TV Guide-First Local Edition..May 23-29, 1953

Editor's note:For some reason, this post, Originally from July 19, 2008, went back into "draft" status on Blogger after being "published" for over a year..I have no idea why..So here's an encore:The first official TV Guide "Lake Erie Edition"



TV Guide proclaimed May 22-29, 1953 as "TV Baseball Appreciation Week"..Here local celebrities tell TV Guide readers what Baseball means to them..Some of the sentiments may come across as a bit corny when looking at Baseball today, but it was a much different time..


Ad for Tom Field News on WNBK/4 and WTAM/1100..Just 5 minutes Monday-Saturday..


Ad for WXEL-9 Cleveland Indians Telecasts..


First Edition of "Channel Chatter" News of local and national TV personalites. Of particular Interest is John Kinsella leaving WXEL to go to Kansas City KCTY-This station was DuMont Affiliated on channel 25 and as the article said, owned by Herbert Mayer. At the time there was only WDAF-4 on the air in Kansas City..KCTY-25 signed on June 9, 1953..By the end of the year Channels 5 qnd 9 popped up in KC..Not able to weather the new competition, Mayer sold channel 25 in December 1953 to DuMont Itself which only ran it for 2 months before shutting it down in February 1954..


WFMJ-TV 73-On the air about 6 weeks at this point..Exclusive for NBC in Youngstown..


Early Ad for WKBN-Heralding 3 "Big Networks" for Youngstown's TV Viewers

Today We'll look at TV Guide's Debut in Cleveland..Triangle Publications of Philadelphia had acquired a number of local TV magazines all over the US with the idea of unifying them into a single national magazine with locally produced daily listings..TV Guide's New York Edition debuted April 3, 1953..Over the next several weeks, more editions would roll out in different parts of the country. Cleveland's TV Guide premiered May 23, 1953..Known as the Lake Erie Edition. For the first year or so, TV Guide would hold to a Friday-Thursday Publication schedule.. On July 17, 1954 they would go the long familiar Saturday-Friday Schedule.. October 6, 2005 Thet went with Sunday-Saturday till the end of the small digest TV Guide..

Also by this time (Late 1954) they became known as the "Cleveland" Edition

The first week there would only be 5 stations listed..4, 5, and 9 in Cleveland..27 and 73 in Youngstown..A far cry from the eventual 17 stations they woulld carry by the mid seventies..In places like Toledo, Erie and Akron/Canton..TV Guide would eventually split off into "Cleveland Metro" and "Youngstown/Erie" editions by 1978..

In this first TV Guide, aside from the ads, etc. mentioned above, there are local articles about "Captain Glenn" Rowell of WNBK-4, who had earlier teamed with Gene Carroll on the radio in the 30's and 40's..now both in Cleveland as TV stars..and an article by Miss Paige Palmer.."Don't be a Parking Poop" advising Young Girls how to act around Boys when dating..

Schedule:

Cleveland
4 WNBK NBC
5 WEWS CBS
9 WXEL DuMont/ABC/CBS

Youngstown
27 WKBN CBS/DuMont/ABC
73 WFMJ NBC

Saturday. May 23, 1953

8:55
5 News

9AM
5 Western Reserve Univ.

9:30
4 Nature Of Things
5 Western Film

9:45
4 Cartoon Time

10AM
4 Buckskin Billy:Movie:Vigilantes of Boomtown
5 Green Thumbs-Arnold Davis
9 Film Shorts

10:15
5 Film Shorts
9 Lash of The West-Lash LaRue

10:30
9 By Jupiter-Joe Berg

11AM
4 Red Wagon-Captain Glenn Rowell
5 Space Patrol
9 Summer Show Walt "Kousin" Kay

11:30
4 Youth Wants to Know
5-27 Rod Brown Rocket Rangers-CBS

Noon
4 Panorama
5-27 Big Top-CBS
9 Sky King

12:30
4 American Inventory
9 Movie-Marked For Murder

1PM
4 Movie-Prison Nurse
5-27 Meet Me At The Zoo-CBS

1:30
5 Movies-TBA (3 hrs. 30 min.)
9 News Bulletin
27 Movies-TBA (2 Hrs. 30 min)

1:35
9 Baseball Preview

1:45
9 Dugout Interviews

2PM
9 Baseball-St. Louis Browns at Cleveland Indians-Bob Neal. Red Jones
(Cleveland won 5-1)

2:30
4 Movie-1Hour-TBA
73 Movie-Dear Murderer

3:30
4 Anywhere USA-Film
27 Boxing Film Gil Turner/Johnny Lombardo-Welterweight

4PM
4-73 Horse Racing-Metopolitan Handicap

4:20
9 Baseball Scoreboard

4:30
4 Danny Landau-Sports
9 Movie-Hollywood and Vine
27 Western Theater
73 Movie-Western Feature

4:45
4 Industry On Parade

5PM
4 Movie-Thunder In The Desert
5 Steps to Stardom-Bruce Charles

5:30
5-27 The Preakness
73 This Is America-Film

6PM
4 Cisco Kid
5 What One Person Can Do-Religious Film
9 Your Home and Garden-Harry Pree
27 Don Gardner Sports
73 Week In Review-Film

6:10
27 Norm Berger-Weather

6:15
5 Inside Catholic Schools
27 Gene Starn News

6:30
4 Billy The Kid-Western
5 Polka 'N' Fun-Court Stanton
9-27 What In The World
73 Laurel and Hardy

7PM
4 Lone Ranger
5 Stork Club-Robert Q. Lewis-CBS
9-27 Music From Meadowbrook-ABC-DEBUT
73 Mr. Wizard-NBC

7:30
4-73 Ethel And Albert
5 Twenty Fingers-Crandall Hendershott/Wayne Mack
9-27 Beat The Clock-CBS-Bud Collyer

7:45
5 Periscope-News/Sports

8PM
4-73 My Hero-Bob Cummings
5-27 Jackie Gleason
9 Movie-Tomorrow at Seven

8:30
4-73 Ted Mack Amateur Hour

9PM
4-73 Your Show Of Shows
5-27 This Is Show Business-Clifton Fadiman
9 Boxing-Bill Stern-ABC

