Which Was The Best Indie TV Station In The 60's & 70's?

[Madmansam]

In Los Angeles KBSC failed because of 4 relatively strong VHF stations (while KHJ and KCOP were not exactly strong they still held their own in the 70's and KCOP had a good line up of cartoons). Kaiser would fund KBSC from profits of their other stations.

In Chicago, Field owned WFLD and Kaiser held some interest in that station. WFLD was well behind WGN 9 but was until 1971 the only other independent. In 1971 when 44 WSNS signed on they were the weak station and WFLD began to grow, signing om mid mornings until 1977 when they began to sign on early mornings like WGN. By 1978 WGN was still on top with WFLD moderately behind and WSNS way behind. In 1979, though Field outbid WGN for MASH, Happy Days, and All In The Family. By 1980 WFLD actually became the leading independent beating WGN despite WFLD being UHF.

Actually WCIU-26 predates WFLD-32. WCIU-26 signed on the air on February 6, 1964 while WFLD-32 signed on the air almost 2 years later on January 4, 1966. WFLD had a better signal than WCIU and took second place to WGN so WCIU changed its programming to a mix of Financial News/Stock Market Reports-Spanish Language Programming. About 20 years later, WCIU would switch back to General Entertainment Independent.

 

[jonbruce]

That was Fred May who voiced all of those slide show spots on KCOP. He was also a jock on then 1490 KBLA in the late 1950's.

 

[Ultimajock]

Actually WCIU-26 predates WFLD-32. WCIU-26 signed on the air on February 6, 1964 while WFLD-32 signed on the air almost 2 years later on January 4, 1966. WFLD had a better signal than WCIU and took second place to WGN so WCIU changed its programming to a mix of Financial News/Stock Market Reports-Spanish Language Programming.

...in fact, it was WCIU's 1964 attempt to acquire Amos 'n' Andy reruns (which had been seen twice a day on WGN only a couple of years before) that led to the final boycott push that finally got that show completely withdrawn from syndication...

 

[TexasTom]

In Detroit, WKBD was the top station by default. The other 2 were locally owned and did not have budgets to really compete. So WKBD wound up with the strongest programming.

At one time, the top "independent" in Detroit was actually Windsor's channel 9, then CKLW-TV. While it was required to carry some CBC-TV programming, most of the day it ran a normal independent station's schedule. However, media reform in Canada knocked it out of the running by the mid-seventies -- forcing it to be sold to the CBC, where it was refocused on serving the Canadian side of the border as CBET. As a result, it became less of a factor in the Detroit market, and WKBD took over the role of top independent station.

In 1970, CKLW-TV almost certainly far outrated WKBD. By 1980, those positions had reversed, with WKBD trouncing CBET in the Detroit ratings.

 

[Ultimajock]

At one time, the top "independent" in Detroit was actually Windsor's channel 9, then CKLW-TV. While it was required to carry some CBC-TV programming, most of the day it ran a normal independent station's schedule.

...actually, after CBC and Baton Broadcasting jointly took control of CKLW-TV in 1970, the station began running (and continues to today) original material from both CBC and CTV, partly to fill the schedule with as much programming as possible that wouldn't duplicate ABC, CBS and NBC series of which CBC and CTV held the Canadian rights...

 

[LKellerIII]

Absolutely KTLA. An innovator. First live helicopter, making coverage of the Bel Air Fire and Baldwin Hill dam break stand head and shoulders above any other station. Ditto the Watts riots.

KTTV second. Very nearly as good as KTLA, but they didn't have Gene Autry saying "whatever it takes". Bonus points for "Thriller" and "Chiller".

Third goes to KHJ for shows like Boss City, 9th Street West, Groovy, The Robert W. Morgan Show, The Real Don Steele Show, and Fright Night with Seymour. Otherwise, Channel 9 was pretty grim.

Which leaves KCOP last. Bonus points for Lloyd Thaxton and Bill Burrud, but still...KCOP wasn't even competitive with KHJ-TV, much less KTTV or KTLA.

Though KHJ-TV was generally grim, as Michael indicates - some kind of honorable mention should go to Channel 9 for their Tempo programs in the mid and late 60s. They were live talk shows that featured interviews and took callers. It was a tumultuous time (Vietnam War, hippies, etc) and the shows provided a good forum...very low budget, but well produced. Tempo originally aired about 3 hours a day - Tempo I morning, Tempo II early afternoon, Tempo III night - then cut back to only the afternoon show.

