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Retro: Philadelphia Fri, Sept 25, 1953

from TV Guide-Philadelphia edition
network info from mcsittel.com

WPTZ 3-NBC Philadelphia
6:45 Home, Garden & Farm Show
7:00 Today
9:00 Let Skinner Do It (George & Jane King)
10:00 Ding Dong School
10:30 Glamor Girl
11:00 Hawkings Falls
11:15 Bennetts
11:30 Three Steps to Heaven
11:45 Follow Your Heart
noon Hi Noon (Rex Trailer)
12:15 Uncle Pete (Pete Boyle & Snooper)
12:45 Close-Up Quiz
1:00 Hollywood Playhouse "Caught in the Act"
2:00 Skinner's Spotlight
2:30 Pets, Pans, Personalities
3:00 Kate Smith (guests Frankie Carle & his orchestra, and Myron Cohen)
4:00 Welcome Travelers
4:30 On Your Account
5:00 Atom Squad "The Case of the Flying Saucer"
5:15 Gabby Hayes
5:30 Howdy Doody
6:00 Six Gun Cinema "Rollin' Home to Texas"
7:00 News Reporter
7:15 Sports Page (Al Wistert/Lanse McCurley)
7:25 Weather Girl
7:30 Eddie Fisher (guest Morton Downey)
7:45 NBC News
8:00 Goldbergs
8:30 Life of Riley
9:00 Big Story
9:30 TV Soundstage "Believe"
10:00 Boxing: Danny Nardico (46-10-4, 32 KO) vs James Parker (23-4-2, 21 KO) in a 10-round heavyweight bout from New York
10:45 Greatest Fights: recalling the Feb 13, 1952 Rocky Marciano-Lee Savold tilt
11:00 This Week in Sports (Tommy Henrich interviews Washington Senator player Bob Porterfield and also shows clips of the Presiden't Cup Regatta and the Villanova-Georgia football game)
11:15 Sports (Bob Stanton)
11:20 Friday Night Playhouse "Lion Man"
12:20 News (Bennett)
12:25 Religious Program (Msgr. Hubert J. Cartwright)

WFIL 6-ABC/DuMont Philadelphia
8:45 Music Varieties
9:00 Wife Saver (Allen Prescott)
10:45 Women's Features (Deborah Adams)
11:00 Early Edition
11:10 Panorama
11:30 Showcase
noon Midday Headlines (Chuck Harrison)
12:15 Stop, Look & Listen (Tom Moorehead)
2:00 Nose for News (Allen Stone)
2:15 Women's Page (Violet Hale/Peggy Towne)
2:45 Bandstand (Bob Horn/Lee Stewart)
5:00 Movie Matinee "The Man Behind the Mask"
6:30 Ramar "Blue Treasure"
7:00 George Walsh (sports)
7:15 Newsreel (Hall)
7:25 Weather (Davis)
7:30 Stu Erwin "Hate That Loveseat"
8:00 Ozzie & Harriet "Operation Economy"
8:30 Broadway to Hollywood (Conrad Nagel)
9:00 Life Begins at 80
9:30 Outdoorsman (Fred Everett)
10:00 Chance of a Lifetime
10:30 Down You Go
11:00 TV News (Hall)
11:10 Weather (Davis)
11:15 Crossroads
11:45 Swing Yer Partner (Pete & Elmer Newman)
12:45 Film Featurette

WGAL 8-CBS/NBC Lancaster
9:00 TV Rangers
9:15 Hymns of Faith
9:30 Record Room
9:45 Morning News
10:00 Ding Dong School
10:30 Housewives' Serenade
11:00 Hawkins Falls
11:15 Name the Brand
11:30 Strike it Rich
noon TV Farmer
12:15 Love of Life
12:30 News of the World
12:40 Regional News (Dave Brandt)
1:00 Kitchen Door
1:30 Bride & Groom
1:45 What You Eat
1:50 Musical Matinee
2:30 Search for Tomorrow
2:45 Today with Kay
3:00 Big Payoff
3:30 Kate Smith
4:00 Welcome Travelers
4:30 On Your Account
5:00 Atom Squad "The Case of the Flying Saucer"
5:15 Gabby Hayes
5:30 Howdy Doody
6:00 Wild Bill Hickok
6:30 Sports/Weather/News
7:00 Ozzie & Harriet
7:30 Eddie Fisher
7:45 NBC News
8:00 Goldbergs
8:30 Life of Riley
9:00 Big Story
9:30 TV Soundstage "Believe"
10:00 Boxing: Nardico-Parker
10:45 Greatest Fights: Marciano-Savold
11:00 News/Sports
11:10 Regional News
11:15 Friday Playhouse
12:30 Sports Notes

