Corbett-ABC
6:45 Evening News-Bob Rowley
7PM Captain Video-DuMont
7:30 Name's The Same-ABC
8PM Mystery Playhouse
8:30 Paul Dixon-ABC
9PM Strike It Rich-CBS
9:30 To Be Announced
10PM Boxing-Russ Hodges-CBS
10:45 Sports Spot-Mel Allen-CBS
11PM Warren Guthrie News
11:10 Today's Top Story-Sanford I. Whitman
11:15 Sports Final
11:20 Nite Owl Theatre

Thursday, April 24
11AM News-Ted Anthony
11:15 Film Shorts
Noon The Egg And I-CBS
12:15 Love Of Life-CBS
12:30 Search For Tomorrow-CBS
12:45 Film Shorts
1PM Alice Weston
1:30 Midday Movie-Allen (Alan) Freed and Grant Wilson
3:30 Cheerful House
4PM Pause For Pleasure-Russ Carlyle
4:30 Film Shorts
4:45 Comedy Carnival
5:15 Dinner Winner
5:30 Desert Deputy
6:30 Sports Desk
6:45 Evening News-Bob Rowley
7PM Captain Video-DuMont
7:30 Eloise Salutes The Stars
8PM Burns And Allen-CBS
8:30 Amos And Andy-CBS
9PM Electric Theater
9:30 Meet The Champ
10PM Charlie Wild, Detective-DuMont
10:30 Crime Photographer-CBS
11PM Warren Guthrie News
11:10 Today's Top Story-Sanford I. Whitman
11:15 Sports Final
11:20 Nite Owl Theatre

Friday, April 25
11AM News-Ted Anthony
11:15 To be Announced
11:30 Good Neighbors
Noon The Egg And I-CBS
12:15 Love Of Life-CBS
12:30 Search For Tomorrow-CBS
12:45 Film Shorts
1PM Alice Weston
1:30 Here's The Pitch-Egan
1:55 Baseball-Cleveland/White Sox
4:20 Baseball Scoreboard
4:30 Film Shorts
4:45 Comedy Carnival
5PM Tune Inn
5:30 Desert Deputy
6:30 Tom Corbett-ABC
6:45 Evening News-Bob Rowley
7PM Captain Video-DuMont
7:30 Life With Linkletter-ABC
8PM Twenty Questions-Bill Slater-DuMont
8:30 Stu Erwin-ABC
9PM Down You Go-DuMont
9:30 Tales of Tomorrow-ABC
10PM Cavalcade Of Stars-Jackie Gleason-DuMont
11PM Warren Guthrie News
11:10 Today's Top Story-Sanford I. Whitman
11:15 Sports Final
11:20 Nite Owl Theater
12:45 Sign-Off

Other notes:Ruth Lyons' 50-50 Club, a staple of Crosley TV stations in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, was shown at this point by WNBK-TV Channel 4 Cleveland, WWJ-TV 4 Detroit and the NBC-TV Network.

WEWS-TV 5 this month began showing "Know Your Schools.", A Public Affairs program that would be featured well into the 1960's. A count of Network Shows shows WXEL with 25 CBS shows (Includes multiple soap opera airings) 18 ABC Shows and 19 DuMont Shows

Personal Note:This is my 100th post..and the last of 2007..Have a safe and Happy New Year..