> I figure if anyone knows this, it will be the residents of
> this board ...
>
> Does anyone remember what year Mutual introduced the
> "Progressive" newscast at :55 past the hour?
>
> Thanks.
>
I'm guessing it was 73 or 74, I'm pretty sure it was when I was in high school. The local country station ran it... actually they started with casts at both :26 and :56, then after maybe a couple of months switched to a slightly longer newscast just at :55.
I don't know how long Mutual kept the "Progressive" newscasts. I recall the country station eventually just used a portion of it within a top of the hour local newscast, and eventually switched to ABC/E.
Did Mutual market this as a separate network, or was it just an option the affiliate could take instead of the traditional :00 or :30 cast?
I just dug out the IRCA (International Radio Club of America) Almanac, published in 1985. It mentions "Mutual Lifestyle Reports" at :55, which is described as "partly hard news and partly offbeat coverage." The Almanac also has a section on Sheridan Radio network, which it says began as the Mutual Black Network in 1972. I seem to recall Mutual tried to start a Spanish service the same time as the Black network, but maybe I have that confused with something else.