WCAU 10-CBS Philadelphia
7:35 Time/Resume
8:00 Mister & Missus (Gene & Joan Crane)
9:30 Home Highlights (Aunt Molly (Joan Corbett) & Bill Hart)
10:00 Wheel of Fortune
11:00 'Round the Town (Nancy Dolphin)
11:30 Strike It Rich
noon Bridge & Grrom
12:15 Love of Life
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
12:45 Guiding Light
1:00 Gladys Webster
1:30 Garry Moore
2:00 Double or Nothing
2:30 House Party
3:00 Big Payoff
3:30 Cinderella Weekend (Allan Scott, a weekend in NYC is the prize)
4:00 Action in the Afternoon
4:30 Adventure Theatre "Rustlers' Hangout"
4:55 Patches
5:00 Junior Hi-Jinx
5:50 Rain or Shine?
5:55 Sports (Bill Campbell)
6:00 Early Show "The Lonely Trail"
6:55 News (John Facenda, who anchored news at the station from 1948 to 1973)
7:00 Cisco Kid
7:30 CBS News
7:45 Perry Como
8:00 Mama
8:30 Man Against Crime "Sic Transit Gloria"
9:00 Playhouse of Stars "Desert Tragedy"
9:30 Footlights Theater "Double Exposure"
10:00 Mr. & Mrs. North
10:30 Jeweler's Showcase
11:00 News (John Facenda)
11:10 Weather (Sheridan)
11:15 Sports (Whitaker)
11:30 Feature Theater "The Last Crooked Mile"

WDEL 12-NBC Wilmington
7:00 Today
---
10:00 Ding Dong School
10:30 Glamor Girl
11:00 Hawkins Falls
11:15 Bennetts
11:30 Three Steps to Heaven
11:45 Follow Your Heart
noon Film Featurette
12:30 News (Darby)
12:45 Church Looks Forward
1:00 The Show
2:00 Views of Life
2:30 Cosmopolitan Kitchen
3:00 Kate Smith
4:00 Welcome Travelers
4:30 On Your Account
5:00 Atom Squad "The Case of the Flying Saucer"
5:15 Gabby Hayes
5:30 Howdy Doody
6:00 Christophers
6:15 The Eyes Have It
6:30 Delaware News
6:45 Sporting Scene
7:00 Film Featurette
7:15 Capsule News
7:30 Eddie Fisher
7:45 NBC News
8:00 Goldbergs
8:30 Life of Riley
9:00 Big Story
9:30 TV Soundstage "Believe"
10:00 Boxing: Nardico-Parker
10:45 Greatest Fights: Marciano-Savold
11:00 Headline Roundup
11:05 News

WEEU 33-NBC/ABC Reading
10:00 Ding Dong School
10:30 Glamor Girl
11:00 Hawkins Falls
11:15 Bennetts
11:30 Three Steps to Heaven
11:45 Follow Your Heart
---
4:30 Camera on the Square
5:00 Reading Ranchtime "Gangsters of the Frontier"
5:30 Howdy Doody
6:00 Evening Edition
6:15 Weather (Bill Webber)
6:20 Sports (Cammarota)
6:30 Ship's Reporter
6:45 Yesterday's Newsreel
7:00 People's Business (guest Dorothy Beidler)
7:30 Eddie Fisher
7:45 NBC News
8:00 Goldbergs
8:30 Life of Riley
9:00 Showcase (Nan Heckman/Jack Gounder)
9:30 Big Picture
10:00 Boxing: Nardico-Parker
10:45 Eagle, Globe, Anchor (Armed Forces drive)
11:00 News (Jack Gounder)
11:15 Theater 33 "Forgotten Women"

WSBA 43-ABC York
5:55pm Headline News
6:00 Early Movie "Let's Go Collegiate"
7:00 News (Otis Morse)
7:15 Football This Week
7:30 Stu Erwin "Hate That Loveseat"
8:00 Ozzie & Harriet "Operation Economy"
8:30 Of Human Interest "Coralling the Colorado"
9:00 Appointment with Love "The Moon on Wires"
9:30 TV Playhouse "Inspector Hornleigh"
11:00 News (Jim Curtis)
11:10 Football Highlights: All-American game of the week

