A request for help:Ernie Anderson Documentary on PBS 45/49-Western Reserve Public Media

Sign that was on Cleveland Transit buses for a time..Courtesy the Ghoulardi Store..

Ad for Manners' Big Ghoulardi..Courtesy TV Acres.com



Some Classic Ghoulardi Bits

Good Morning:
Just last night I received an email from Phil Hoffman, Akron Univ. professor and documentary producer for PBS 45/49 in Kent/Akron/ Youngstown. He is working on a local Ernie Anderson documentary..Here is the email he sent me..

Dear Tim:

I am a professor at The University of Akron and I also produce documentaries for PBS 45/49 in Kent. I am currently working on a doc about Ernie Anderson's days as Ghoulardi here in Northeast Ohio.

I am writing to ask if you could share this with your readers...I am looking for anyone who might be interested in talking to me on-camera for the doc if they were a Ghoulardi fan, if they ever went to see the All Stars play, if they ever drank from the now-infamous Ghoulardi mugs from Manners.

In fact, if they have any info or memories at all about Ghoulardi, or Ernie, I would like to hear from them. They can email me at the address below....

Dr. Phil Hoffman
phil1@uakron.edu

This should be an awesome special once it is done..I am sure Mr. Hoffman would appreciate any memories from Ghoulardi fans..

Action 3 News-People In Action-December 23, 1976

The NBC-TV "Block N" used in the 1970's and 80's. From a screencap of WKYC=TV's 35th anniversary special in 1983.


Here, from videoholic 60's and 70's are two video clips from WKYC-TV 3's "Action 3 News"..Dated December 23, 1976..The first is an intro to the recap of the Mona Scott weather forecast, which she alerts the viewers to a "winter weather advisory" and gives intructions for shoveling snow safely (sound familiar?)followed by the closing story about a "Santa Claus" that ended up in jail.

The second video has the ending newscast tag with Doug Adair and A gentleman that Doug refers to as "Cam" (likely Cameron) but I did not see/hear his last name...leading into the NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor.

UPDATE:Cleveland Classic Media Reader Firebird tells me "Cam's" full name is Cameron Harper..A name I barely remembered..Thanks Firebird..

Two things of note:The Action 3 news theme at the end..Though it was only instrumental, I recognized it right away..Commercials of the period featured the lyrics that went something like this:

Action 3 News (We're people in action)
Action 3 News (We're people in action)
Action 3 News!!

Secondly:The NBC logo was the Block "N" that was used for several years, replacing the "NBC Snake" logo..eventually getting NBC in trouble with The Nebraska Educational TV Network, which used a similar logo,

One more note:Doug Adair and Mona Scott everntually co-anchored at TV 3, where after a time, they got married and moved to WCMH-TV 4 in Colimbus, where they continued anchoring for a number of years thereafter..

Part 1


Part 2

Classic Photos #2-WAKR-TV 23

Hello:
Here, again from Ed Thomas of North Canton..More Photographs..All from WAKR-TV Channel 23 in Akron from the Late 1970's-Early 1980's.


Carol Costello and Mike DePasquale


11PM News Team in 1978-79-Dick Russ and Debbie Cutter are in the Center..


WAKR-23 Livelink tower and station news vehicles




Set where Billy Soule hosted "23 Music Videos" for several years..



Christmas Test Pattern ID slide for WAKR-TV..

Thanks once again to Ed Thomas for these..I want to do more of a History of WAKR-TV 49/23 here in the next few weeks..Not generally known is that originally Channel 23 was licensed to Massillon, Ohio with the Call Letters WMAC. Have a good weekend everybody..

Some Cool, Classic Photos..

Hello:
Been working and trying to keep warm over the last week..

I occasionally get emails and comments from readers..Just about all kind words for the blog, which I appreciate..Sometimes emails will include Interesting Broadcast related pictures and audio. Ed Thomas, an amateur radio operator from North Canton, was good enough to e-mail me some pictures from his archive..I thought it would be cool to share these pictures today..


An early City Camera Ad..I would guess from 1967-70..Pictured Left to Right:Doug Adair, Dick Goddard and Marty Ross


Probably from the 1970's..WAKR-TV's Dick Russ making a "graceful" exit from the News Set..Wondering who the Lady is stting next to him?..Carol Costello perhaps? Dick Russ has been at WJW-8, then WKYC-3 for many years..

Edit:Ed Thomas tells me the young lady seated with Dick Russ is Debbie Cutter.



Also from Channel 23-1970's..Mark Williamson preparing to go on..Obviously during the Christmas Season..Williamson now works for the City of Akron



Also from 23..Weatherman Jack Ryan..Was a warm day in NE Ohio, judging from the temps..


