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Retro: Boston - Friday, November 22, 1963

M

MCarney

Source – Boston Globe – Friday November 22, 1963
This is the schedule on the day of the JFK assassination. Obviously everything got preempted after the reports from Dallas started coming in. Note that WBZ was off-network at the time (running Mike Douglas, and I'm not sure if that was the live feed from Cleveland) so I don't know at what point they joined NBC.

I’m not sure what educational stations did after the news came in. I do know that WGBH was equipped to take feeds from the networks for various public affairs programs that weren’t being cleared by the local affiliates. If anyone can clarify this please do.

2 – WGBH Boston (Educational)
08:30a Shakespeare
09:00a Exploring Nature
09:45a Visiting New England
10:25a Wonder of Words
10:45a Phonics
11:00a Shakespeare
12:30p Kindergarten
01:00p Parlons Francais 3
01:20p Wonder of Words
01:45p Parlons Francais 2
05:00p Kindergarten
05:30p What’s New?
06:00p Youth Forum
06:30p News – Louis Lyons
06:45p Myron Spencer
07:00p At Issue “The Next Step for East and West”
07:30p Compleat Gardener
07:45p Soviet Press
08:00p Allen Dulles – the former head of the CIA interviewed by Adolf Berle, former assistant Secretary of State
08:30p Saki “The Improper Stories of H.H. Monro”
09:20p Robert Koff, violinist; George Zilzer, pianist
09:30p Art and Artists
10:00p World at 10
10:30p Elliot Norton

4 – WBZ Boston (NBC)
06:15a Sign On Seminar
06:45a Daily Almanac
07:00a Today Show
09:00a Leave It to Beaver
09:30a Bachelor Father
10:00a Say When
10:30a Word for Word (color)
11:00a Concentration
11:30a Missing Links (color)
12:00p News, Weather
12:30p Mike Douglas
02:00p People Will Talk (color)
02:25p NBC News – Floyd Kabler
02:30p The Doctors
03:00p Loretta Young
03:30p You Don’t Say (color)
04:00p The Match Game
04:25p NBC News – Sander Vanocur
04:30p Clubhouse 4
05:00p Movietime “Maryland”
06:30p News
07:00p Huntley-Brinkley Report
07:30p International Showtime “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen Circus”
08:30p Bob Hope Theater “It’s Mental Work” starring Lee J. Cobb, Harry Guardino and Gena Rowlands (color)
09:30p Harry’s Girls “Bet It All”
10:00p Jack Paar – guests: Liberace, Cassius Clay, Mary McCarthy and Milt Kamen (color)
11:00p News
11:15p Steve Allen – guests: Cliff “Charlie Weaver” Arquette; Don Sherman, comedian; Jennie Smith, in songs; Barbara (Miss Banana) Perkins; Gil Lamb, contortionist
12:45p World News
01:00a Big Movie “Customs Agent” 1950

5 – WHDH Boston (CBS)
06:00a Continental Classroom (color)
06:30a Sunrise Semester
07:00a Morning Key Club (color)
07:30a Capt. Bob (color)
08:00a Captain Kangaroo
09:00a Romper Room (color)
09:30a For Women (color)
09:45a We Believe (color)
10:00a Mike Wallace
10:30a I Love Lucy
11:00a The McCoys
11:30a Pete and Gladys
12:00p Love of Life
12:25p CBS News – Robert Trout
12:30p Search for Tomorrow
12:45p The Guiding Light
01:00p News, N.E Farm and Food (color)
01:30p As the World Turns
02:00p Password
02:30p House Party
03:00p To Tell the Truth
03:25p CBS News – Douglas Edwards
03:30p The Edge of Night
04:00p The Secret Storm
04:30p Bozo (color)
05:30p Sea Hunt
06:00p News (color)
06:05p Dateline Boston – students from Thayer Academy (color)
06:30p CBS Evening News – Walter Cronkite
07:00p News (color)
07:30p The Great Adventure “Wild Bill Hickok – the Legend and the Man”
08:30p Route 66 “Kiss the Monster, Make Him Sleep”
09:30p Twilight Zone “Night Call”
10:00p Alfred Hitchcock Hour “Body in the Barn” with Lillian Gish and Peter Lind Hayes
11:00p News (color)
11:30p Tonight (color) from NBC – guests: Kirk Douglas, Dave King, Henny Youngman, the Willis Sisters