9:30
5-27 Meet Millie

9:45
9 Fight Talk-Bob Cooke

10PM
5 The Web-CBS
9 Orient Express-Film
27 Wrestling-Chicago-DuMont

10:30
4-73 Your Hit Parade
5 It's News To Me-CBS-John Daly
9 Movie-Interrupted Journey (English)

11PM
4 Tom Field News
5 Movie-You Only Live Once
73 Movie-TBA

11:05
4 Movie-Tornado
27 Sports

11:20
27 Wrestling-Chicago

Midnight
9 Wrestling-Hollywood
27-73 News

12:15
4 Movie-TBA

12:30
5 Sports

12:35
5 Movie-TBA

1:15
4 News

Sunday, May 24, 1953

9:45
9 Faith For Today

9:55
5 News

10AM
4 Living Bible
5 TV Sunday School

10:15
9 Christophers

10:30
4 Norman Vincent Peale
5 Religious Film
9 Movie-Navajo Kid

10:45
4 Mr. Wizard

11AM
5 Western Film

11:15
4 Magic Clown

11:30
4 Flash Gordon
5 Polka Varieties-Danny Landau

11:45
9 Star Babes-Kids

Noon
4 Park Synagogue
5 Gene Carroll
9-27 Tootsie Hippodrome-CBS

12:30
4 Frontiers of Faith
9 Candy Carnival
27 In The Park-Puppets

1PM
4 Movie-TBA
5 Polka Parade-Johnny Vadnal
9 Sport Reports
27 Seminar-Education
73 Youth Wants to Know

1:05
9 Baseball Preview

1:15
9 Dogout Interviews Jimmy Dudley

1:30
5 Both Sides-Panel
9 Baseball St. Louis at Cleveland Doubleheader
Cleveland won 5-1 and 9-8
27 This Is The Life
73 Polka Hour-Steve Garcher

2PM
5 Film Shorts
27 Junior Press Conference
73 Norman Vincent Peale

2:15
5 Your Own Home
73 Industry On Parade

2:30
4-73 American Forum
5 Fun With Charades-Hal Morgan
27 Polka Party-Johnny Butchko

3PM
4 Techniscience
5-27 Following The Frontiers
73 That We May See

3:15
73 Film Fare

3:30
4 To Be Announced
5 Ohio Sesquiecentennial-Ohio's 150th anniversary
27 Movie Miniature
73 Frank Lloyd Wright-Hugh Downs

4PM
4 Kukla Fran and Ollie
5 Crusade in the Pacific
9 News Bulletins
27 Lamp Unto My Feet

4:15
9 Baseball St. Louis/Cleveland Game 2

4:30
4-73 Zoo Parade
5 Meet the Consulates
27 Man Of The Week-CBS

5PM
4-73 Hallmark Hall of Fame-Proudly I Love
5-27 Adventure

5:30
4-73 Sightseeing with Swayze-Canada

5:45
4-73 NBC News-Bill Henry

6PM
4 Meet The Press
5 Range Rider
27 You Are There-Walter Cronkite
73 Serial Theater

6:15
9 Baseball Scoreboard

6:30
4-73 Roy Rogers
5 See It Now-Edward R. Murrow
9 Walter Winchell-ABC
27 New York Times Youth Forum-DuMont

6:45
9 Orchid Room-ABC-DEBUT

7PM
4-73 Red Skelton
5 Gene Autry
9 You Asked For It-ABC
27 Georgetown Forum-DuMont

7:30
4-73 Mr. Peepers
5 Private Secretary
9-27 Plymouth Playhouse-ABC

8PM
4-73 Colgate Comedy Hour-Bob Hope
5-27 Toast Of The Town-Ed Sullivan
9 All Star News-ABC


9PM
4-73 Philco/Goodyear TV Playhouse
5 Fred Waring
9-27 Rocky King-DuMont

9:30
5-27 Alan Young
9 Plainclothesman-DuMont

10PM
4-73 The Doctor
5 Foreign Intrigue
9 What's Your Bid?-DuMont
27 The Web-CBS (Saturday 10PM)

10:30
4 Dangerous Assignment
5 What's My Line?
9-27 Movie-TBA (To sign-off)
73 Movie There Goes My Heart

11PM
4 Movie-TBA
5 CBS News-Don Hollenbeck

11:15
5 Movie-C-Man

Midnight
73 News

12:15
4 News

12:30
5 News

Wednesday, May 27, 1953

7AM
4 Today

8:30
5 News

8:35
5 On Wings of Song-Randy Culver Soloist, Crandall Hendershott At the Organ

9AM
4 Movie-Lady From Chunking

5 Western Resersve-TV Courses

9:30
5 Beauty For You-Paige Palmer


9:55
4 Tom Haley-News
5 News

10AM
4 Ding Dong School
5 Arthur Godrey-Robert Q. Lewis subs as Godfrey is in the Hospital


10:30
4 Charming Children-TV Kindergarten
9 Movie-Louisiana

11AM
4 Home Cooking-Marion Reich
5 One In Every Family-Dean Miller

11:30
4 Captain Glenn-Glenn Rowell
5 Strike It Rich-Warren Hull

Noon
4 Ed Wallace-News
5 Bride And Groom

12:10
4 Noontime Comics-Joe Bova

12:15
5 Love Of Life
9 All For You-Alice Weston

12:30
4 Maggi Byrne-Fashions
5 Search For Tomorrow
9 Rena and Bob-Variety

12:45
5 Guiding Light
73 Movie-Twin Husbands


1PM
4 Movie-Wrecking Crew
5 Women's Window-Ethel Jackson
9 Movie-Roosevelt Story

1:30
5 Garry Moore-Bill Cullen Subs for Garry-With Durward Kirby-Garry returns Monday

