[I think I got the date right this time...] ;D
Just a few random TV related events that happened on January 22. Discuss or comment as you please……
1934: Actor Bill Bixby (My Favorite Martian, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Incredible Hulk) is born (as Wilfred Bailey Bixby) in San Francisco.
1947: Experimental station W6XYZ in Los Angeles is licensed for commercial broadcast, becoming KTLA on channel 5. It is the first commercial television station to broadcast west of the Mississippi River. Estimates of the number of television sets in the L.A. area at the time range from 350 to 600. Bob Hope serves as emcee for KTLA's inaugural broadcast.
1955: ABC picks up the local program Ozark Jubilee, broadcast from KYTV in Springfield, Missouri. This is said to be the first regularly scheduled live network TV program that did not originate in New York, L.A., or Chicago.
1956: Camera Three premieres on CBS.
1968: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In premieres on NBC.
1983: Mama’s Family, based on a recurring sketch from The Carol Burnett Show, debuts on NBC.
1984: Apple airs its famous “1984” commercial (introducing the Macintosh) during the broadcast of Super Bowl XVII. While it would never air on TV again, contrary to popular belief this was not the only airing of the ad: it had been “stealthily” broadcast 5 weeks earlier at 1 a.m. on KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho. This single obscure airing was solely for the purpose of qualifying for 1983 awards competitions. (In addition, the commercial was also screened prior to previews in movie theaters for a few weeks.)
1987: R. Budd Dwyer, Treasurer of Pennsylvania, commits suicide in front of TV cameras, shooting himself with a .357 Magnum revolver during a press conference. Dwyer was awaiting sentencing on his conviction for receiving a $300,000 kickback from a computer company, and most of the press assumed he had called the press conference to announce his resignation. The footage is broadcast as breaking news during mid-day by some TV stations, leading to outraged complaints. (Weather had closed the schools in many Pennsylvania communities, meaning countless children were home watching TV.) At least two stations also broadcast the uncensored footage, without a warning to viewers, during their evening newscasts. [NOTE: from the accounts I've read, I am not clear as to whether the press conference was being carried live by some stations. Any of you Keystone State TV geeks who can sort this out?]
(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits. 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…..)
Just a few random TV related events that happened on January 22. Discuss or comment as you please……
1934: Actor Bill Bixby (My Favorite Martian, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Incredible Hulk) is born (as Wilfred Bailey Bixby) in San Francisco.
1947: Experimental station W6XYZ in Los Angeles is licensed for commercial broadcast, becoming KTLA on channel 5. It is the first commercial television station to broadcast west of the Mississippi River. Estimates of the number of television sets in the L.A. area at the time range from 350 to 600. Bob Hope serves as emcee for KTLA's inaugural broadcast.
1955: ABC picks up the local program Ozark Jubilee, broadcast from KYTV in Springfield, Missouri. This is said to be the first regularly scheduled live network TV program that did not originate in New York, L.A., or Chicago.
1956: Camera Three premieres on CBS.
1968: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In premieres on NBC.
1983: Mama’s Family, based on a recurring sketch from The Carol Burnett Show, debuts on NBC.
1984: Apple airs its famous “1984” commercial (introducing the Macintosh) during the broadcast of Super Bowl XVII. While it would never air on TV again, contrary to popular belief this was not the only airing of the ad: it had been “stealthily” broadcast 5 weeks earlier at 1 a.m. on KMVT in Twin Falls, Idaho. This single obscure airing was solely for the purpose of qualifying for 1983 awards competitions. (In addition, the commercial was also screened prior to previews in movie theaters for a few weeks.)
1987: R. Budd Dwyer, Treasurer of Pennsylvania, commits suicide in front of TV cameras, shooting himself with a .357 Magnum revolver during a press conference. Dwyer was awaiting sentencing on his conviction for receiving a $300,000 kickback from a computer company, and most of the press assumed he had called the press conference to announce his resignation. The footage is broadcast as breaking news during mid-day by some TV stations, leading to outraged complaints. (Weather had closed the schools in many Pennsylvania communities, meaning countless children were home watching TV.) At least two stations also broadcast the uncensored footage, without a warning to viewers, during their evening newscasts. [NOTE: from the accounts I've read, I am not clear as to whether the press conference was being carried live by some stations. Any of you Keystone State TV geeks who can sort this out?]
(Just a little featurette I hope to do as time permits. 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…..)