6 – WTEV New Bedford (ABC)
06:30a Continental Classroom
07:00a Billy Bang Bang
08:00a Annie Oakley
08:30a Abbott and Costello
09:00a Ed Allen Time
09:30a Amos ‘n’ Andy
10:00a Life of Riley
10:30a Community
11:00a The Price is Right
11:30a Seven Keys
12:00p Tennessee Ernie Ford
12:30p Father Knows Best
01:00p General Hospital
01:30p Divorce Court
02:30p Day in Court
02:55p ABC News
03:00p Queen For a Day
03:30p Who Do You Trust?
04:00p Trailmaster
05:00p Mickey Mouse Club
05:30p Superman
06:00p ABC News – Ron Cochran
06:15p News, Weather
06:30p Checkmate
07:30p 77 Sunset Strip
08:30p Burke’s Law
09:30p The Farmer’s Daughter
10:00p Fight of the Week
10:45p Make That Spare
11:00p News
11:25p Movie “Lemon Drop Kid”

7 – WNAC Boston (ABC)
06:25a Farm-Market Report
06:30a Understanding Our World
07:00a Three Stooges
07:30a Yogi Bear
08:00a Three Stooges
08:15a The King and Odie
08:30a Jack LaLanne
09:00a The People’s Choice
09:30a David Allen Show – guest: The McGuire Sisters (they were scheduled to perform at a local nightclub that weekend)
10:00a Girl Talk
10:30a Who Do You Trust? (delayed from 3:30p)
11:00a The Price is Right
11:30a Seven Keys
12:00p Tennessee Ernie Ford
12:30p Father Knows Best
01:00p General Hospital
01:30p Trailmaster (delayed from 4p)
02:30p Great Stars “Her Highness and the Bellboy”
04:00p Adventures in Paradise
05:00p Three Stooges
06:00p ABC News – Ron Cochran
06:15p News, Weather
06:30p Dobie Gillis
07:00p Movie
08:30p Burke’s Law “Who Killed Jason Shaw?”
09:30p The Farmer’s Daughter “The Simple Life” (the ad in the listings says “pres. By CLAROL)
10:00p Fight of the Week – John Persol vs. Allen Thomas; 10 round lightheavyweight bout from Madison Square Garden
10:45p Make That Spare
11:00p News
11:15p Late Show

9 – WMUR Manchester (ABC)
09:30a Breakfast With the Boys
10:30a Day in Court (delayed from 2:30p)
11:00a The Price is Right
11:30a Seven Keys
12:00p Tennessee Ernie Ford
12:30p Father Knows Best
01:00p General Hospital
01:30p Movie “Billion Dollar Scandal”
02:55p News
03:00p Queen For a Day
03:30p Who Do You Trust?
04:00p Trailmaster
05:00p Uncle Gus
06:00p Robin Hood
06:30p News, Weather
06:45p ABC News – Ron Cochran
07:00p Magic Box
07:15p Football Highlights
07:30p 77 Sunset Strip
08:30p Burke’s Law
09:30p The Farmer’s Daughter
10:00p Fight of the Week
10:45p Make That Spare
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “Lifeboat”

10 – WJAR Providence (NBC)
06:30a TV Classroom
07:00a Today Show
09:00a World Around Us
09:30a Talk of the Town
10:00a Say When
10:30a Word for Word (color)
11:00a Concentration
11:30a Missing Links (color)
12:00p Your First Impression (color)
12:30p Truth or Consequences (color)
01:00p Best of Groucho
01:30p Make Room for Daddy (delayed from 4:30p)
02:00p People Will Talk (color)
02:25p NBC News – Floyd Kabler
02:30p The Doctors
03:00p Loretta Young
03:30p You Don’t Say (color)
04:00p The Match Game
04:25p NBC News – Sander Vanocur
04:30p Movie “Strangers on a Train”
06:00p Eye-Dentify
06:15p News, Weather
06:30p Huntley-Brinkley Report
07:00p M Squad
07:30p International Showtime
08:30p Bob Hope Theater (color)
09:30p Harry’s Girls
10:00p Jack Paar (color)
11:00p News
11:15p Football Forecast
11:30p Tonight (color)