2PM
5 Double or Nothing-Bert Parks
27 Movie-TBA
73 In Our Schools

2:15
4 Joe Portaro-Beauty

2:30
4 Nancy Dixon-Shopping
5 Linkletter (House Party)
73 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner
A form of this program was hosted by Ms Mariner on 73 (Later 21) At least until the end of 1966..generally daily between 1-3PM

2:55
9 Weather

3PM
4 73 Break The Bank-Bud Collyer
5 Big Payoff-Randy Merriman, Bess Myerson
9 Alice Weston
27 Paul Dixon-DuMont

3:30
4 73 Welcome Travelers
5 Mixing Bowl
9 Paul Dixon-DuMont

4PM
4 73 Kate Smith
5 Movie-TBA
9 News
27 Club 27

4:05
9 Write You Are-Handwriting Analysis-Helen Huthinson/Sidney Andorn

4:30
9 King Jack's Toybox-Boyd Heath/Pat Ryan-Story Lady
27 This Life Of Ours-Charm/Beauty


4:45
27 News

5PM
4 Hawkins Falls
5 Uncle Jake's House-Gene Carroll
27 Western Theater
73 Buckaroo Time

5:15
4 Gabby Hayes

5:30
4 Howdy Doody
5 Time For Beany-Puppets
9 Desert Deputy-Westerns
27 Adventure Time

5:45
5 Dinner Platter-Bob Dale Spins records

6PM
4 Wild Bill Hickock
27 Don Gardner Sports
73 News/Weather Bill Crooks, John Fritz

6:10
27 Stu Wilson Sports

6:15
9 Bob Neal Sports
27 Gene Starn News
73 Viz Quiz-Film

6:20
73 Eddie Lane-Sports

6:25
5 Bill Prentice-Sports

6:30
4 Tom Manning-Sports
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
9 Celebrity Corner-Andorn
27 Guide Right-DuMont
73 Kit Carson

6:40
4 Weather Station-Glenn Rowell
9 Bob Rowley-News

6:45
4 Tom Field News
5 Diamond Lock Show-Music

6:50
9 Around Home-Ken Ward-Home Inprovement

6:55
5 Johnny Price Weather

7PM
4 Johnny Andrews Show
5 Gray Drug News Bob Lang, Jimmy Dudley
9 Captain Video-DuMont
27 It Takes All Kinds-Ted Niemi
73 Pantomime Party-Local Game

7:15
4 Yard And Garden-Herb Meyer
5 Big Playback-Bill Stern
27 Stu Wilson Chats

7:30
4 73 Eddie Fisher
5 27 CBS News-Douglas Edwards
9 A Date With Judy-ABC


7:45
4 73 NBC News John Cameron Swayze
5 Perry Como
27 Week In Sports

8PM
4-73 I Married Joan
5-27 Arthur Godfrey and Friends
9 Johns Hopkins Science Review-DuMont

8:30
4-73 Cavalcade of America
9 Talent Rehearsal
27 Golf Clubs

9PM
4-73 Kraft Television Theater
5 Crusade In Europe
9-27 Strike It Rich-Warren Hull-CBS

9:30
5 Man Against Crime-CBS
9 Big Picture
27 Chance Of A Lifetime-ABC

10PM
4-73 This Is Your Life-Ralph Edwards
5 The Unexpected
9-27 Blue Ribbon Bouts-CBS

10:30
4 Harness Racing-Painesville
5 Boston Blackie
73 Movie-TBA

10:45
9 Sports Spot
27 Don Gardner Sports

11PM
4 News-Tom Field
5 Movie-Turnabout
9-27 News-Warren Guthrie

11:05
4 Sports-Ken Coleman

11:10
4 Joe Finan-Weather
9 Ted Malone
27 News

11:15
4 Movie-The Duke Comes Back
9 Sports-John Fitzgeald
27 Sports

11:20
9 Movie-Where are the Children?
27 Wrestling Matches

Midnight
27-73 News

12:15
4 News

12:30
5 Sports, News

Thanks to Cleveland Public Library-Main Downtown branch for their kind assistance..

Classic Cleveland Personalities-1954

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Joe Portaro, Beauty and Fashion Expert, moved over from WNBK-Channel 3 to WXEL-8 recently. His show aired daily from 3:00=3:15PM. It was apparently a big ticket according to this TV Guide ad, even for a 15-minute show..

Here is a wonderful photograph from Cleveland Memory Project/Cleveland Press Collection..Original photo descruption:

Seven veterans.

"In point of service, these are the oldest performers on WEWS which is celebrating its seventh birthday today. From upper left to the bottom: Paige Palmer, Crandall Hendershott, Rachel VanCleve, Bob Dale, Randy Culver, Dorothy Fuldheim, and Gene Carroll. WXEL observes its fifth year on the air today." End quote

This would appear to be from on or about December 17, 1954. Brief profiles below:

Paige Palmer, Beauty/exercise hostess
Rachel Van Cleve-Hosted "Mixing Bowl" cooking show
Randy Culver-Announcer, Newsman, musical soloist on various programs
Crandall Hendershott-Organist-Teamed with Culver on several shows
Bob Dale-Hosted many variety shows-Probably the most popular personality on WEWS at the time. More on Dale Below
Dorothy Fulheim-News Commentator
Gene Carroll-Kids Host "Uncle Jake", Gene Carroll Talent Show


TV Guide Ad Map advertising WNBK-TV's coverage area due to it's recent (April 25, 1954) move from channel 4 to channel 3..This was done to reduce/eliminate interference with WWJ-4 in Detroit and WEWS-5.


Bob Dale at the "weatherboard" from his days at KNSD 7/39, the NBC-TV affiliate in San Diego. Special thanks to Kerrie Briggs, Art Director of KNSD 7/39 for the use of the photo.


The main reason for this blog post is to mention one of the fine early performers of Cleveland Television, Bob Dale, who passed away May 26, 2008 at the age of 83.He was born Robert Dale Bergmayr in Canton March 26, 1925. After serving in World War II, he attended Case Western Reserve University on the GI Bill. He began at WEWS-TV 5 around May, 1948. He jokes that "They were looking for anyone over 21 who could talk." Dale, like many performers in early TV did many kinds of programs..Among them The Bob Dale Show, and Ten Thirty Theater. He also appreared on such shows as TV IQ, Fun With Charades, and Pooch Parade, which was revived as a segment of "Captain Penny's Camedy Clubhouse" in the 1960s. He was best known in Cleveland for Dinner Platter, a informal show featuring other WEWS employees and special guests, generally airing at varied times around 4-6PM weeknights. He also served as weatherman.