Notable hosts on the show included Regis Philbin, actress JoAnne Pflug (Catch 22, M*A*S*H), Stan Bohrman (later a news anchor), Maria Cole (wife of Nat "King" and mother of Natalie), and Robert K. Dornan, who later became the right-wing Congressman known as "B-1 Bob." The verbal battles between Dornan and the liberal Bohrman were especially entertaining.

In the 60s, KCOP's low quality late night movies featured laughably bad commercials for local LA businesses - they were basically slide-shows accompanied by a syrupy announcer. I still recall one for Ramone's Beauty Salon in downtown Carson. They were so bad that they were actually satirized by The Credibility Gap on KRLA. Equally bad was KCOP's Dialilng for Dollars show - no movie - just the host talking to the camera for an hour, and dialing phone calls which were rarely answered...even in those days, when house wives were typically home. And when they did answer, they usually weren't watching the show. Truly sad and pathetic TV.

Wow I had no idea Fox News guy Bob Dornan got his start on KHJ. I knew Regis was on KABC for AMLA before being sent to NYC to do a show now called Regis and Kelly. I heard rumors that Spencer Cristian of KGO was the guy that Regis replaced on WABC. I heard that Spencer did an NY version of 7live then called AM NY before he was sent to GMA until 1998 when ABC sent him to SF to replace Giddings.

I had no idea Dornan had become a "Fox News guy" but it figures - his politics are very right-wing and he says outrageous things - very quotable. Needless to say, in the 60s on Tempo, he was young, and had choir-boy good looks - not the crusty bearded old guy you see now. I believe he got into TV by way of acting - he had some bit parts in films and TV in the 50s and early 60s, but fame as an actor eluded him.

After his TV talk show time, Dornan was a 6 term Congressman from northern Orange County, and was elected when that area was very conservative Republican. But by 1996, as a result of immigration from both Latin America and Vietnam, his District had become much more liberal and Democrat, and Dornan was defeated by Loretta Sanchez, who is still in office, I believe.

 

[recto101]

Absolutely KTLA. An innovator. First live helicopter, making coverage of the Bel Air Fire and Baldwin Hill dam break stand head and shoulders above any other station. Ditto the Watts riots.

KTTV second. Very nearly as good as KTLA, but they didn't have Gene Autry saying "whatever it takes". Bonus points for "Thriller" and "Chiller".

Third goes to KHJ for shows like Boss City, 9th Street West, Groovy, The Robert W. Morgan Show, The Real Don Steele Show, and Fright Night with Seymour. Otherwise, Channel 9 was pretty grim.

Which leaves KCOP last. Bonus points for Lloyd Thaxton and Bill Burrud, but still...KCOP wasn't even competitive with KHJ-TV, much less KTTV or KTLA.

Though KHJ-TV was generally grim, as Michael indicates - some kind of honorable mention should go to Channel 9 for their Tempo programs in the mid and late 60s. They were live talk shows that featured interviews and took callers. It was a tumultuous time (Vietnam War, hippies, etc) and the shows provided a good forum...very low budget, but well produced. Tempo originally aired about 3 hours a day - Tempo I morning, Tempo II early afternoon, Tempo III night - then cut back to only the afternoon show.

Notable hosts on the show included Regis Philbin, actress JoAnne Pflug (Catch 22, M*A*S*H), Stan Bohrman (later a news anchor), Maria Cole (wife of Nat "King" and mother of Natalie), and Robert K. Dornan, who later became the right-wing Congressman known as "B-1 Bob." The verbal battles between Dornan and the liberal Bohrman were especially entertaining.

In the 60s, KCOP's low quality late night movies featured laughably bad commercials for local LA businesses - they were basically slide-shows accompanied by a syrupy announcer. I still recall one for Ramone's Beauty Salon in downtown Carson. They were so bad that they were actually satirized by The Credibility Gap on KRLA. Equally bad was KCOP's Dialilng for Dollars show - no movie - just the host talking to the camera for an hour, and dialing phone calls which were rarely answered...even in those days, when house wives were typically home. And when they did answer, they usually weren't watching the show. Truly sad and pathetic TV.

Wow I had no idea Fox News guy Bob Dornan got his start on KHJ. I knew Regis was on KABC for AMLA before being sent to NYC to do a show now called Regis and Kelly. I heard rumors that Spencer Cristian of KGO was the guy that Regis replaced on WABC. I heard that Spencer did an NY version of 7live then called AM NY before he was sent to GMA until 1998 when ABC sent him to SF to replace Giddings.

I had no idea Dornan had become a "Fox News guy" but it figures - his politics are very right-wing and he says outrageous things - very quotable. Needless to say, in the 60s on Tempo, he was young, and had choir-boy good looks - not the crusty bearded old guy you see now. I believe he got into TV by way of acting - he had some bit parts in films and TV in the 50s and early 60s, but fame as an actor eluded him.