12 – WPRO Providence (CBS)
06:30a Sunrise Semester
07:00a Stooges, Rascals, Popeye
07:30a The King and Odie
07:45a Storytime
08:00a Captain Kangaroo
09:00a Romper Room
09:30a Dialing for Dollars
10:00a Mike Wallace
10:30a I Love Lucy
11:00a The McCoys
11:30a Pete and Gladys
12:00p Love of Life
12:25p CBS News – Robert Trout
12:30p Search for Tomorrow
12:45p The Guiding Light
01:00p Girl Talk
02:00p Password
02:30p House Party
03:00p To Tell the Truth
03:25p CBS News – Douglas Edwards
03:30p The Edge of Night
04:00p Salty Brine
04:30p Rocky and Friends
05:00p Movie “Son of Samson”
06:30p Newsbeat
07:30p The Great Adventure
08:30p Route 66
09:30p Twilight Zone
10:00p Alfred Hitchcock Hour
11:00p News
11:20p Triple feature – “Night of the Blood Beast”, “Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake” and “Bluebeard’s Ten Honeymoons”
 
Most appropriate that you would put up the schedules for JFK's part of the country. If you have the Saturday and Sunday schedules, I wouldn't mind seeing them.

Since I'm not from Boston, I don't know how WGBH handled the coverage of the assassination and its aftermath; after all, Boston had three network affiliates. It's not like our situation in Raleigh, with an ABC station (WRAL) and a CBS one (WTVD), but no fulltime NBC affiliate. In our case, WUNC, the educational (as public television was called in 1963) channel carried NBC's coverage.

I wonder if anybody can tell me how the CBS situation was handled in Birmingham, where there was an ABC station (WBRC) and a station that favored NBC news (WAPI, now WVTM), but no fulltime CBS affiliate (and Cronkite wasn't carried there). Likewise, ABC was likely blacked out in Charlotte, with WBTV (CBS) and WSOC (NBC) but no ABC station until 1964.
 
Douglas was always on tape in Boston (Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Baltimore and Boston were always one week behind) - the tapes were bicycled from market to market. Buffalo for example might gave gotten the tapes from Boston and then send them to Columbus)

It appears only CBS was network at the time that was feeding programming.

WGBH-TV had just moved into Western Ave a couple of months earlier and they indeed had a two telco lines from New England Telephone on Franklin St which was the switching center for AT&T long lines.
 
The first WBZ-4 bulletin was a local one at about 1:40.

I don't know who voiced it; it could have been Jim Jensen (a news anchor there at the time), or either Lindy Miller or Dick Tucker (both of whom were booth announcers at WBZ then).

I remember this because I was a month shy of my 8th birthday and my kid brother (age 4 1/2) and I were indeed watching "Mike Douglas".

My brother and I woke our Mom up yelling that "The President's Been Shot!".

But by the time she got up, WBZ had (briefly) returned to "Mike Douglas", and she yelled at us for saying something in bad taste, screaming "If President Kennedy had really been shot, they wouldn't be running 'Mike Douglas'...".

But as soon as she finished "Douglas", a second bulletin, this time from NBC (I think it would be 1:45) came on.

She apologized to us.

I believe NBC made it's coverage available to independent and noncommercial stations, and that WGBH-2 picked it up.
 
By request for bpatrick here's the Boston schedules for Saturday and Sunday that week:

Source – Boston Globe – Saturday, November 23 and Sunday November 24, 1963

These are the TV schedules that did not run due to the Kennedy Assassination. They were found in the TV Week section on November 17 (Saturday) and November 24 (Sunday). I have noted where the prime-time shows were actually aired for those episodes I could find information about.

Saturday, November 23

2 – WGBH Boston (Educational)
05:30p Once Upon a Day
06:00p What’s New?
06:30p Folk Music USA
07:00p Perennial Quandary of India – John K. Galbraith; former ambassador to India; Max Millikan, Harvard Center for International Studies; Suzanne Rudolph, Prof. Lloyd Rudolph, Harvard
08:00p Saki: The Improper Stories of H.H. Munro
09:00p Museum Open House
09:30p Under Discussion “Why Can’t the English…?” – discussion of British government, economics, society