After winning several awards as most popular performer in Cleveland TV, he moved out to San Diego, Califoria in 1956. Because of a World War II injury to his ears, doctors suggested he move out west to help the healing process. He started at KFMB-8, the CBS affiliate, where he did many of the same things he did at WEWS. His popularity was such that he became an Icon in San Diego, Hosting Movie Shows, doing weather and many other kinds of programs. His biggest regional/national success was Zoorama, featuring the San Diego Zoo, broadcast locally from the 50's, on CBS in 1965 and in national syndication 1968-70.

Dale moved across town to KNSD-7/39, San Diego's NBC affiliate in January, 1978 where he was part of the weather team and did other shows and specials until his retirement in 2001.

Condolences to his wife Marilyn and his family.

Link to Plain Dealer Article:

http://www.cleveland.com/obituary/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1212222781195010.xml&coll=2

Link to San Diego Union-Tribune Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080528-2152-bn28dale2.html

Much of the information comes from these two articles.

TV Guide Listings:
Cleveland Edition

Channels:
3 WNBK NBC
5 WEWS CBS
8 WXEL-DuMont/ABC
27 WKBN CBS/ABC/DuMont Youngstown
49 WAKR ABC Akron
73 WFMJ NBC Youngstown

Friday, April 30, 1954
7AM
3-73 Today
5-27 Morning Show-Guest John F. Kennedy and his recent bride Jacqueline Lee Bouvier

8:55
8 Preview Corner

9AM
3 Movie-A Guy Could Change
5 Mixing Bowl-Rachel Van Cleve
8-27 Breakfast Club-Don McNeil-ABC
73 Movie-Danger, Women at Work

9:30
5 Western Reserve Telecourse

10AM
3-73 Ding Dong School
5-27 Jack Paar
8 Maggie Wulff

10:30
3-73 One Man's Family
8 Charming Children

10:45
3-73 Three Steps to Heaven

11AM
3-73 Home-Arlene Francis
5 Dionne Lucas-Cooking
8 Alice Weston-Cooking
27 I'll Buy That-CBS

11:30
5-27 Strike It Rich-Warren Hull
8 Rena and Bob Ledyard

Noon
3-73 Bride and Groom
5 Valiant Lady
8 Treasure Party-Bob Neal
27 News

12:15
3-73 Hawkins Falls
5-27 Love Of Life

12:30
3-73 Betty White Show

12:45
5-27 Guiding Light

1PM
3 Movie-My Dog Shep
5 Women's Window-Cooking
8-27 Brighter Day-CBS
73 News

1:15
8 Portia Faces Life-CBS
27 Home Cooking-Resch
73 Hal's A Poppin-Hal Fryar

1:30
5 Garry Moore
8 Fan Fare-Wullf-"Maggie and Pre-Game Interviews"

1:45
5-27 Garry Moore
8 Baseball Previews-Danny Landau

2PM
5 Double Or Nothing
8-Baseball-Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees-Jim Britt/Ken Coleman (Indians won 9-4)
27-Movie-Adventures of Casanova
73 Movie-Meet The Missus

2:15
3 Maggi Byrne

2:30
5 Art Linkletter-Jack Slattery subs for Art
73 Kitchen Corner-Marjorie Mariner

2:45
3 Nancy Dixon-Shopping

3PM
3-73 Kate Smith
5-27 Big Payoff

3:30
5 Bob Crosby

4PM
3-73 Welcome Travelers
5 Dinner Platter-Bob Dale
27 Woman With A Past-CBS

4:15
27 Secret Storm

4:30
3-73 On Your Account
5-27 Robert Q. Lewis

4:45
8 Scores and Squaws-(Yes, that was the name of the post-game show)

5PM
3-Pinky Lee
5 Uncle Jake's House-Gene Carroll
8 Movie-Riding The Dusty Trail
27 Barker Bill-CBS
49 Hinky Dinks-Kids
73 Susie Sidesaddle

5:15
27 Grizzly Pete

5:25
5 News

5:30
3-73 Howdy Doody
5 Movie-Texas Buddies
49 Corral Time

6PM
3 Supper Time Comics
49-73 News

6:10
49 Social Whirl

6:15
8 Sports-Bob Neal
49 Humbard Family
73 Sports-Eddie Lane

6:25
5 Professor Pet
73 Weather

6:30
3 Dports-Tom Manning
5 Dorothy Fuldheim
8 TV Weatherman-Dr. Annear
27 News Today
49 Adventure Time
73 In Our School

6:40
3 Coyne for Auditor
8 Cleveland Today

6:45
3 Today's News
5 Sports Page-Jack Graney
8 Home with the Graham-Browns QB Otto Graham and Family
27 Sports-Don Gardner
49 Custom Ranch-Western

6:55
5 Weather-Johnny Price
27 Weather-Stu Wilson
49 Weather

7PM
3 Badge 714
5 Primary Preview
8-27 Captain Video-DuMont
49 News-Jack Fitzgibbons
73 Turn Of a Card

7:10
5 TV IQ-Bob Dale
49 Sports-Bob Wylie

7:15
5 The Greatest Drama
8 News Parade-Bob Lang/Jimmy Dudley
27 Rambling Reporter-Stu Wilson
49 ABC News-John Daly
73 Telerama-Film

7:30
3-73 Eddie Fisher
5-27 CBS News-Douglas Edwarda
8-49 Stu Erwin-ABC

7:45
3-73 Camel News Caravam-John Cameron Swayze
5-27 Perry Como

8PM
3-73 Dave Garrpway
5 Mama-CBS
8 Ozzie and Harriet-ABC
27 TBA
49 Teen WHO Club

