Today in Broadcast History

Happy Birthday to singer Little Richard, comedian Margaret Cho and actor Frankie Muniz. Bing Crosby (pictured) took over the hosting of NBC radio’s ‘Kraft Music Hall; “The Green Hornet’ aired its last original episode after 15 years on network radio; ‘Jack Webb’s ‘Dragnet’ debuted on NBC-TV; and Bob Dylan gave a rare interview to CBS-TV’s ’60 Minutes.’ Obits Dec. 5th include Canadians Art Hallman and Wilf Carter, Roone Arledge of ABC News, and jazz giant Dave Brubeck. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

It’s the birth date of actors Jeff Bridges, Donnelly Rhodes, Marisa Tomei, Patricia Wettig and Victor French; of the music world’s Dennis Wilson, Deanna Durbin, Chris Hillman, Freddy Cannon and Eddie Heywood; and of broadcasters Wink Martindale and Alan Jackson. ‘The Eveready Hour’ began its pioneering radio variety show run on New York’s WEAF; Walter Winchell began his longrunning Sunday night news and gossip radio show on NBC Blue; the iconic radio soap ‘Ma Perkins’ moved from Cincinnati’s WLW to the NBC Red network; Frank Reynolds co-anchored his final ABC-TV evening newscast; and ‘Falcon Crest’ began its 9-year prime time run on CBS-TV. It’s also the date we lost iconic Calgary sportscaster Ed Whalen (pictured). Details and ALL the Dec 4th milestones INSIDE.

Born this date were Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Connee Boswell, Jaye P Morgan, Daryl Hannah and Ozzie Osbourne, ‘The Voice of Firestone’ started a 35 year run on radio; Paul Harvey News & Comment began a 58 year run on ABC Radio; CTV’s Harvey Kirck (pictured) became the frst 20-year man anchoring a Canadian network newscast; the late New York disk jockey Alan Freed was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and CBS-TV aired the 200th episode of ‘Knots Landing.’ Fraser Valley transmitters on the AM band fell silent, as the original stations in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Hope completed their transfer to the FM band, Details and ALL the milestones for Dec. 3rd INSIDE.

Born this date were Britney Spears, Nelly Furtado, Lucy Liu, Cathy Lee Crosby, Ray Walston and Hy Gardner. ‘The Advenutres of Charlie Chan’ debuted on radio’s NBC Blue network; Don Imus brought his shock-jock radio schtick from Cleveland to New York’s WNBC; Jungle Jay Nelson (pictured) did his first morning show on Toronto’s CHUM radio; NBC-TV’s ‘This is Your Life’ surprised their subject of the week Bobby Darin; after nearly half a century the amazing Alan Waters stepped down as head of CHUM broadcasting; and Brian Williams took over the anchor chair at NBC’s Nightly News. Celebrity deaths include folksinger Odetta, actors Robert Cummings and Desi Arnaz, jazz star Bob Haggart, actresses Gail Fisher and Roxie Roker, as well as Canada’s Fifi D’Orsay and broadcast magnate Ted Rogers Jr. Details and ALL the milestones for Dec. 2nd INSIDE.

Born this date were Richard Pryor, Woody Allen, Dick Shawn, David Doyle, Mary Martin, Lou Rawls, Bette Midler, Treat Williams and Sarah Silverman. Victoria’s CHEK-TV signed on, becoming the first private TV station in Western Canada; Tom Brokaw (pictured) stepped down after two decades as anchor at NBC News; ‘Edge of Night’ became the first TV soap to switch networks, from CBS to ABC; CKWX became the first radio station in Western Canada to afiliate with a US network (Mutual- Don Lee); Gene Autry took a job at WLS radio in Chicago, singing for $35 a week;’The Abbott and Costello Show’ began its 52-episode run in syndicated TV; and ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ began its 20-year run as a popular US daytime variety show. Details and ALL the milestones for Dec. 1st INSIDE.

It’s a day that brought us a wealth of talent, Dick Clark, Richard Crenna, Ben Stiller, Colin Mochrie, Mandy Patinkin, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Brownie McGhee, Kaley Cuoco, Allan Sherman and Johnny Horton. CBS-TV first used videotape for the West Coast delayed airing of the Evening News; after 74 straight wins Ken Jennings lost on ‘Jeopardy’; Eric Sevareid retired from CBS News; the critically-acclaimed ‘Brian’s Song’ (pictured) was the Movie of the Week on ABC; David Bowie dueted with Bing Crosby on CBS-TV on a Christmas special taped before Crosby’s death 6 weeks earlier; and Whistler BC got its own FM station, CISQ debuting at 104.9. Taking a final bow were Evel Knievel, Pierre Berton, Tiny Tim, and the Phillip Morris poster boy, Johnny Roventini. ALL the milestones for Nov. 30th INSIDE.

Many entertainers were born this date including Vin Scully, Howie Mandel, Don Cheadle, Diane Ladd, Garry Shandling, Merle Travis, Dagmar, Tom Sizemore, Denny Doherty, and TV newsman Frank Reynolds. NBC radio began using the 3-note chimes; the early radio show ‘Calling All Cars’ debuted on the CBS West Coast network; the Chicago puppet show ‘Kukla Fran & Ollie’ (pictured) moved to the NBC-TV network; the Metropolitan Opera was first televised on WJZ-TV; for the first time the ‘Grammy Awards’ made it to TV; and PBS televised a taped concert honoring Bruce Springsteen. Obits for Nov. 29th include Natalie Wood, George Harrison, Gene Rayburn, Ray Smith and Godfrey Cambridge. Details and ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy birthday to Jon Stewart, Paul Schaeffer, Randy Newman, Ed Harris, S. Epatha Merkerson and Berry Gordy Jr. It’s the date William Boyd brought his ‘Hopalong Cassidy’ movies to TV; when the Grand Ole Opry debuted on WSM Nashville as ‘The WSM Barn Dance’; the 200th Andy Griffith Show aired on CBS-TV; a few years later CBS broadcast the last live soap operas before tape took over; and Phil Donahue (pictured) moved his talk TV show from Chicago to New York. This was the date we lost entertainment giants Garry Moore and Leslie Nielsen. ALL the milestones for Nov. 28th INSIDE.

It’s the date of birth of pioneer sportscaster Ted Husing (pictured), the music world’s Jimi Hendrix, Jack Kane and Eddie Rabbitt, Howdy Doody’s ‘Buffalo Bob’ Smith, and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Radio’s drama anthology ‘First Nighter’ debuted on NBC; CBS Radio cancelled ‘Have Gun Will Travel’; singer Frankie Avalon guest starred on ABC-TV’s ‘It Takes a Thief’; the same network introduced us to a young Tom Hanks in episode one of ‘Bosom Buddies,’ while episode 200 of ‘The Waltons’ aired on CBS-TV. Bowing out Nov. 27th were actor John Carradine, singers Joe Jones and Al Alberts, and Canada’s first anchorman Larry Henderson. Details and ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

It’s the date that brought us Rich Little, Robert Goulet, Ernie Coombs, Tina Turner, Charles Schulz (‘Peanuts’ cartoonist), and Eric Sevareid of CBS News. The CRTC introduced ‘simultaneous substitution’ of US programming to Canadian cable systems; NBC premiered a 30-minute ‘Price is Right’ game show hosted by Bill Cullen; the CBC televised the Grey Cup Game for the first time; Elton John (pictured) guested on FOX-TV’s ‘Ally McBeal’; and ABC telecast the TV special ‘Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York.’ Details and ALL the Nov. 26th milestones INSIDE.