4 – WBZ Boston (NBC)
06:15a Armed Forces Series
06:30a Boomtown, Rex Trailer
10:00a Hector Heathcote (color)
10:30a Fireball XL-5
11:00a Dennis the Menace
11:30a Fury
12:00p News, Weather
12:30p Endeavor
01:00p Ten Pin Time
02:00p S.S. Adventurer
02:30p Exploring
03:30p Wild Kingdom
04:00p Junior Bowling
04:30p Checkmate
05:30p Wyatt Earp
06:00p Death Valley Days
06:30p News, Weather
07:00p Leave It to Beaver
07:30p The Lieutenant “Tour of Duty” (aired 3/7/64)
08:30p Joey Bishop Show “Joey Gets Brainwashed (aired 1/18/64) (color)
09:00p Movie “Imitation General” (1958)
11:00p News
11:15p Movie double feature “Twelve Angry Men” (1957) and “Double or Nothing” (1937)

5 – WHDH Boston (CBS)
06:00a N.E. Potpourri (color)
06:30a Sunrise Semester
07:00a Commander Jet and Space Angel (color)
08:00a Captain Kangaroo
09:00a The Alvin Show
09:30a Ruff and Reddy (color) – from NBC; originating at WHDH
10:00a Quick Draw McGraw
10:30a Mighty Mouse
11:00a Rin-Tin-Tin
11:30a Roy Rogers Show
12:00p Candlepin Bowling
01:00p Football Kickoff
01:15p Football – Harvard vs. Yale
04:00p Football Scoreboard
04:15p Gadabout Gaddis
04:30p Hole-In-One, golf series
05:00p At the Races – Display Handicap, Aqueduct
05:30p Deputy Dawg (color)
06:00p Everglades (color)
06:30p Ripcord (color)
07:00p Lawbreaker (color)
07:30p Jackie Gleason Show
08:30p The (New) Phil Silvers Show
09:00p The Defenders “Claire Chevel Died in Boston” (aired 1/4/64)
10:00p Gunsmoke “Owney Tupper Had a Daughter” (aired 4/4/64)
11:00p News (color)
11:30p The Roaring ‘20s
12:30a “Hello Annapolis” (1942)

6 – WTEV New Bedford (ABC)
07:00a Billy Bang Bang
07:30a Wally Gator, Lippy the Lion, Touche Turtle
08:00a Wizard of Oz
08:30a Pinocchio
09:00a The Range Ride
09:30a Hopalong Cassidy
10:30a The Jetsons
11:00a Casper Cartoon Show
11:30a Beany and Cecil
12:00p Bugs Bunny
12:30p Land of Allakazam
01:00p My Friend Flicka
01:30p American Bandstand
02:30p Broken Arrow
03:00p Wrestling from Chicago
04:00p Gadabout Gaddis
04:30p AFL Highlights
05:00p Wide World of Sports
06:30p IX Winter Olympics
07:00p Phil Silvers Show
07:30p Hootenanny – Chad Mitchell Trio, Val Pringle, Judy Henske, Grier Reynolds, Flatt and Scruggs, Glenn Yarborough, Stan Rubin’s Tigertown Five, Charlie Manna perform at Annapolis
08:30p Lawrence Welk Show
09:30p Jerry Lewis Show (2 hours!)
11:30p Movie “Aphrodite”

7 – WNAC Boston (ABC)
07:00a Three Stooges
09:00a Sky King
09:30a Movie “Golden Idol” (1954)
10:30a The Jetsons
11:00a Casper Cartoon Show
11:30a Beany and Cecil
12:00p Movie “The Get-Away” (1940)
02:00p 77 Sunset Strip
03:00p Outlaws
04:00p IX Winter Olympics
04:30p AFL Highlights
05:00p Wide World of Sports – Championship Tarpon Fishing, Big Pine Key, Florida (color); Giant International Ski Jump, Chavez Ravine, Calif.
06:30p Rescue 8
07:00p The Rebel
07:30p Hootenanny – Chad Mitchell Trio, Val Pringle, Judy Henske, Grier Reynolds, Flatt and Scruggs, Glenn Yarborough, Stan Rubin’s Tigertown Five, Charlie Manna perform at Annapolis
08:30p Lawrence Welk Show
09:30p Jerry Lewis Show (2 hours!)
11:30p Movie double feature “Little Shop of Horrors” (1960) and “Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939)