8:30
3-73 Life Of Riley
5-27 Topper
8-49 Pepsi Cola Playhouse-ABC

9PM
3-73 Big Story
5-27 Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars
8 Life Begins at 80-DuMont
49 Paul Hartman Show-ABC

9:30
3-73 TV Soundstage
5-27 Our Miss Brooks
8 Boston Blackie-Syndicated
49 American Of The Year-Danny Thomas

10PM
3-73 Boxing
5-27 My Friend Irma
8 Chance of a Lifetime-DuMont
49 Movie-Miraculous January

10:30
5 I Led Three Lives
8 Down You Go-DuMonr
27 Person to Person-CBS

10:45
3-73 Greatest Fights

11PM
3 News-Tom Field
5 Movie-13 Lead Soldiers
8-27 News-Warren Guthrie
49 News-Bill Murphy
73 Stage 73-Swamp Fire

11:05
3 Weather-Joe Finan

11:10
3 Sports-Joe Mulvihill
8 Today's Top Story-Ted Malone
27 News-Sid Davis
49 Sports-Bob Wylie

11:15
3 Custom Inn-Cy Kelly, Glenn Rowell
8 Carling's Sports Final-John Fitzgerald
27 Movie-Welcome, Mr. Washington

11:30
3 Movie-Crown Jewels

Midnught
73 Late News

12:30
3 Hoot Gibson
5-27 Local News

12:45
3-News

Classic Local Commercials..The Selling of Cleveland.

I thought we'd take the blog in a different direction tonight..remembering some of the vintage local television commercials of days gone by..from those salesmen that told you "I REALLY wanna sell YOU a car NOW!"..and the like..Local commercials, in some instances became as popular as the shows they were advertising on..Some done in various forms for years and years...Some commercials were good, some bad but all memorable..Lets take a look at a few..



Roll On, Big O..For Lawson's Orange Juice..Fromn the early 1970's..Very memorable jingle here..The Lawson's name is used in Japan, Of all Places...




If you havent seen Higbee's...This is supposedly from 1967 but I dont recall this commercial airing that far back..




1971 Commercial for Red Barn's "Barnbuster"..While this wasnt Cleveland centered, Red Barns were all over Northeast Ohio until the 1980's..



1971 Burger King..Where Kids are King..



About 1970..The classic WEWS-TV 5 Eyewitness News Promo..




Uncle Bills Department Store..Looks to be the early 1980's..Voiceover is by the "Real" Bob James, WGAR-1220 DJ



From the Late 1970's...The late Ted Knight did a series of memorable commercials for Southgate USA, a then-new Shopping Mall in the Cleveland suburbs using his "Ted Baxter" persona..two short commercials here.




"Sohio Teperature Forecast"..1988 Radio spot from WNCI-FM Columbus with slides of classic Sohio pictures, signs, etc..Before its purchase by BP in 1991, Sohio had been involved in broadcasting in Ohio since the 1940's and its "Sohio Reporter" Radio program..migrating to TV from 1951-63...This radio commercial was the standard ad throughout the state from the 60's to the 90's..Notice the gas prices..around a dollar a gallon!!

Thanks a lot to ColumbusMediaTalk, ClevelandMemoryGrenade, Videoholic50's/70's, and others.. for uploiading these clips..If anyone finds any other classic Cleveland area commercials out there, we could do something like this again at some point

Tuesday, December 16, 1947-The night before TV Day.. In Cleveland

Part of a Cleveland Press special section about the opening of WEWS-TV..Included is an FM primer and a TV 5 coverage area map

Cleveland Press Radio Guide for Tuesday night-Wednesday December 16-17, 1947


I thought we'd share another of our relatively rare postings on Radio... Focusing on Cleveland AM/FM radio the night before WEWS-TV 5 signed on the air for the first time..The last night that Cleveland would be a "Radio-only" city. Cleveland radio personalities of the era included Jimmy Dudley of WJW-850, Tom Manning at WTAM-1100, Bob Neal at WGAR-1220 and Dorothy Fuldheim, already doing commentary at WEWS-102.1 FM in advance of Channel 5's sign-on (WEWS-FM had only been on the air about 3 weeks at this time) The main AM stations in Cleveland were joined by WSRS 1490 and WJMO 1540..As well as a number of FM statons..

Tuesday Night December 16, 1947
5PM-1AM
Courtesy Cleveland Press

WJW-850 ABC

5 Santa Claus
5:15 Terry And The Pirates
5:30 Jack Armstrong
6 News:Dudley-Cato
6:15 Johnny Edwards
6:30 Clambake
7 Jimmy Dudley:Sports
7:15 Tello Test
7:30 Green Hornet
8 Youth aaks Government
8:15 Monitor/News Views
8:30 Town Meeting
9:30 Boston Symphony
10:30 Bandstand
11 News, Sports
11:15 Time For Tunes
11:30 This Is Goodnight
Mid. Anything Goes

WTAM-1100 NBC

5 When A Girl Marries
5:15 Portia Faces Life
5:30 Just Plain Bill
5:45 Front Page Farrell
6 News, Music
6:15 Tom Manning
6:30 Affectionately Yours
6:45 Three Star Extra
7 Supper Club
7:15 World News
7:30 Maurice Spitalny
8 Milton Berle
8:30 A Date With Judy
9 Amos n Andy
9:30 Fibber McGee And Molly
10 Bob Hope
10:30 Red Skelton
11 News:Tom Manning
11:15 Fancy Free
11:30 Frankie Carle
Mid. News, Nusic
12:15 Design For Listening
12:30 Harry George
12:55 News

WGAR-1220 CBS

5 Lum and Abner
5:15 Melody Market
5:30 Range Rider
6 Sidney Andorn:Van Patrick
6:15 News:Bob Neal
6:30 Frank Leahy
6:45 Lowell Thomas
7 Beulah
7:15 Jack Smith
7:30 Club 15
7:45 Edward R. Murrow
8 Big Town
8:30 Mr. And Mrs. North
9 We The People
9:30 Studio One
10:30 Peter Donald
10:45 To Be Announced
11 News, Sports
11:15 UN Digest
11:30 Charlie Spivak
Mid Morgan's Musical Inn
12:15 News:Morgan's Musical Inn

