August 7: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on August 7. Discuss or comment as you please……

1954: WFMJ-TV (Youngstown, Ohio) moves from channel 73 to channel 21.

1960: Actor David Duchovny (Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Californication) is born in New York City.

1962: The final first-run episode of the original Bugs Bunny Show is broadcast on ABC. Bugs and friends would, of course, continue to be a staple of Saturday morning TV for decades, and elements of animation produced for the original show (most notably the famous “This Is It!” musical opening) would be recycled and reused for various retooled incarnations.

1970: WDHN (channel 18) begins broadcasting in Dothan, Alabama.

1972: Actress Joi Lansing (The Bob Cummings Show, Klondike, various guest roles) dies of breast cancer in Santa Monica, California, aged just 43. DYK: Despite her sexpot image, Lansing was actually a practicing Mormon who neither drank nor smoked. DYK II: In a cruel irony, her Klondike co-star Mari Blanchard also died of cancer at age 43.

1973: After almost 3 months, the Watergate hearings conclude, returning daytime TV schedules to normality. Disruptions had been somewhat minimized by an agreement among the three networks to alternate coverage, each network broadcasting every third day of the hearings.

1978: Cirroc Lofton (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) is born in Los Angeles.

2005: Journalist Peter Jennings dies in New York City, aged 67.

2007: News anchor Hal Fishman dies in Los Angeles, aged 75. Fishman holds the distinction of having been the longest serving news anchor in television history, working continuously from 1960 (most of that time for KTLA) until his death.

(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits…..don’t expect it every single day. It’s an entirely random selection based on a quick Net search, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, don’t post nasty messages about “you forgot THIS” or “how could you not mention THAT?” Do so, and I’ll just take my keyboard and go home…..)

 

[bpatrick]

1972: ABC at last has its evening newscast cleared
by the entire network, as WJRT Flint, MI and WBRC
Birmingham, AL become the last two affiliates to
clear the Smith/Reasoner newscast. By 1973 ABC
is averaging a 22-23 share and occasionally beating
NBC's John Chancellor (although he averages a 25);
Walter Cronkite is comfortably in front with a 28.

 

[rwells2265]

1970: WDHN (channel 18) begins broadcasting in Dothan, Alabama.

...and still to this day uses its original 700' tower.

Oh, and the original sign - with old 'color letters' ABC logo - is still in use, too.

--Russell

 

[Stanislav]

1970: WDHN (channel 18) begins broadcasting in Dothan, Alabama.

...and still to this day uses its original 700' tower.

Oh, and the original sign - with old 'color letters' ABC logo - is still in use, too.

Yeah, we discussed them in a thread a few months ago. The only TV station I've ever seen that looks like a cheap motel.

I caught their sign-off a couple times back in the day, and it included "artistic" video shots of their pathetic facilities as if they were actually proud of them. :

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1926: Comedian, radio personality, and recording artist Stan Freberg is born in Los Angeles. Among many other roles, Freberg's TV credits including providing the voices (with Daws Butler) for the series "Time for Beany" (1949-54), guest appearances on "Ed Sullivan," "The Man from UNCLE" and "Roseanne," and as the narrator in the 1985-87 Disney cartoon "The Wuzzles."

 

[Ultimajock]

1926: Comedian, radio personality, and recording artist Stan Freberg is born in Los Angeles. Among many other roles, Freberg's TV credits including providing the voices (with Daws Butler) for the series "Time for Beany" (1949-54), guest appearances on "Ed Sullivan," "The Man from UNCLE" and "Roseanne," and as the narrator in the 1985-87 Disney cartoon "The Wuzzles."

...you forgot (or was it merely omitted?) his guest appearance on The Monkees as a heartless toy manufacturer, not unlike his Mr. Scrooge on "Green Chri$tma$." That appearance was also ironic, considering how recent it was -- only six years -- after he'd concocted "The Old Payola Roll Blues" ;-) ...

 

[easttxtv]

1970: WDHN (channel 18) begins broadcasting in Dothan, Alabama.

...and still to this day uses its original 700' tower.

Oh, and the original sign - with old 'color letters' ABC logo - is still in use, too.

Yeah, we discussed them in a thread a few months ago. The only TV station I've ever seen that looks like a cheap motel.

I caught their sign-off a couple times back in the day, and it included "artistic" video shots of their pathetic facilities as if they were actually proud of them. :

Well, good ol' Google Street View does it again
http://alturl.com/cyi3

That's the tallest antenna I've ever seen at a cheap motel

 

[Stanislav]

1970: WDHN (channel 18) begins broadcasting in Dothan, Alabama.

...and still to this day uses its original 700' tower.

Oh, and the original sign - with old 'color letters' ABC logo - is still in use, too.

Yeah, we discussed them in a thread a few months ago. The only TV station I've ever seen that looks like a cheap motel.

I caught their sign-off a couple times back in the day, and it included "artistic" video shots of their pathetic facilities as if they were actually proud of them. :

Well, good ol' Google Street View does it again
http://alturl.com/cyi3

That's the tallest antenna I've ever seen at a cheap motel

: Hasn't changed a bit in 39 years. That photo could have been taken yesterday, or in 1970.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1971: Actress/singer Rachel York, whose TV roles include her portrayal of Lucille Ball in the CBS biopic "Lucy" is born (as Rachel Lemanski) in Orlando, FL.