9 – WMUR Manchester (ABC)
09:30a Movie “Safari” (1940)
11:00a Ring-A-Ding the Clown
11:30a Beany and Cecil
12:00p Bugs Bunny
12:30p Candlepin Bowling
01:30p American Bandstand
02:30p Movie “International Settlement” (1938)
04:00p NFL Highlights
04:30p AFL Highlights
05:00p Wide World of Sports
06:30p Big Time Wrestling
07:30p Hootenanny – Chad Mitchell Trio, Val Pringle, Judy Henske, Grier Reynolds, Flatt and Scruggs, Glenn Yarborough, Stan Rubin’s Tigertown Five, Charlie Manna perform at Annapolis
08:30p Lawrence Welk Show
09:30p Jerry Lewis Show (2 hours!)
11:30p Movie (title not listed)

10 – WJAR Providence (NBC)
08:00a Ring Around Sunday
08:30a Watch Mr. Wizard
09:00a Honey Colvey Show
09:30a Ruff and Reddy (color)
10:00a Hector Heathcote (color)
10:30a Fireball XL-5
11:00a Dennis the Menace
11:30a Fury
12:00p Sergeant Preston
12:30p Bullwinkle Show (color)
01:00p Exploring (color)
02:00p Movie “Ghost Diver” (1957)
03:30p Law and Mr. Jones
04:00p Championship Bowling
05:00p NFL Highlights
05:30p Captain Gallant
06:00p Mr. Novak
07:00p Redigo
07:30p The Lieutenant “Tour of Duty” (aired 3/7/64)
08:30p Joey Bishop Show “Joey Gets Brainwashed (aired 1/18/64) (color)
09:00p Movie “Imitation General” (1958)
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “The Raid” (1954)

12 – WPRO Providence (CBS)
07:00a Stooges, Rascals, Popeye
08:00a Captain Kangaroo
09:00a The Alvin Show
09:30a Tennessee Tuxedo
10:00a Quick Draw McGraw
10:30a Mighty Mouse
11:00a Rin-Tin-Tin
11:30a Roy Rogers Show
12:00p Sky King
12:30p Ramar of the Jungle
01:00p Chris Clark Show
01:15p Football – Harvard vs. Yale
04:30p Championship Wrestling
05:00p Everglades
05:30p Cannonball
06:00p Sea Hunt
06:30p The Rebel
07:00p Lawbreaker
07:30p Jackie Gleason Show
08:30p The (New) Phil Silvers Show
09:00p The Defenders “Claire Chevel Died in Boston” (aired 1/4/64)
10:00p Gunsmoke “Owney Tupper Had a Daughter” (aired 4/4/64)
11:00p News
11:15p Movie “All the King’s Men” (1950)
 
Sunday, November 24

2 – WGBH Boston (Educational)
03:00p The Land
04:00p Sunday, Frank Blair – from NBC
05:00p Science Reporter
05:30p Open Mind “JFK: The First Three Years”
06:30p A Time to Dance
07:00p Lyrics and Legends
07:30p U.N. Review
07:45p Soviet Press This Week
08:00p Open End
10:00p Sir Kenneth Clark
10:30p Dialogue

4 – WBZ Boston (NBC)
06:00a Industry on Parade
06:15a Man to Man
06:30a Boomtown, Rex Trailer
09:30a International Zone
10:00a Our Believing World
10:30a Eternal Light
11:00a Images
11:30a News, Weather
12:00p Movie “Huk” (1956)
02:00p NBC Opera – Judith Raskin, John Reardon in Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “Labyrinth” (color)
03:00p Movie “Invisible Menace”
04:00p Odyssey
04:30p Next Question
05:30p College Bowl – today’s challengers are from University of Massachusetts
06:00p Community Auditions – talent show
06:30p News, Weather
07:00p Battle Line
07:30p Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color “The Hound Who Thought He Was a Raccoon” (color)
08:30p Grindl
09:00p Bonanza (color)
10:00p Best on Record
11:00p News
11:15p Movie double feature “Violent Men” (1955) and “Exclusive” (1937)

5 – WHDH Boston (CBS)
06:00a Air Force Film
06:30a Life of Riley
07:00a Bozo’s Special (color)
08:30a Do You Know?
09:00a Ring Around Sunday
09:30a The Living Word
10:00a Astronomy and You
10:30a Look Up and Live
11:00a Camera Three
11:30a Builders’ Showcase
12:00p Isles of the Caribbean
12:30p Face the Nation
01:00p Winning Pins
01:30p Curt Gowdy (color)
01:45p Pro Football Kickoff
02:00p NFL – New York Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals
04:45p Ski Thrills (color)
05:00p Youth on Parade (color)
05:30p Amateur Hour
06:00p Twentieth Century
06:30p Mister Ed
07:00p Lassie
07:30p My Favorite Martian
08:00p Ed Sullivan Show
09:00p Judy Garland Show
10:00p Candid Camera
10:30p What’s My Line?
11:00p News
11:15p Harry Reasoner, news
11:30p Meet the Press (color) – from NBC
12:00a Business Talk
12:15a Movie 5 (no title listed)