After his TV talk show time, Dornan was a 6 term Congressman from northern Orange County, and was elected when that area was very conservative Republican. But by 1996, as a result of immigration from both Latin America and Vietnam, his District had become much more liberal and Democrat, and Dornan was defeated by Loretta Sanchez, who is still in office, I believe.

I heard of Bob Dornan doing talk radio for a time in the 1990's to early 2000's but he never went to the top as Rush of KFBK, Hannity of WABC and Beck did. I think Dennis Miller took over his radio spot by the 2000's. All I know is that Dornan spent many years at Fox News as a Pundit.

 

[recto101]

How about Tempo on KHJ 9 does anybody have aircheck on it. I never seen the show because I was born in the 1980's but I've seen posts that Tempo was like CNN's Crossfire for its day and it was posted in the afternoons right on the time slot where KCAL 9 does its news at 2pm.

 

[LKellerIII]

How about Tempo on KHJ 9 does anybody have aircheck on it. I never seen the show because I was born in the 1980's but I've seen posts that Tempo was like CNN's Crossfire for its day and it was posted in the afternoons right on the time slot where KCAL 9 does its news at 2pm.

There are citations about Tempo all over the internet - usually in relation to the various hosts like Philbin, Dornan, and Maria Cole. BTW - you asked in one post how long Philbin hosted Tempo. One online source says 3 years - up to 1975, right before he moved to KABC-TV. Since the show began in 1967, that means it lasted on KHJ-TV for 8 years. I don't recall Tempo lasting into the mid 70s though, and I think that citation may be wrong. As I remember, the show had already been cancelled when I left LA in 73 - but I could be wrong of course.

Here's a link to a critical article on Dornan with a publicity photo from his Tempo years:
http://nathancallahan.com/mainstreetmedia/shutup.html

There are many other internet citations to be found.


The only aircheck of Tempo that I can find is this You Tube clip of Stan Bohrman interviewing Senator Mike Gravel on the show in 1971:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtxgmhPIfZg

 

[kresblain]

For Kids programming KCOP was number 2.

I guess I would have to agree... Despite the fact that they both had shared much of the same cartoon programs during those days, KCOP and KTTV had fantastic children's programming blocks that would rival even the stuff they air on cable TV. KTTV had a fairly big following in regards to off-net and first-run syndicated fodder.

 

[calchick]

They all had their great moments, but the best probably were KTTV & KTLA...although KHJ did have the Million Dollar Movie & KCOP had Hobo Kelly, Bozo The Clown & Romper Room! Remember when KCOP was owned by Chris-Craft, KTTV by Metromedia & KTLA by Golden West Broadcasting???

 

[calchick]

Oh, and I almost forgot the late, great Ben Hunter on KTTV with his afternoon Movie Matinee! I remember an advertiser was Beacon Carpets, but don't ask me to recall the commercial...though wish I could!

 

[1069_KIFR]

I'm going with.....

KTVU Oakland-San Francisco

 

[Markxxx]

I remember reading somewhere on line, (thought I can't find it now), that there was a serious effort to make KHJ a PBS (or educational station) a long time back.

Was that so, or just talk?

 

[michael hagerty]

I remember reading somewhere on line, (thought I can't find it now), that there was a serious effort to make KHJ a PBS (or educational station) a long time back.

Was that so, or just talk?

There were so many license renewal challenges to KHJ-TV under RKO General's ownership, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them was from an applicant proposing to take it educational.

 

[Carmine5]

For Kids programming KCOP was number 2.

I guess I would have to agree... Despite the fact that they both had shared much of the same cartoon programs during those days, KCOP and KTTV had fantastic children's programming blocks that would rival even the stuff they air on cable TV. KTTV had a fairly big following in regards to off-net and first-run syndicated fodder.

I recall being an audience member on KCOP's "Chuck Jones The Magic Man." During the credits and commercial break we were all hustled over to the "Beachcomber Bill" set and did double-duty as an audience for that show as well. Ah, the fun of live television.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

There are citations about Tempo all over the internet - usually in relation to the various hosts like Philbin, Dornan, and Maria Cole

Apparently, RKO General (then-owned of KHJ-9) had "Tempo" shows on all it's local TV stations. Around 1969, there was a "Tempo" show on WNAC-7 here in Boston that was hosted by of all people, Dave Garroway (making a TV comeback; I believe he lived on Cape Cod at the time).

WNAC hoped that the show would eventually go into national syndication, but it didn't get enough of a following locally to interest either RKO General or any other distributor in syndicating it.