Two new (to me) Classic TV Sites:

This evening, I just want to direct you all to what appear to be a couple of really nice sites I just became aware of:

Canadian Writer/Broadcaster Kliph Nesteroff writes a daily blog called Classic Television Showbiz, in which he points out various classic TV clips on the web..Lots of interesting, rare material here:


http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/

Also, there is a very complete Historcal web site of the town of Columbus, Indiana. Part of this site is a page titled "What We Watched on Television:In shades of Black and White"..A long, nostalgic article detailing 1950's and 60's television watching in Columbus, Indiana, near Indianapolis, loaded with TV Guide listings and ads of the period..Very well done. The rest of the site seems quite interesting as well..

http://www.historiccolumbusindiana.org/whatwewatched/whatwewatched.asp

A personal note:I just acquired a new computer over last weekend..A Gateway, with a new Canon Pixma Printer/Scanner/Copier..Once I get comfortable with the scanner, I'll get back into more regular posting. I'll be in Cleveland Thursday and Friday to try to do some more research

Tonight Show-clip from the first episode

From YouTube member CatWithNoName, Steve Allen comments to the audience..from the first week of the "Tonight" Show in 1954..Interesting is his comment near the end..Basically saying that if "Tonight" is as successful as "Today" and "Home" (Arlene Francis), NBC will come up with "Son of Tonight", which eventually happened with "Tomorrow" and other shows in the post-Tonight time slot..

New Permanent Link:TV-signoffs.com

TV Guide Ad from about 1955 showing Kroger sponsorship of two different syndicated shows-Highway Patrol and Man Behind The Badge. While Kroger is now the largest grocery chain in the United States.."The Grocery Wars" have kept them from operating Stores under the Kroger name in NorthEast Ohio since the 1980's, Though they do supply Food 4 Less stores..


Just a note to let you all know of a new permanent link to our blog-J. Alan Wall's TV signoffs pages..More information on the site is in the previous post below..Also:If anyone has a suggestion for new links, It would be much appreciated..Feel free to e-mail me or use the Blogger "comments" feature. While they can be about Local Classic TV/Radio They cas also be about Nostalgic TV and radio on a national level, or just good TV/Radio news sites.

I am currently working on an article on the First days of WAKR-TV 49 and may go to Cleveland in the next week or so to gather more material for future posts, including possibly some early WEWS and WNBK (WKYC) Newspaper articles about their first days on the air..Particularly a Large Cleveland Press supplement book on WEWS-TV..I know I've been a bit slow on posting lately, but I hope to pick things up more as whe head toward the blog's first anniversary around the end of March..

1950's Cleveland TV sign off Audio

The Internet, Cable and Satellite has spawned interest of things in media that no one thought would be of that much importance..YouTube has hundreds of TV commercials from as far back as the late 1940's..A whole hobby has grown up around such mundane things as TV Test Patterns, network logos, and Television sign-on and sign-offs..

J. Alan Wall has a website dedicated to TV station sign-offs (and a few sign-ons).Most of these of course are video.Mostly from his home area in the Southern US from the 1980's-2000's..

A friend of Wall's, Jerry Immel, a voiceover artist from Atlanta, has shared a number of MP3 clips (audio clips only, unfortunately) from watching TV in Cleveland and Philadelphia in the mid-late 1950's..These may be the only clips out there of some of these voices..

Cleveland Audio clips include: (dates approximate)
WEWS-5-First sign on December 17, 1947-From WEWS-First 50 years special-Announcer Randy Culver

KYW-3 sign-off 1956 announcer-Gordon Ward (Thinking this might be Friday night-sign-on was 8AM next day)

KYW sign-off 1956 announcer-Tom Field (Almost certainly Saturday Night-sign-on 9AM Next day)

Both KYW-3 sign-offs were preceeded by a catchy jingle:
Edit:Here are the words to the musical jingle

"We're gonna blow our own horn..
sure as your born you'll agree
There's a new look on T-V
That's K--Y--W-Channel 3
In Cleveland..Ohio..(echo)..Ohio..Ohio.."
Corny isnt it?.But fun though..

WEWS sign-off 1956 announcer Court Stanton

WJW-8 sign-off 1958-Announcer may have been John Fitzgerald-Doesnt say

Others that may be of interest-Mid 1950's

WRCV-3 sign-on Philadelphia's NBC station

WVUE-12 Wilimgton, Delaware (Phila.) Storer owned this station for a time before foolishly letting it go.

WLWC-4 Columbus-with a push to listen to WLW-700 in Cincinnati

WTRF-7 Wheeling, W. Va.

Link to 1950's audio TV sign-offs page

http://www.tv-signoffs.com/1950s_signoffs.htm

Scroll down a little for the Cleveland audio sign-offs

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

Our biggest day ever-And a new link..

Hello:
Just wanted to share a couple things this morning..Our most recent post on John Hambrick drew the biggest single day response from readers in the history of the Cleveland Classic Media Blog..We use an application called sitemeter.com to count the number of users that come through the blog on any given day. The general average is 60-90 visits per day with over 100 whenever I post something new. We have hit 136 twice..The Hambrick story was posted Monday at 3:15 PM and had the usual spike of page visitors resulting in a final Monday total of 130..A really good day but nothing that unusual, being that something new had just been posted.

A site called TVSpy.com, a clearinghouse for information of use to TV professionals, especially news anchors and reporters, noticed the John Hambrick Debut story and featured it Tuesday morning on its website. I first noticed something unusual when 28 visitors showed up between 9-10 AM EST..I usually average 0-9 visitors for any one hour with a previous high total of 18...It was only the beginning. There were two hours of 31 and one hour of 34 visitors in the afternoon..An Average of 13 throughout the 24 hour day ending Midnight Wednesday and a total viewership of 317 throughout Tuesday. I was floored by the response, and much of it was due to the TVSpy Article. As of 5:30 This morning, there are 18 more visitors..Unusual for the overnight hours.

TVSpy.com also has the latest Happenings in the TV News industry and forums for TV personnel..Its basic service is free but there is a Gold membership that they charge for. I am adding a link to TVSpy.com to the set of blog links as of this morning..Looks rather interesting..Thanks also to our regular readers for helping us have our biggest day ever..

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