6 – WTEV New Bedford (ABC)
08:30a Adventures in Britain
09:00a Worship
09:30a Sword and Salt
10:00a Catholic Mass
10:45a Farmers’ Almanac
11:00a Christmas Ballet
11:30a House Detective
12:30p Discovery ‘63
01:00p Directions ‘64
01:30p Issues and Answers
02:00p Shirley Temple Theater
03:30p AFL – Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos
06:30p Password Series
07:00p Whirlybirds
07:30p Travels of Jaimie McPheeters “The Day of the Homeless” (aired 12/8/63)
08:30p Arrest and Trial “Signals of an Ancient Flame” (aired 1/12/64)
10:00p Laughs for Sale
10:30p Battle Line
11:00p Movie (title not listed)
12:30a News, Weather
12:45a Cain’s Hundred

7 – WNAC Boston (ABC)
07:00a Jungle Adventures
08:00a My Friend Flicka
08:30a The Christophers
08:45a This is the Life
09:15a Sunday Mass
09:45a Sacred Heart
10:00a Bugs Bunny
10:30a Land of Allakazam
11:00a Discovery ‘63
11:30a Championship Bowling
12:00p Movie “The Bribe” (1948)
03:00p Spanish Films
03:30p Outlaws
04:00p Movie “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1953)
06:30p Follow the Sun
07:30p Travels of Jaimie McPheeters “The Day of the Homeless” (aired 12/8/63)
08:30p Arrest and Trial “Signals of an Ancient Flame” (aired 1/12/64)
10:00p Movie “The Tender Trap” (1955)
12:05a ABC News Report
12:35a Movie “Strangers on the Third Floor” (1940)

9 – WMUR Manchester (ABC)
12:30p Discovery ‘63
01:00p Oral Roberts
01:30p Allen Revival Hour
02:00p Air Force News
02:15p Faith for Today
02:45p The Living Word
03:00p Issues and Answers
03:30p Touchdown
04:00p The Big Picture
04:30p Movie “Double Indemnity”
06:30p Background
07:00p IX Winter Olympics
07:30p Travels of Jaimie McPheeters “The Day of the Homeless” (aired 12/8/63)
08:30p Arrest and Trial “Signals of an Ancient Flame” (aired 1/12/64)
10:00p Laughs for Sale
10:30p ABC News Report
11:00p News

10 – WJAR Providence (NBC)
08:00a Sacred Heart
08:15a Living Word
08:30a This is the Life
09:00a Book of Books
09:30a Eternal Light
10:00a Insight Series
10:30a World Around Us
11:00a Now to Invest
11:30a Americans at Work
11:45a Industry on Parade
12:00p Roundtable
12:30p Championship Bridge
01:00p Duckpin Bowling
02:00p NBC Opera – Judith Raskin, John Reardon in Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “Labyrinth” (color)
03:00p The Law and Mr. Jones
03:30p Trails West
04:30p Touchdown
05:00p Wild Kingdom (color)
05:30p College Bowl (color)
06:00p Meet the Press (color)
06:30p Hollywood and the Stars (delayed from Monday @ 9:30p)
07:00p Bill Dana Show
07:30p Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color “The Hound Who Thought He Was a Raccoon” (color)
08:30p Grindl
09:00p Bonanza (color)
10:00p Best on Record
11:00p News
11:15p Movie (no title listed)

12 – WPRO Providence (CBS)
08:15a The Christophers
08:30a Comedy Time
09:30a Magic Tree
10:00a Hour of St. Francis
10:30a Look Up and Live
11:00a Face the News
11:30a Gateway to Glamour
11:45a Home and Yard
12:00p Evangelical Ministries
12:15p Hire Now
12:30p Assignment Underwater
01:00p Spotlight on Talent
01:30p Pro Football Kickoff
01:45p Chris Clark Show
02:00p NFL – New York Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals
05:00p Supercar
05:30p Amateur Hour
06:00p Twentieth Century
06:30p Biography
07:30p My Favorite Martian
08:00p Ed Sullivan Show
09:00p Judy Garland Show
10:00p Candid Camera
10:30p What’s My Line?
11:00p News
11:15p Movie (no title listed)
 
This era was when NBC and WHDH-TV were holding hands as NBC despised Westinghouse.