WPFG 46-NBC/CBS/ABC/DuMont Atlantic City
3pm Film Featurette
3:30 Bob Crosby (guest Donna Reed)
4:00 Action in the Afternoon
4:30 Film Featurette
5:00 Atom Squad "The Case of the Flying Saucer"
5:15 Western Theater
6:15 Channel 46 Theater
7:30 Eddie Fisher
7:45 NBC News
8:00 Goldbergs
8:30 Film Feature
9:30 I've Got a Secret
10:00 Boxing: Nardico-Parker

WHUM 61-CBS Reading
noon News (Deegan)
12:15 Love of Life
12:30 Search for Tomorrow
12:45 Guiding Light
---
2:00 Double or Nothing
2:30 House Party
2:45 Music Hall Varieties
3:00 Big Payoff
3:30 Bob Crosby
4:00 Club 61
5:00 Hopalong Cassidy
5:30 Sagebrush Theater
6:30 News
6:40 Film Featurette
6:45 Birthday Show
7:15 Deegan Speaks
7:30 Sports (Mooney)
7:45 Perry Como
8:00 Film Featurette
8:30 Man Against Crime "Sic Transit Gloria"
9:00 Playhouse of Stars "Desert Tragedy"
9:30 Footlights Theater "Double Exposure"
10:00 Mr. & Mrs. North
10:30 Big Picture
11:00 Weather Bird
11:05 Marvel Oil Theater
 
Neil Rattigan said:
Didn't WDEL-TV also have a secondary DuMont affilation?

mcsittel.com's network list (which came from a Dec '53 edition), didn't indicate a DuMont secondary for WDEL-TV, though a Wikipedia list of affiliates and Scott Fybush's NERW Site of the Week archives say it did...
 
Some thoughts...

--I never knew Channel 12 was an NBC station serving Wilmington, a separate market in those days. I just thought it was an independent station till it became educational.
--I never knew Reading was also a separate TV market with its own CBS and NBC/ABC stations. Both Reading and Wilmington today are part of the Philadelphia market.
--I see both WGAL Lancaster and WEEU-TV Reading don't bother to run Today, even though they have NBC affiliation. That's odd. In fact, WGAL signs on at 9am, just after Today ends. And WEEU signs on at 10am, only an hour later. I've never seen an old TV Guide where an NBC stations fails to run Today.
--WDEL-TV Wilmington does run Today, then signs off at 9am and comes back on at 10am. Couldn't they fill that hour with cartoons or public service films, which many stations used to do to keep the transmitter on the air?
--I guess it would still be a couple o years before The Tonight Show debuts on NBC, with Steve Allen inventing the format that continues to be used by Leno, Letterman, Conan, et al.
--Channel 43 in York is an ABC affiliate. I didn't realize ABC was part of that channel's history. Later it became a CBS affiliate, I guess when WGAL affiliated with NBC exclusively. In fact, 43 was one of three CBS affiliates in the Harrisburg-York-Lancaster market in the 70s and 80s, along with 15 and 21. Today 43 is the market's Fox affilate.
--I see Wheel of Fortune listed at 10 to 11am on CBS (WCAU-TV 10). That's not the game show, right? Game shows didn't run 60 minutes in those days, nor did soap operas. I guess it was an anthology drama show?
--I see Morton Downey as the guest on the Eddie Fisher Show at 7:30pm on NBC. That's the Irish tenor singer, father of Morton Downey, Jr., the late talk show host.


Gregg
[email protected]
 
Gregg said:
--I guess it would still be a couple o years before The Tonight Show debuts on NBC, with Steve Allen inventing the format that continues to be used by Leno, Letterman, Conan, et al.

At the time of these listings, "Steverino" was holding down late nights (under banners including The Knickerbocker Beer Show and the first of many times and in many formats The Steve Allen Show title was used) on NBC's New York "pioneer station," WNBT (now WNBC) Channel 4. In that form, the show and format were developed by a station executive, Ted Cott (d. 1973). It was a year to the month from these listings that this little local late night show (which often gave WCBS-TV's movie skein The Late Show a run for its money, and as often as not beat the pants out of them in the ratings) would be taken "national" and given the Tonight moniker by NBC president Sylvester "Pat" Weaver.
 
Couple of possible reasons those stations didnt show "Today"
They were probably on the air only a few months..Most stations sign-on later in their first days and weeks..

Though Today was on over a year by this time, It still wasnt certain that the show would make it.

Something related to "Today" even more odd. For a few years in the mid 1960's WSPD-13 Toledo signed on at 7:20 AM, carrying only 90 minutes of Today from 7:30-9.No reason Channel 13 couldnt have signed on just a half hour earlier and carried the whole show (Which they eventually did anyway)
 
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