This appears to be a bumper sticker for the old WOIO-AM Radio 1060 in Canton..From the early 1970's..Probably not long after they dumped talk for music..As A teenasger, I listened to WOIO-AM during it's "Two-Way Radio" talk days. (1969-72) I still remember the call in phone numbers! After many years as WQIO and "adult radio" WRCW it is now Catholic WILB..They should have kept the WOIO calls..One of the best around..Of course, WOIO is now TV Channel 19 in Cleveland..

Thanks again to Ed Thomas for sharing these photos..If anyone else has anything they think might be of interest, please let me know..

Cleveland Browns Fight Song

Here is a short clip of something I have'nt heard much in a very long time-The Cleveland Browns "Fight Song"..Written By George T. "Red" Bird, famed musical director of the Cleveland Browns. He was originally hired by Paul Brown at Massillon High School in the 1930's to form the famous "Tiger Swing Band"..The Browns Fight Song was created in 1946 and has been used throughout the Browns' History at the Stadium and On Radio Broadcasts..



One thing I never knew-This song had lyrics..
Hi-O-Hi-O for Cleveland,
For the greatest team in the land
We raise our voices, in one great chorus,
Just to make them understand
We're proud they come from Cleveland,
Where we play the best football
Hi-O-Hi-O for Cleveland
To the greatest pro team of all !

We're All-American people
From an All-American town
We cheer the Indians, we cheer the Barons
And we cheer the Cleveland Browns.
We're all for one with Cleveland
We sing to her renown.
For we're All-American people
From an All-American town!

Lyrics by Paul Van Loan Music by George T. Bird

I like the way they work the Indians and Hockey Barons into the song..(editorial note:While I like having the AHL Monsters around, Cleveland Barons STILL sounds better to me..)

I love this tune..It says "Cleveland Browns Tradition" to me more than anything..
Thanks to Chris Zimmer for sharing this..

DuMont TV History site returns..

1952 WDTV-Channel 2 Logo..DuMont Owned and Operated Station in Pittsburgh..Courtesy Clarke Ingram

1953 TV Guide Ad for WXEL-Now on Channel 8 in Clevleand-One of the Strongest DuMont affiliates nationwide.

Just a note to announce that Clarke Ingram's DuMont Television Network History site, which has been down since late last year due to the folding of AOL Hometown, has returned. A bit more modern looking and colorful than the old site, The site is the oldest and best source on the history and programs of the DuMont Network..Which aired in the US from 1946-56, and with WTTG-5 Washington and WNEW (WNYW)-5 New York, formed the basis of the current Fox Network beginning in 1986..Here is the new site address..

http://www.dumonthistory.tv/

Of course, the site will be returning to our links as well..Thanks to Jason Toyger of PBRTV.com and Cleveland Classic Media Reader Rich Emery of Hamilton, Ohio for the heads-up..

RIP:Harry Martin

Billboard advertising the "Martin and Howard" morning show on KYW-1100-It was number one for the better part of 6 years..


Photo of Martin and Howard "in Action.".This Photo and the one above courtesy Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts, via Ohio Media Watch..


Logo of WKYC-1100 around 1967-68

Harry Martin, Radio DJ in Cleveland, Detroit and San Diego passed away from Liver Cancer Monday..He was 81...

He was best known in Northeast Ohio as half of the legendary morning team from 1962-68 of "Martin and Howard" along with Specs Howard...On Westinghouse's KYW-AM 1100/NBC WKYC..After Martin and Howard went to Detroit at WXYZ-1270, Harry Martin then went out to San Diego, where he worked at KCBQ-1170 and KPOP-1360, among other stations.

Martin was one of the pioneers of San Diego Rock and Roll Radio in the 1950's before coming to Cleveland..Sadly, I never got to hear Martin as a dj in his prime, but when I did a blog series about the KYW/WKYC swap of 1965 in August 2007, he sent a kind email about my efforts..I then started linking to his blog, happyhareonline.com, where he told great stories about the crazy days of rock and roll in the 1960's..Including the time wheh he and Mr. Howard "saved" the Beatles Concert in Cleveland in 1964 and also getting the inside "scoop" on Jim Brown's retirement from the Cleveland Browns in 1965..He seemes a fun personality who had a passion for radio..There are fewer and fewer like him still around, sadly..

"Specs" Howard Biography, with more on Martin and Howard's Cleveland days..


http://www.specshoward.edu/aboutspecs.htm


San Diego Union-Tribune Obituary

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/07/1m7martin232239-dj-happy-hare-grew-media/?metro

Tribute by San Diego Radio personality Chris Cantore..

http://www.chriscantore.com/?p=292


As long as Harry Martin's blog is still online, I will continue to link to it..Too many great stories there..Prayers to his family, and friends..