WBZ-TV didn't clear Meet The Press and Channel 5 fed a show to the entire NBC network on Saturday. (plus 5 ran the Tonight Show as Group W had Steve Allen)

However the HT never got the permanent license so NBC never made the change.
 
And, if the WHDH deal didn't happen NBC was trying to buy WNAC from RKO General. That fell through because NBC wanted to use WRCV Philadelphia in a trade while the Department of Justice was deciding whether to return the station to Westinghouse.
 
Not exactly. The stations NBC would have traded to RKO would have been WRC AM-FM-TV in Washington. The mess with Westinghouse in Philadelphia and Cleveland indeed held up the WRC/WNAC swap and eventually killed it.
 
I remember seeing in Broadcast magazine at some point NBC proposed trading the Philly stations for WNAC AM/FM/TV and then doing a cash deal for WRC AM/FM/TV. That could have been just a rumor or someone throwing out a possibility. Either way it didn't happen, despite years of trying.
 
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fybush said:
Not exactly. The stations NBC would have traded to RKO would have been WRC AM-FM-TV in Washington. The mess with Westinghouse in Philadelphia and Cleveland indeed held up the WRC/WNAC swap and eventually killed it.
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Actually Washington AND Philly were in the mix.

In 1959, RKO and NBC reached an agreement on what would have been the highest-priced license transfer in broadcasting history to that time. The deal would have seen RKO acquire NBC's WRC-AM-FM-TV in Washington, swap WNAC-AM-TV and WRKO-FM (the former WNAC-FM) in Boston to NBC for that company's WRCV-AM-TV in Philadelphia, and sell the WGMS stations in Washington to Crowell-Collier Broadcasting (as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations at that time would not permit ownership of both the WRC stations and the WGMS stations).

NBC just wanted to be rid of Westinghouse. I surmise NBC then would have gone after another market as they would have an open slot.

Years later Jerry Williams took a job at WRC-AM thinking it had a powerful signal which of course was wrong.

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WTEM&service=AM&status=L&hours=N
 
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nbc.JPG

As I suspected NBC did have another market in its sights. San Francisco.


Took FIVE years to play out

65.JPG
 
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Stupid question - why didn't NBC just award the affiliation to WNAC at a point when the contract with WBZ was up? Were they wary of RKO General's history of preemptions of afternoon programming for movies? Or did they just think they could muscle a deal so that wasn't necessary?
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
The first WBZ-4 bulletin was a local one at about 1:40.

I don't know who voiced it; it could have been Jim Jensen (a news anchor there at the time), or either Lindy Miller or Dick Tucker (both of whom were booth announcers at WBZ then).

I remember this because I was a month shy of my 8th birthday and my kid brother (age 4 1/2) and I were indeed watching "Mike Douglas".

My brother and I woke our Mom up yelling that "The President's Been Shot!".

But by the time she got up, WBZ had (briefly) returned to "Mike Douglas", and she yelled at us for saying something in bad taste, screaming "If President Kennedy had really been shot, they wouldn't be running 'Mike Douglas'...".

But as soon as she finished "Douglas", a second bulletin, this time from NBC (I think it would be 1:45) came on.

She apologized to us.

I believe NBC made it's coverage available to independent and noncommercial stations, and that WGBH-2 picked it up.
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how did Mike Douglas handle the situation? did he stop the show?
 
Fenway1912 said:
It appears only CBS was network at the time that was feeding programming.
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Not true. ABC was too (The had Father Knows Best on the national feed (If you watch the ABC coverage on David Von Pein's YT channel you'll see this. It's also on the WFAA coverage as well (Though they of course were the first TV news operation - Local OR National - To break the news of the shooting & dropped the network in favor of it but later rejoined ABC once the two were able to establish a then-unique way of covering news)

Not sure what NBC was doing before they started covering the shooting though

Cheers & 73 :)
 
i heard a interview with Mike Douglas and he said that John Dancy came into the studio to announce the shooting Mike said he tried to go to another segment he gave up switching to Frank McGee he said they had to tape 22 minutes that day
 
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