The Glory Days of Cincinnati Television

[radiorob2.0]

Who remembers Ruth Lyons, Paul Dixon, Bob Braun, Uncle Al, and Jerry Springer as a news anchor? Discuss.

P.S.: Feel Free To Add

 

[bk77]

There are a number of books out there that touch on Cincinatti TV.

Charles Jaqures ( I know I mis-spelled that ) wrote a book about the local Coney Island Amusment Park several years ago. The book features pics of Paul Dixon, Wanda Lewis, and Nick Clooney and a shot of WLWT ( WLW-TV ) doing a local weather report from the park from the 50s. Oh the book features The Banana Splits. Did you know the opening/closing scenes of the late 60s Banana Splits TV show, a lot of it was filmed at Coney Island?

Jerry Springer had a book awhile back called Ringmaster (?) a bit of that touched on his career at WLWT.

Not sure about Ruth Lyons but I seem to believe Brawn had a book out as well at one time as I remember him talking about it when he did the mroning show on the old 1530 WSAI about ten years ago.

 

[kirkiefan]

A terrific book came out in the early 70s published by Prentice-Hall entitled "Not Just A Sound, The Story of WLW" which covered the Crosley/Avco radio and TV ownership from its beginnings up to 1972 when the book was published..Check the used bookstores. Mind you that Crosley started the Cincy/Dayton/Columbus/Indy network called "WLW Television" which eminated from WLWT where Ruth,Bob and the "Mayor of Kneesville" all did their programs live. Phil Donahue did his program from the Avco owned station in Dayton WLWD(now WDTN) before the 1975-76 sellout.

 

[bpatrick]

And do you know who Donahue replaced on WLWD (WDTN)
in 1967? Johnny Gilbert, now the announcer on "Jeopardy!"

 

[retrothoughts]

The Phil Donahue show's origination moved from Channel 2 in Dayton to WGN-Channel 9 Chicago in 1974, a couple of years before Avco sold Channel 2. In the early 1980's, owing to the syndication vs. cable controversy [WGN being on cable by that time], Donahue moved from WGN to CBS-Channel 2 [WBBM] in Chicago, then, in 1985, to NBC New York for the remaining decade-plus of its run.

 

[bpatrick]

A terrific book came out in the early 70s published by Prentice-Hall entitled "Not Just A Sound, The Story of WLW" which covered the Crosley/Avco radio and TV ownership from its beginnings up to 1972 when the book was published..Check the used bookstores. Mind you that Crosley started the Cincy/Dayton/Columbus/Indy network called "WLW Television" which eminated from WLWT where Ruth,Bob and the "Mayor of Kneesville" all did their programs live. Phil Donahue did his program from the Avco owned station in Dayton WLWD(now WDTN) before the 1975-76 sellout.

I once did a review of that book for a media history class, and I said then that that's what television ought to be.
Crosley owned Channel 11 in Atlanta (WLWA) from 1953 to 1962 but, oddly, Paul Dixon and Ruth Lyons weren't
carried there (Channel 11 did have a talented daytime performer you may have heard of--Dick Van Dyke, who was
on in the mid-'50s).

Don't forget WCPO and WKRC. I remember in the '70s that John Wade was on Channel 9, just before he came to
Atlanta to host Ch. 11's "A.M. Atlanta" (1975), then he went to New York. Channel 12 had Nick Clooney, and I
remember that the station showed his game show "The Money Maze" at 10:30 AM, followed by his talk show at 11,
giving Queen City viewers 90 minutes of Nick.

 

[kirkiefan]

And do you know who Donahue replaced on WLWD (WDTN)
in 1967? Johnny Gilbert, now the announcer on "Jeopardy!"

Yes! I remember watching Johnny Gilbert as a kid around the time I was in the 5th or 6th grade. C.K. Elston was the announcer also known for his comedic local weather breakaways from the "Today" show. Great voice! Gilbert replaced comedian Dick Curtis doing a similar show who's precicessor was Jimmy McClain(as my menory serves me.) All came on after Paul Dixon.Lots of good stuff came out of that old skating rink on South Dixie Drive.

 

[major]

I also remember these local shows:

Ch. 9
Uncle Al
The 4 O'Clock Movie with Wirt Cain

Ch. 12
Skipper Ryle (Glenn Ryle)
Bowling for Dollars (Glenn Ryle, then Dick Schorr) anyone have a tape of this show?
Strikes n' Spares (Jerry Thomas)
AM Cincinnati
Dialing for Dollars (Glenn Ryle hosting a movie)

Ch. 5

Paul Dixon at 9, Ruth Lyons/Bob Braun at noon - took up most of the day

How about these news people:

Ch 9
Of Course Al Schottelkotte
Hugh Dermody
Gretchen Carlson
George Winters
Jack Moran

Ch. 5
Tom Atkins
Tony Grant

Ch. 12
Mark Edwards
Mike Fenwick
Ed Linderman
Pam Connors
Nick Clooney, who replaced Mark Edwards

No one can tell me that today's lineup of syndicated trash, that is the same in each market, can beat these old shows and personalities. Who can sit and watch TV news from 4-7 PM on these stations? It's over half commercials. I can't stand it.