WHK-1420 Mutual

5 Lady Fare
5:15 Superman
5:30 Captain Midnight
5:45 Tom Mix
6 News:Godley
6:15 Monmtana Cowboys
6:30 Dinner Winneer
6:45 Eyesd On Tomorrow
7 Fulton Lewis
7:15 News:Dinner Date
7:30 Newscope
7:45 Inside Of Sports
8 Mysterious Traveler
8:30 Official Detective:Rose
9 Gabriel Heatter
9:15 Real Stories
9:30 Zane Grey Show
10 10 O'clock Tunes
10:30 Club 321
11 News
11:15 Morton Downey
11:30 Disc Digger (Records)
12:30 Lee Castle

WSRS-1490 FM 95.3

5 News
5:15 Kiddie Kart
5:30 Concert Moderne
5:45 Stardust Melodies
6 Ed Falkenstein
6:15 John Lynn:Sports
6:30 Sound Stage
7 News
7:15 Nat Brandywine Orchestra
7:30 Orchestra Hall
8 News:Music
8:30 Melody Mill
9 Trio Time
9:15 Show Time
9:30 Music For Tuesday
10 News
10:15 This Is Music
11 News, Sports
11:15 Al Lewis
Mid News
12:15 Sign-Off

WHKX=FM 100.7

5 Music In The Air
5:30 Gay Nineties
5:45 News:Music
6 SupperTime
7 At Your Service
7:30 South Of The Border
7:45 Vocal Harmonies
8 Great Classics
9 Golden Days
9:15 Piano Moods
9:30 Litle Show
9:45 Name Bands
10 Music Hopper
10:30 Sinfonietta
11 All The News
11:15 Organ Moods

WEWS-FM 102.1

5 News:Musical Cocktail
6 News:Dinner Serenade
7 Dorothy Fuldheim
7:15 Romance In Music
8 News:Footlight Review
9 News:Evening Symphony
10 News:Curtain Call
11 News:Nocturne
Mid Sign-Off

WJMO-1540
(Daytime Only-No programming Thursday night)

Schedule for Friday December 17, 1947

7:45 Jake And Lena (Gene Carrroll)
8 News:Jake/Lena
9 News:Jake/Lena
9:15 Polish Program
9:30 Hungarian Program
9:45 Czech Program
10 News:Your Town
10:15 Songs Of Faith
10:30 Morning Musicale
11 News:Hayloft Gang
11:30 Mysta Time (Parts of the Schedule were hard to read..so may be some guesses from here on out)
Noon News:Cleveland Story
12:15 Noon Timeclock
1 News:Howie Lund
1:15 Flashes:Ballads
1:30 Polka Parade
2 News:Memory Music
2:30 Songs of the Range
3 News:Here's Howie
4 News:Here's Howie
4:45 Mysteries:D. M.
5 Sign-Off

By 1950, TV would pretty much copy the major radio schedule patterns at ths time:News/Light entertainment in the mornings.."Dramas" in the afternoon..News in the early evening and Prime time about 8-11PM..While Radio by 1960 completely changed to music and news..almost no entertainment peograms except for a few soaps on CBS, Gunsmoke, Suspense
and "Johnny Dollar"

I would love to have heard WJMO-1540 is this time period..seems like it might be quite entertaining..

Looking Back:June 1961

TV Guide Ad for an early News Special on South Vietnam shown on KYW-TV 3-This was part of a monthly Internationally produced series called "Intertel"..Presumably on the Westinghouse stations, though it may have been shown in other countries as well. This was an example of Westinghouse airing interesting, thought provoking shows and specials in Prime Time. Pre-empted "National Velvet" and "Tab Hunter"
Of course, history showed that South Vietnam did not survive..


Ad for Special "Ice Capades:Summer On Ice, 1961" on NBC-TV


TV Guide Ad for Syndicated "Man Without a Gun" on WEWS-TV 5-Sponsored by Fisher Foods of Cleveland


Ad for Off Network "Honeymooners" In syndication on WJW-TV 8-"The Classic 39"-TV Guide

Today We'll take a look at June 1961..Highlights:
WJW-8 had a live wrestling show from Cleveland at 5PM Saturday, June 3..

TV 8 was in its first of 19 straight years of Cleveland Indians Baseball telecasts..Ken Coleman and Harry Jones were the announcers.

The Movie Show, "Ernie's Place" was featured Monday-Friday 9:30-11AM on WJW-TV 8-"Ernie" being Ernie Anderson of later "Ghoulardi" Fame alog with "Director" Tim Conway, just a short time before his move to Hollywood and "McHale's Navy" fame..

Jack Paar was being shown on WEWS-TV 5 at 11:15 Monday-Friday-The only regular color show on TV 5's schedule..

KYW-3 had a half hour News show Monday-Friday at Noon
WEWS-5 had a 10 minute news show-followed by Captain Penny

Bill Jorgensen had nightly local news at Channel 3, before moving on to New York City where he spent most of his career

Tom Field was lead anchor on Channel 5

Doug Adair had "City Report" at 11:10 most nights, following Warren Guthrie's "Sohio Reporter"

KYW-1100 DJ "Big" Wilson, In addition to hosting early evening weather, was the 1:00 PM movie host at Channel 3.

