WJW-TV 8 60th anniversary: Part One:The WXEL Years..

Cleveland News Decmber 16, 1949


From The Cleveland News:Story, with some editorial comment


Cleveland Press Article on DuMont's Connection to WXEL







Article on Comedian and DuMont Mainstay Morey Amsterdam's appearance at WXEL's opening..Interesting that the article mentions the possibility of WXEL being on either Channel 9 or 11..

Two Portions of a Cleveland Press Special Section-December 14, 1949-Highlighting the opening of WXEL-Channel 9..As always, Click on each article to read clearer...

Hello:
Today I want to highlight WJW-TV 8's 60th anniversary..Admittedly a bit late but the holidays sort of got on us quickly..

The articles above from the Press and The Cleveland News highlight just how big a deal a new TV station opening in town was at the time..Like most cities, WXEL being third on the air in Cleveland meant hooking up with lesser networks, (DuMont, ABC)..Even taking CBS programs WEWS-5 didnt want..and being very creative with local programming..Here are 3 representative schedules for WXEL in the early years..

Wed/Thurs. December 14-15, 1949 before official sign-on-Cleveland Press

December 14
6PM Small Fry-DuMont
6:30 Magic Cottage-DuMont
7PM Captain Video
7:30 At Your Service-Betty Craig

December 15
2PM Shoppers Matinee

Tuesday, December 26, 1950-Canton Repository

12:35 News-Music
12:45 Telenews-DuMont
1PM Village Fair-John FitzGerald
2PM Alice Weston
2:30 Darts For Dollars
3PM Impromptu
3:30 Cover Girl
4PM Homemaker's Exchange
4:30 Vanity Fair
5PM Lucky Pup-CBS
5:15 Chuck Wagon
6PM Small Fry-DuMont
6:30 Evening News
6:45 Who's News?
7PM Captain Video-Probably the longest running DuMont show on WXEL-Till March 2 1955 when WEWS took over for its last few weeks
7:30 Story Theater-DuMont
8PM Football Game of Week
8:30 Johns Hopkins Science Review-DuMont
9PM Cavalcade of Bands-DuMont
10PM Star Time-DuMont
11PM News
11:20 Wrestling-DuMont


Tuesday, April 22, 1952-TV Today Magazine

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

Later Programs included King Jack's ToyBox with Boyd Heath and Walt "Kousin Kay" Saturday Mornings..Other personnel in the early years included Jim Doney, Howard Hoffman, Warren Moran and Pat Ryan Dopp..

Next:The Storer and Fox Years..With the 30th anniversary show reposted..

This will be my last post of 2009..Have a Happy and Safe New Year, everyone..Thanks for reading..