"Hour Magazine" with Gary Collins

[Rollo-Smokes]

The recent passing of Gary Collins had me thinking about the syndicated talk show he hosted during the 1980s. Despite running for eight and-a-half years and earning its host a daytime Emmy award, Hour Magazine may very well be the "forgotten" talk show of its era.

The topics discussed were tame and light, free of the trashy, tabloid salaciousness that would rear its head on Donahue, Oprah, Sally and Geraldo. When it ended in January 1989, Collins admitted that its non-confrontational approach perhaps played a role in the cancellation, as per this article from the Los Angeles Times (http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-02/entertainment/ca-180_1_gary-collins)

There's not much info about Hour Magazine on the web, and not too many clips of the show on YouTube beyond promos and a literal handful of interviews. Anyone have any memories of this show to share?

 

[Mike Stroud]

Um, can't say that I recall Hour Magazine much. I think, of all the shows on now, it resembled perhaps the old Live With Regis and Kathie Lee (now with Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan). But beyond that, I suspect that it was a solid, civil hour, and Collins' mild-mannered style helped immensely to make it so.

 

[dxtrfn]

Gary Collins went to ABC's Home Show after ending Hour Magazine. He also was the host of Miss America through most of the 80's.

 

[LKellerIII]

Um, can't say that I recall Hour Magazine much. I think, of all the shows on now, it resembled perhaps the old Live With Regis and Kathie Lee (now with Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan). But beyond that, I suspect that it was a solid, civil hour, and Collins' mild-mannered style helped immensely to make it so.

In the Bay Area, it was [iEvening Magazine[/i] with Jan Yanehiro and Richard Hart. IIRC- it had cut-ins from Collins, but that wasn't the main focus of the show.

 

[azumanga]

Um, can't say that I recall Hour Magazine much. I think, of all the shows on now, it resembled perhaps the old Live With Regis and Kathie Lee (now with Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan). But beyond that, I suspect that it was a solid, civil hour, and Collins' mild-mannered style helped immensely to make it so.

In the Bay Area, it was [iEvening Magazine[/i] with Jan Yanehiro and Richard Hart. IIRC- it had cut-ins from Collins, but that wasn't the main focus of the show.

So, Group W (which was behind both "Hour Magazine" and "PM Magazine"/"Evening Magazine") apparently did a bit of cross-pollinating. Did this happen on any "PM" stations (i.e., those not owned by Group W)?

Definitely not on stations where Hour Magazine and PM Magazine aired on separate channels -- in the Tampa Bay area, WTVT Tampa and WXLT/WWSB Sarasota aired Hour Magazine, while WTOG and, later, WTSP, aired PM Magazine.

 

[james32746]

Both Hour Magazine (later in it's run, it started on WESH) and PM Magazine aired on WCPX (now WKMG).

 

[WMC2006]

There was an "incident" back in 1993 on The Home Show with Gary and Sarah Purcell (from Real People, loved her and loved that show!). They were discussing influenza vaccines and a doctor mistakenly injected Sarah with the same needle that he had used on Gary.

This from Wikipedia:

During a 1993 segment of The Home Show about influenza vaccines, a physician mistakenly gave Purcell an injection with the same needle that had been used on Gary Collins. At the end of the show, Collins announced that he would undergo blood tests to allay any concerns. There were no reported subsequent results.

 

[only1moore]

Um, can't say that I recall Hour Magazine much. I think, of all the shows on now, it resembled perhaps the old Live With Regis and Kathie Lee (now with Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan). But beyond that, I suspect that it was a solid, civil hour, and Collins' mild-mannered style helped immensely to make it so.

In the Bay Area, it was [iEvening Magazine[/i] with Jan Yanehiro and Richard Hart. IIRC- it had cut-ins from Collins, but that wasn't the main focus of the show.

So, Group W (which was behind both "Hour Magazine" and "PM Magazine"/"Evening Magazine") apparently did a bit of cross-pollinating. Did this happen on any "PM" stations (i.e., those not owned by Group W)?

Definitely not on stations where Hour Magazine and PM Magazine aired on separate channels -- in the Tampa Bay area, WTVT Tampa and WXLT/WWSB Sarasota aired Hour Magazine, while WTOG and, later, WTSP, aired PM Magazine.

WISN/Milwaukee ran both shows. However by 1986 "PM Magazine" moved to WITI (which used the syndicated version) and by 1987 "Hour Magazine" moved to WCGV for its final year.

 

[ShawnHill1]

Both Hour Magazine (later in it's run, it started on WESH) and PM Magazine aired on WCPX (now WKMG).

It was quite similar here in Los Angeles, the local version of PM Magazine was on KTTV for its entire run, while Hour started on KTLA (whose studio facility was used for its tapings), and then later moved to KTTV around '84-ish (KTTV's Metromedia Square/Fox Television Center was also used for Hour Magazine tapings in its final years; KTLA and KTTV were located across the street from each other in Hollywood until '97, when KTTV moved to a new studios in West Los Angeles).

If I remember correctly back in Rockford, WIFR originally carried Hour Magazine until about '85 or '86, and later moved to WTVO for the remainder of its run (it always aired in mid-mornings, pre-empting a hour of NBC Daytime). Rockford, as far as I recall, never had PM Magazine at all.

I think that Mike Stroud has the correct assessment on what Hour Magazine, but I go a step further in saying it resembled both Live and Rachael Ray (with the cooking and lifestyle segments). Hour Magazine was practically an "all-in-one" show...entertainment, fitness, cooking, lifestyle, medical, travel, and current events; for its time, it served as a pretty useful program.

 

[azumanga]

...by 1986 "PM Magazine" moved to WITI (which used the syndicated version)...

I thought PM Magazine was entirely syndicated to stations?

 

[azumanga]

Hour Magazine was practically an "all-in-one" show...entertainment, fitness, cooking, lifestyle, medical, travel, and current events; for its time, it served as a pretty useful program.

It was practically like "The Mike Douglas Show" but without the guest hosts.

 

[only1moore]

...by 1986 "PM Magazine" moved to WITI (which used the syndicated version)...

I thought PM Magazine was entirely syndicated to stations?

"PM Magazine" was franchised like "Romper Room" and "Bowling For Dollars." Local host, syndicated segments.