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25 years ago on 10/12/81 'Dancin' On Air' debuts on WPHL channel 17

I will start off by saying this: I agree with Julius on this topic. WPHL's Dancin' On Air was a popular show in it's day. However, I don't think anything beats American Bandstand. Anyway, take notice there are no alleged "attacks" or anything near that. I repeat...take notice that I am not "attacking" anyone in any way. Please do not scold me for going "off topic" either. Save it for someone who cares.

This is a good topic, in my opinion...discussing locally produced programs of the past. This is part of what this forum is all about. Locally produced shows (such as Dancin' On Air) are few and far between nowadays. I watched Dancin' On Air quite a bit. I enjoyed the show. However, I wasn't too much into the Dance Party USA program. Even though the shows were similar, I just preferred to watch the locally produced version. I can't believe it's been 25 years since the show debuted. Time flies!!!
 
I don't remember the local version of Bandstand (with Bob Horn); just ABC's "American Bandstand." While it was produced locally, it was no longer a local show and I don't know that it's fair to compare a local show with a national show, any more than it would be fair to compare Wally Kennedy's old morning show on channel six with Mike Douglas.

One of the most popular shows in Philly TV history? On what do you base that statement? The show may have appealed to a particular audience segment but it was clearly something not everyone cared to watch (or even knew about).
 
I remember Dancin' On Air VERY well, and for people in my age group at the time (Juniors and Seniors in high school), it was very popular. In fact, the original host, Eddie Bruce, had a "wedding type" band, and played my Senior Prom.

I agree that Dance Party USA didn't have the magic of the local version (at least for people in the area), but it did itroduce Kelly Ripa to everyone!
 
I never even heard of this show until Julius May added his typical link nonsense.
 
I assume you could say it was popular, with its fanbase, but all-in-all it was a successful LOCAL show. I agree with Shawn about local programming. About the only local programming on Philly tv stations these days is the news. I used to watch Tunez on WGTW, a locally produced music video show Saturday nights. So unfortunate that our only indie had to go to the Biblical Brainwash Network.
 
I don't remember this show, but I do remember watching another dance show as a kid called "Dance Fever". Anyone else remember that or what channel it was on? I remember them doing somethnig similar to Bandstand's "Rate a record", where people watched someone's dance routine and gave them a number from 50-100.
 
Julius, I was attending Kutztown Univ. when DOA premiered. I'd rush back to my off campus room every afternoon to watch it. Thanks for bring back good memories.

Doowopfan, Dance Fever, hosted by Deney Terio and later by Adrian Zmed (of T.J. Hooker fame) was syndicated. It was a weekly, half hour long dance contest. While I was in Kutztown, I'd watch DF Saturday nights on Philly's WCAU-10 at 7:00, then watch the same episode again immediately afterwards on NYC's WPIX "11 Alive". But only if I liked the girls' costumes. ;) (WCAU and WPIX were both carried by Kutztown's cable company, as was WOR-9 [which wasn't yet WWOR].)

At the end of every DF episode, that week's guest DJ would cap the closing credits by saying "Dance Fever was recorded before an audience that was ALIVE!!!!"

ixnay
 
The show with Adrian Zmed I do remember. It was really bad.
 
Nertz! said:
The show with Adrian Zmed I do remember. It was really bad.
Click to expand...

They changed the theme song from stock disco to mid-80s technopop when they switched from Terio to Zmed.

ixnay
 
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