I really would like a tape of an old Bowling for Daollars episode...please.

 

[kirkiefan]

I remember Colleen Sharp and Bonnie Lou who also were Paul Dixon's cohorts in addition to being on "Midwestern Hayride." You talked about Glenn "Skipper" Ryle and his weekday kids show that competed with "Uncle Al" Lewis. Ryle was also a staff announcer doing station IDs and hosting a dance/top 40 program on Saturdays..Pretty much a half hour take off of "American Bandstand" which was commmon on local TV back then.... Ryle also had a co-host on that show.. but cannot remember the name. I want to say Dusty Rhodes but I'm sure that I'm mistaken.

Who can also forget those two fellows who banged their own drum doing their own commercials...none other than "Kash"Ambugy on WXIX 19 with his big bargain barn in "South Leb-A-Non,Ohio" and Jerry Cohen of Concord City on WKTR 16.

I also remember in the summer of 1968 when WXIX-TV ran a test transmission until around September when the station started regular programming. It's interestig how they did it..not just a test pattern and tone but also a breif 20 minute program featuring The Larry Smith Puppets. Also got a good belly laugh from the Cool Ghoul after its inception. Nothing ever done like that on a new independant station at the time. At that time new independant stations were popping up all over including WKTR Channel 16(now WPTD "Think TV") and WSWO 26 in Springfield which only lasted a little more than a year after the "bozo no-no" fiasco. They came back in 1980 as Christian station WTJC,then WDPX(Pax TV) and the present day WBDT(WB/CW)

 

[azumanga]

At that time new independant stations were popping up all over including ... WSWO 26 in Springfield which only lasted a little more than a year after the "bozo no-no" fiasco.

What was that about?

 

[kirkiefan]

What was that about?
[/quote]


It was around 1969 or so when a local live version of Bozo's Big Top was aired. As the story goes a young lad was playing a ball toss game and missed the bucket or goal and the youth uttered "OH S___T!" Bozo turned to the child and said in relply"....hey that's a bozo no-no."

 

[NoWayNoCC]

Does anyone remember 'Juvenile Court' over at Channel 9?

Also, what was the name of the Channel 5 news anchor around 1976? I can't remember his name for anything. He had dark hair and I think he had big sideburns too.

Does anyone have a picture of that cool old logo Channel 5 had back then? It was right before they switched to the dull Helvetica 5 they used for years afterward.

 

[radiorob2.0]

As long as we are talking logo who remembers the "Channel 9" jingle. WCPO used it into the eighties. I was told it was a Johnny Mann Singers production. It's been years since I heard that jingle.

 

[NoWayNoCC]

As long as we are talking logo who remembers the "Channel 9" jingle. WCPO used it into the eighties. I was told it was a Johnny Mann Singers production. It's been years since I heard that jingle.

Is this the one that went "Brrrrring! Channel 9!"? I haven't heard it since about 1982. I remember how the logo used that stout, curvy 9. That 9 was still on Channel 9's building up until about 2003, believe it or not.

 

[brian_stevens]

Also, what was the name of the Channel 5 news anchor around 1976? I can't remember his name for anything. He had dark hair and I think he had big sideburns too.

Steve Douglas perhaps.

 

[azumanga]

It was around 1969 or so when a local live version of Bozo's Big Top was aired. As the story goes a young lad was playing a ball toss game and missed the bucket or goal and the youth uttered "OH S___T!" Bozo turned to the child and said in relply"....hey that's a bozo no-no."

Did the kid say "Cram it, clown" in response?

 

[brian_stevens]

As long as we are talking logo who remembers the "Channel 9" jingle. WCPO used it into the eighties. I was told it was a Johnny Mann Singers production. It's been years since I heard that jingle.

You can find some classic WCPO video at http://wcpo.com/wcpo/history/video.html.

 

[Tim L]

I watched the WCPO newscast from 1959. I only knew Al Schottlekotte by name and reputation. He had a terrific voice..Was interesting to see the Local live commercial inside the studio

 

[ohdxer]

Back around 1976 or 1977, WCMH 4 Columbus (used to be WLW-C 4) hired a young lady to be their news reporter. I recall that she didn't stay at WCMH very long. I can't think of her name, but I believe she used to be a news anchor at WLWT 5.

She was fired from WLWT after an on the air incident where she called the weatherman on the newscast "the weather wop".

Does anybody from Cincinnati remember who this person was in this on the air incident?