May 2: This Day in TV History

[Stanislav]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on May 2. Discuss or comment as you please……

1903: Crooner Bing Crosby is born (as Harry Lillis Crosby) in Tacoma, Washington. There is no truth to the myth that he emerged from the womb wearing golfing togs, smoking a pipe, holding a Racing Form, and singing “Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)...”

1935: Actor Lance LeGault (The A-Team) is born (as Henry Legault) in Chicago.

1944: The former W2XVT/W2XWV begins commercial operations as WABD (later WNEW-TV, now WNYW) on channel 4 (moved to channel 5 in December 1945).

1952: Actress Christine Baranski (Cybill) is born in Buffalo, New York.

1955: WGBH-TV (channel 2) begins operating in Boston, Massachusetts. The public/educational station was made possible after the original CP holder (Raytheon) failed to launch a proposed commercial station on the channel, allowing the FCC to reassign it for noncommercial use.

1957: TV took him to public prominence, and then to public shame.....former Senator Joesph McCarthy dies in Bethesda Naval Hospital, aged 48, officially due to acute hepatitis and inflammation of the liver. (Unofficially, many say, due to his love for the bottle...)

1967: Journalist Mika Brzezinski (Morning Joe, Weekend Today) is born in New York City.

1968: The Israel Broadcasting Authority begins television transmissions with a live broadcast of the Israeli Independence Day parade in Jerusalem.

1969: Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is given its discharge papers, courtesy of CBS’ “rural purge.”

1970: KOAI-TV (channel 12, now KNAZ-TV) signs on in Flagstaff, Arisona.

1977: Actress Jenna von Oÿ (Blossom, The Parkers) is born in Stamford, Connecticut.

1982: The Weather Channel launches in the U.S.

1982: Actor Hugh Marlowe (Another World) dies in New York City of a heart attack, aged 71.

1986: The Fall Guy ends a 5-season ABC run.

1991: The final original episode of Father Dowling Mysteries airs, ending a 3-season run (1 on NBC, 2 on ABC).

2002: Actor/TV host Bob Homme dies of prostate cancer in Grafton, Ontario, aged 81. From 1953 to 1984, he hosted the popular children’s show The Friendly Giant, first on Madison, Wisconsin’s WHA-TV, then for 26 years on the CBC (also carried by many U.S. public stations). In contrast to most children’s television offerings, The Friendly Giant was marked by a go-slow, gentle nature, with repetition of key elements, and was also characterized by an uncommon realism and spontaneity, as the shows were largely ad-libbed, based on one-page plot summaries rather than detailed scripts.

2003: Speaking of gentle children’s show hosts.....This day, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) honors the late Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood) by naming a Main Belt asteroid “26858 Misterrogers.”

2005: Hunter Tylo returns to The Bold and the Beautiful even though her character, Dr. Taylor Forrester, had been "killed off" three years earlier. The revelation that Forrester was alive shocked fans as the character’s “resurrection” had not been even hinted at by any print or online news/gossip sources.

2006: Financial journalist/commentator Louis Rukeyser (Wall Street Week) dies of multiple myeloma in Greenwich, Connecticut, aged 73.

2008: Actress Beverlee McKinsey (Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Another World, Texas, Guiding Light) dies of complications after a kidney transplant in Santa Maria, California, aged 72.

(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…..)

 

[mleach]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on May 2. Discuss or comment as you please……

1991: The final original episode of Father Dowling Mysteries airs, ending a 3-season run (1 on NBC, 2 on ABC).

The funny thing I remember about this show was that even though it was supposed to have been set in Chicago, the series for the most part during the first season was actually filmed in Denver and oddly as I can recall the producers/production team didn't really hide the fact either. For starters just how many businesses ( or people for that matter ) in Chicago use the term "Mile High"?

They might as well have had the series be based out of Denver !!!!

 

[RicoGregg]

Just a few random TV related events that happened on May 2. Discuss or comment as you please……

1991: The final original episode of Father Dowling Mysteries airs, ending a 3-season run (1 on NBC, 2 on ABC).

The funny thing I remember about this show was that even though it was supposed to have been set in Chicago, the series for the most part during the first season was actually filmed in Denver and oddly as I can recall the producers/production team didn't really hide the fact either. For starters just how many businesses ( or people for that matter ) in Chicago use the term "Mile High"?

They might as well have had the series be based out of Denver !!!!

Makes sense to me. The Denver Broncos' very first home field was Bears Stadium, which eventually expanded and evolved into Mile High Stadium.

The first time that the Chicago Bears lost to an AFL team was to the Denver Broncos. George Halas reportedly went nuclear afterwards.

One of Denver's TV stations is KWGN. Yes, it's owned by Tribune. Or was, last I heard.

 

[mleach]

One of Denver's TV stations is KWGN. Yes, it's owned by Tribune. Or was, last I heard.

KWGN is still owned by Tribune even though the station has since merged with KDVR FOX 31 ( who isn't part of Tribune ). KWGN ( now The "Deuce" ) has since left Tribune complex south of Denver ( Greenwood Village actually ) in favor of being in the same building as KDVR which for the record is more/less across the street from Denver's ABC affiliate KMGH and a few doors down from Denver's NBC/MY Network affilates ( KUSA/KTVD ) and only blocks away from CBS/KCNC. And I think even Rocky Mountain PBS, Univision & Telemundo they too all have their offices & studios in the same general neighborhood as well.