Friday, June 9, 1961

From TV Guide

KYW-3 NBC Cleveland

6:20 News
6:25 Farm Fare
7AM Today (Listed as Dave Garroway)
9AM Funsville
9:30 Truth Or Consequences
10AM Give N Take-Haley
10:30 Play Your Hunch-Griffin COLOR
11AM Price Is Right-Cullen COLOR
11:30 Concentration-Downs
Noon News
12:30 It Could Be You Leyden-COLOR
1PM Big's Party Line-Movie (KYW 1100 DJ Big Wilson)
Rage In Heaven 1941
2:30 Loretta Young
3PM Young Dr. Malone-Serial
3:30 From These Roots-Serial
4PM Make Room For Daddy
4:30 Barnaby, Popeye and Friends
5:05 Movie-Tarzan And His Mate 1934
6:30 News-Bill Jorgensen
6:40 Weather-Big Wilson
6:45 NBC News Huntley/Brinkley
7PM Quick Draw McGraw
7:30 Flight-Drama
8PM One Happy Family-Comedy
8:30 Five Star Jubilee-COLOR
Rex Allen Hosts
9PM Lawless Years
9:30 Nanette Fabray
10PM Michael Shayne
11PM News Bill Jorgensen Weather Jim Gerard Sports Jim Graner
11:20 Movie Out Of The Past 1942
1AM Movie Louisiana Purchase 1953

WEWS 5 ABC Cleveland

8:55 News
9AM Theater 5
9:30 Romper Room
10AM Paige Palmer
11AM Gale Storm
11:30 Love That Bob!
Noon News
12:10 Noon Show-Captain Penny
1PM One O Clock Club-Fuldheim
2:30 Seven Keys-Narz
3PM Queen For A Day-Bailey
3:30 Who Do You Trust-Carson
4PM American Bandstand-Clark
5PM Captain Penny's Clubhouse
5:30 Three Stooges
6:30 Dorothy Fuldheim
6:45 News-Tom Field
6:55 Weather-Susan Sadler
7PM Assignment:Underwater
7:30 San Francisco Beat(Synd.)
8PM Harrigan And Son-Comedy
8:30 Flintstones
Perry Gunite Episode

9PM 77 Sunset Strip
10PM Robert Taylors Detectives
10:30 Third Man
11PM News Tom Field
11:15 Jack Paar
1AM News

WJW 8 CBS Cleveland

7AM Home Economics
7:30 Rex Humbard
7:45 Clutch Cargo
8:15 Captain Kangaroo
9AM Ed Allen Exercise
9:30 Morning Movie-Dangerously They Live 1941
11AM Double Exposure-Game
11:30 Your Surprise Package-Fenneman
Noon Love Of Life
12:30 Search For Tomorrow
12:45 Guiding Light
1PM Dr. Hudson-Synd.
1:30 As The World Turns
2PM You Asked For It
2:30 House Party Linkletter
3PM Millionaire-Drama
3:30 Verdict Is Yours
4PM Brighter Day-Serial
4:15 Secret Storm
4:30 Edge Of Night
5PM Movie-Maid Of Salem 1937
6:30 Cannonball-Adventure
7PM City Camera News-Doug Adair
7:10 Sports-John Fitzgerald
7:15 CBS News-Douglas Edwards
7:30 Rawhide
8:30 To Be Announced (CBS:Route 66)
9PM Dugout Interviews
9:15 Baseball-Cleveland Indians At Detroit Tigers
Ken Coleman/Harry Jones-Indians won 5-4
12:15 Sohio Reporter Warren Guthrie
12:25 City Report-Doug Adair
12:30 Sports-Fitzgerald
12:35 Movie Circle Of Danger-1951

WAKR 49 Akron ABC


11AM Gale Storm
11:30 Love That Bob!
Noon Camouflage-Game
12:30 Number Please-Collyer
1PM About Faces-Game
1:30 Cartoon Time
2PM Day In Court
2:30 Seven Keys-Narz
3PM Queen For A Day-Bailey
3:30 Who Do You Trust-Carson
4PM American Bandstand-Clark
5PM Movie Flesh 1932
6:30 Akron Baptist Temple
6:45 ABC News
7PM Local News-Jack Fitzgibbons
7:15 Little League Baseball (Highlights)
7:30 Matty's (Mattell) Funday Funnies (Cartoons)
8PM Harrigan And Son
8:30 Movie No Leave No Love 1946
10:30 Movie Fingers at the Window 1942
Midnight Passport To Danger

John Hambrick's Debut at WEWS-December 25, 1967

WEWS-5 Ad for what appears to be John Hambrick's Debut Christmas Day, 1967. Hambrick would be instrumental in vaulting TV 5 "Eyewitness News" from Thrid to First place in the early 1970's. This was a big push for channel 5 as fron what I have seen, they normally didnt spend nearly as much on TV Guide ads as did 3 or 8 or any other local station..


Another, smaller Ad for John Hambrick's Debut week on WEWS-TV 5


Christmas Weekend programming at WJW-TV-"Television ei8ht"..This famous logo was used till April 1977 when Channel 8 changed call letters ro WJKW-TV from 1977-85, when they changed back to WJW..

"Special Announcement" in TV Guide stating they would no longer list channel 49 as WAKR-TV since will now "program" Channel 23

Full Page TV Guide Ad about WAKR's move from Channel 49 to 23 in December 1967.

December 1967 was full of TV changes in Northeast Ohio, aside from it being the Holiday Season..Channel 5 may have made the biggest splash when it hired veteran News anchor John Hambrick... **A fascinating story is told about Fred Griffith, Channel 5 News Director at the time, driving down to Cincinnati to recruit Hambrick for WEWS-TV..John Hambrick was about to sign a contract to go to Detroit when Griffith intercepted him..Over "Just a few" Jack Daniels, John agreed to come to Cleveland..Hambrick helped revitalize TV 5 News upon his arrival December 25, 1967 "Eyewitness News" went from third to first in the early 1970's..With Hambrick were Dorothy Fuldheim, Don Webster with Weather and Gib Shanley on Sports..Hambrick left in 1975 to be replaced by Ted Henry. John's Brother Judd worked for some years at WJW and WKYC-TV..

Another major Change was in Akron where WAKR-TV, on channel 49 since it's sign-on in 1953, moved down the dial to channel 23 in December 1967, with 1.25 million watts of power to be seen all over North east Ohio..Channel 23 at one time in the 1950's was licensed to Massillon, Ohio with the Call Letters WMAC-TV, but never made it on the air..Channel 49 is now WEAO-TV PBS in Akron..