Hmmmmm....Maybe this could be used for another thread? Is there any city out there where ALL of the main local TV stations in one market are pretty much more/less "neighbors" to each other? I have a feeling it would be hard to beat Denver in this. I really can't think of any other.

 

[fybush]

Hmmmmm....Maybe this could be used for another thread? Is there any city out there where ALL of the main local TV stations in one market are pretty much more/less "neighbors" to each other? I have a feeling it would be hard to beat Denver in this. I really can't think of any other.

How about Indianapolis?

Until recently, there were five major stations lined up along a few blocks of North Meridian, the main drag - WTHR (NBC) at 1000, WRTV (ABC) at 1330, WFYI (PBS) at 1401, WXIN (Fox)/WTTV (CW) at 1440 and WISH (CBS) at 1950.

Within the last couple of years, WXIN/WTTV - owned by Tribune, incidentally - has moved to an office park in the 'burbs, and WFYI has moved to 1630 N. Meridian.

Up in Fort Wayne, all of the TV stations were within a one-mile radius until a few years ago: WPTA (ABC) and WFWA (PBS) on Butler Road, WFFT (Fox) around the corner on Hillegas, and WANE (CBS) and WKJG (NBC) just a bit to the south on West State Road. WFWA moved to new digs across town a few years back, and WKJG became WISE-TV and moved in with WPTA.

Rockford, Illinois also comes to mind - WREX (NBC), WTVO (ABC) and WIFR (CBS) are all within sight of each other west of the city.

Salt Lake City had everyone beat, once upon a time: in the sixties and early seventies, KUTV (NBC), KCPX (ABC) and KSL (NBC) were all lined up along a single block of Social Hall Avenue near Temple Square. They've all since moved elsewhere, and the street itself doesn't exist anymore.

Syracuse almost counts: WSTM (NBC) at 1030 James Street, WSYT (Fox)/WNYS (My) at 1000 James and WTVH (CBS) at 980 James. WTVH is now moving in with WSTM; ABC affiliate WSYR-TV is a few miles to the east at I-690 and Bridge Street.

Baltimore almost counts, too: WJZ (CBS) and WBAL (NBC) are on adjoining properties on TV Hill, with WBFF (Fox)/WNUV (CW) just down the hill. WMAR (ABC) is a few miles away.

So does Spokane: KSPS (PBS), KREM (CBS)/KSKN (CW), KAYU (Fox) are all lined up along South Regal, and KHQ (NBC) used to be just across the street from KSPS until it built new downtown studios. KXLY (ABC) is up near Gonzaga U., north of downtown.

And if you count two-station markets, Utica's WUTR (ABC) and WKTV (NBC) are next door to each other on Smith Hill.

 

[KML0224]

Until two years ago, FOX 61 and CBS 3 in Hartford were only a few blocks from each other. Today, CBS 3 is in Rocky Hill (south down I-91). ABC 8 and MY 59 are together in New Haven. NBC 30 is in West Hartford, about to go into a new building which will (temporarily) sit behind their current studio of 50-some years. Lastly, CW 20 and FOX 61 are together on Main Street near US Route 44 and I-84/US 6. By the fall, they'll be in a new section of The Hartford Courant newspaper building, since all are owned by Tribune.

 

[therealjm12]

All the studios and most of the transmitters of TV stations in Utica, N. Y. are located high atop Smith Hill in Deerfield. They are across the street from each other. That may be misleading because the only buildings on top of the hill (mountain) are the TV stations and FM transmitters.

 

[easttxtv]

In the Amarillo market, the ABC station (KVII/7) is 2 blocks from the Fox/NBC combo (KCIT/14, KAMR/4 respectively; originally just KCIT's studios till an LMA in recent years added KAMR's operations, moved down from north of downtown), both in the downtown area. The PBS station (KACV/2) misses out by a mile or 2, being based on Amarillo College's main campus, while the CBS/Telemundo/LATV combo (KFDA/10, KTMO/36, KFDA-DT/10.4 respectively) is on the far north side of town, by most of the city's antenna/tower masts.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

1937: Actor Lorenzo Music (d. 2001), best known as the voice of Garfield, is born Gerald David Music in Brooklyn, NY. He also was the creator of The Bob Newhart Show, played Carlton the doorman on Rhoda, and also was the voice of "Larry the Crash Test Dummy."

 

[wbhist]

1937: Actor Lorenzo Music (d. 2001), best known as the voice of Garfield, is born Gerald David Music in Brooklyn, NY. He also was the creator of The Bob Newhart Show, played Carlton the doorman on Rhoda, and also was the voice of "Larry the Crash Test Dummy."

In fact, up to the late 1960's he was known as Jerry Music; it was under that name that he was credited as writer and occasional performer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in its final (1968-69) season.

 

[LKellerIII]

1937: Actor Lorenzo Music (d. 2001), best known as the voice of Garfield, is born Gerald David Music in Brooklyn, NY. He also was the creator of The Bob Newhart Show, played Carlton the doorman on Rhoda, and also was the voice of "Larry the Crash Test Dummy."

In fact, up to the late 1960's he was known as Jerry Music; it was under that name that he was credited as writer and occasional performer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in its final (1968-69) season.

I enjoyed the Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show (circa 1976), which he hosted with his wife, but I guess I was the only one who did...