TV Guide Listings
Monday, December 25, 1967

BW=Black and White program

3 WKYC-NBC
5 WEWS-ABC
8-WJW-CBS Cleveland
17 WJAN-IND. Canton
23 WAKR-ABC Akron
25 WVIZ-NET Cleveland

6:20
3 Farm Front

6:30
3 Education Exchange

6:55
3 The Beginning-BW

7AM
3 Today
8 Rex Humbard-BW

7:15
8 News-Murray Stewart

7:25
5 News-BW

7:30
5 Donna Reed-BW
8 Cartoons-BW

8AM
5 Casper-BW
8 Captain Kangaroo

8:30
5 Romper Room-Miss Barbara Plummer

9AM
3 Mike Douglas
5 Light The Dark Street-SPECIAL
8 Franz

9:30
5 Dating Game

10AM
3 Christmas Service-National Cathedral
5 Paige Palmer-"Santa Claus talks about losing Weight"
8 Love Of Life
23 Ed Allen

10:25
3 NBC News
8 News-Howard Hoffman

10:30
3 Service Continued
5 Donna Reed-BW
8 Beverly Hillbillies-BW
23 Women's Page-BW

11AM
3 Personality-Larry Blyden
Guests:Sam Levenson, Shelia MacRae, Betsy Palmer. On Film:George Hamilton

5-23 Temptation-Game
8 Andy Griffith-BW

11:25
5-23 Children's Doctor-Lendon Smith

11:30
3 Hollywood Squares-Peter Marshall
Abby Dalton, Jack Carter, Eartha Kitt, Wally Cox, Morey Amsterdam, Sebastian Cabot, Charley Weaver, Barbara Rush and Mike Connors

5-23 How's Your Mother-In-Law?-Wink Martindale
Marty Ingels, Joe E. Ross and Corbett Monica

8 Dick Van Dyke-BW

Noon
3 Jeopardy!-Art Fleming
5 News-Tom Field, Dorothy Fuldheim
8 News-Murray Stewart, Harry Jones, Hoolihan (Bob Wells)
23 Everybody's Talking-Pat Carroll, Milt Kamen, Leonard Nimoy (Final Week)

12:30
3 Eye Guess-Bill Cullen
5 Singing Angels-SPECIAL
8 Search For Tomorrow
23 Kathryn Kuhlman -Probably a special broadcast for Christmas

12:45
8 Guiding Light

12:55
3 NBC News

1PM
3 Three On The Town-Clay Cole and Mark Russell with guest Ventriliquist Angela Martin
5-23 Fugitive-BW
8 Franz Christmas Special

1:30
3 Let's Make a Deal
8 As The World Turns

2PM
3 Days Of Our Lives
5-23 US Open Highlights-SPECIAL
8 Love Is a Many Splendored Thing

2:15
5-23 North South Shrine Football Game-Keith Jackson/Bud Wilkinson

2:30
3 Doctors
8 House Party

3PM
3 Another World
8 Movie-Mr. Magoo's Storybook-1964-Compilation of episodes of "Famous Adventures Of Mr. Magoo"...Originally aired in the 1964-65 season Saturday nights on NBC-TV

3:30
3 You Don't Say!-Tom Kennedy-With Chad Everett and Patricia Crowley

4PM
3 Match Game-Gene Rayburn-With Phyllis diller and Mitch Miller
17 Rainbow Theatre-BW-Likely a 50's or 60's Dramatic Anthology rerun

4:15
25 London Line-Report-BW

4:25
3 NBC News-Floyd Kalber

4:30
3 PDQ-Dennis James-Barbara Feldon, Dick Gautier and Michael Landon
17 Cartoons-BW
25 Busy Knitter-BW

5PM
3 Movie-The Big Beat 1958-BW
5-23 NBA Basketball-Los Angeles Lakers at San Diego Rockets-With Chris Schenkel and Jack Twyman
8 Young People's Concert-SPECIAL
17 Shotgun Slade-BW
25 Film Feature-BW

5:30
17 Restless Gun-BW
25 Kindergarten-Joyce Marron-BW

6PM
8 News-Doug Adair, Martin Ross, Dick Goddard, Frank Gleiber
17 News-BW
25 What's New?-BW


6:15
17 Sidelight-BW

6:30
3 Huntley-Brinkley
8 CBS News-Walter Cronkite
17 Sports Playback-BW
25 Folk Guitar-Laura Weber-BW

7PM
3 News-Virgil Dominic, Wally Kinnan, Jim Graner
5 News-John Hambrick, Don Webster, Gib Dhanley
8 Truth Or Consequences-Bob Barker
17 Sherry Lee-BW
23 News-BW
25 Efficient Reading-BW

7:15
23 Women's Page

7:30
3 Monkees
5-23 Cowboy In Africa
8 Gunsmoke
17 Local News-BW
25 Spectrum-BW

7:45
17 Holiday-Travel-BW
25 NET Journal-BW


8PM
3 Man From UNCLE
17 Movie-Miracle On 34th Street 1947-BW

8:30
5-23 Rat Patrol
8 Lucille Ball (Lucy Show)

9PM
3 Danny Thomas Hour
5-23 Felony Squad
8 Andy Griffith
25 Power of the Dollar-DEBUT-BW

9:30
5-23 Peyton Place
8 Family Affair
17 Messiah-BW
25 NET Playhouse-BW (Channel 25 sign-off-10:45)

10PM
3 I Spy
5-23 Big Valley
8 Movie-A Man Called Peter-1955 (11PM News pre-empted)

11PM
3 News-Dominic
5 News-Hambrick
23 News-BW

11:15
3 Weather-Kinnan
5 Weather-Ron Penfound
23 Country-Western Music-BW

11:20
3 Sports-Jim Graner
5 Sports-Gib Shanley

11:30
3 Tonight-Guest Host Victor Borge
5-23 Joey Bishop

12:40
8 Movie-Mr. Scoutmaster-1953-BW

1AM
3 Sea Hunt-BW
5 Outdoor World

1:30
3 Tonight School

**Fred Griffith/John Hambrick Story as told on the WEWS-TV 5 "Morning Exchange" December 17, 1997