Columns

IT WAS MAY 12th .. when syndicated gossip columnist Walter Winchell (pictured) made his radio debut on New York’s WABC… When after 46 years Toronto-born Morley Safer announced his retirement from CBS TV’s 60 Minutes … When Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley (just back from his military service in Germany) appeared on the ABC TV special ‘Welcome Back Elvis”… When CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show was headlined by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, along with comedians Richard Pryor and Rodney Dangerfield … When shares in CHUM Radio were first traded on the Toronto stock exchange … ..and when the final episode of “The Incredible Hulk” was first telecast on CBS. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS MAY 11th …. when the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM) was formed as a non-profit Canadian radio ratings service… When the pioneering kids TV show, The Pinky Lee Show, aired for the final time on NBC-TV… When Buddy Holly and the Crickets auditioned for CBS-TV’s “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts,” but were rejected and didn’t get to the air… When the Monty Python comedy troupe was formed in the UK…. ..and when John Lennon appeared (with wife Yoko Ono) on ABC TV’s “Dick Cavett Show” (pictured). ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS MAY 10th … when future legendary radio announcer & voice actor Gary Owens (pictured) was born in Mitchell South Dakota… When The Jackson Five made their second appearance on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show, together with comedians Don Rickles and George Carlin… When Top 40 formatted radio station WABC New York played its last record before adopting a Talk Radio format. It was John Lennon’s “Imagine”… When a long-anticipated wedding took place on NBC Radio’s ‘Great Gildersleeve’ … .. and when the last episode of “Laverne & Shirley” aired on ABC-TV. ALL the milestones for May 10th INSIDE.

IT WAS MAY 9th .. when two Canadian musical superstars, Hank Snow and Don Messer, were born … When a fire caused extensive water damage to New Westminster radio station CKNW, which was forced to use studios in downtown Vancouver while their building was renovated…. When the final episode of the hit TV sitcom ‘The Golden Girls’ aired on NBC… When Bruce Springsteen (pictured) made his TV debut, singing three songs on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” … and when Victoria radio stations The Q and The Zone were sold to Jim Pattison. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS MAY 8th … when V-E Day was celebrated, marking the end of WWII in Europe, and radio carried the news … When the BBC banned the song “Such a Night” by Johnnie Ray after listeners complained about its “suggestiveness” …. When radio station CKGO AM 1490 Hope BC went on the air with 250 watts… ..and when Edmonton’s CHQT was heard in its last live day as Cool 8-80, before switching twelve days later to All News as iNews880.com. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS MAY 7th …. when one of the great dramatic showcases of early LIVE TV “Kraft Television Theater” began an 11-year run on NBC… When the instrumental group The Champs appeared on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand to perform “Tequila” and “El Rancho Rock”… When the CBC banned all tobacco advertising on their national radio and TV networks… When Vancouver’s AM 1040 CKST turned all-sports and became Team 1040… and when Shelley Long, as Diane Chambers, made her last appearance as a regular on NBC TV’s hit sitcom “Cheers”. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE

IT WAS MAY 6th … when Fishers Blend radio stations KJR & KOMO in Seattle swapped frequencies. KOMO was moved to 1000 kc where its power could be increased, while KJR, now at 950, was sold two years later to the department store Marshall Field … When the final episode of “I Love Lucy” aired for the first time on CBS-TV… When Johnny Carson signed a new deal with NBC which had his Tonight Show cut from 90 minutes to one hour, and his work week reduced to just 4 nights, while his pay was boosted to about $5 million a year… When after 5 years the finale of “Jake & the Fatman” ran on CBS-TV .. ..and when the 100th episode of “The Golden Girls” aired on NBC-TV. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

We're finally at the big 300, an episode years in the making. As it's tradition for podcasters to do something special for milestones like this, I thought it would be the perfect time to look back on how exactly we got here

IT WAS CINCO DE MAYO (May 5th) WHEN…. ‘Rhythm at Eight’ starring 24-year old Ethel Merman debuted on NBC radio …. When the 300th episode of syndicated TV’s ‘Soul Train’ was broadcast … When NBC-TV’s ‘Quantum Leap’ starring Scott Bakula aired for the last time.. When the same network ran the 100th episode of ‘Night Court’… When CBS-TV aired the 200th episode of ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’… ..and when the sitcom ‘Married With Children’ aired its final episode on Fox TV. ALL the milestones for Cinco de Mayo INSIDE.

IT WAS MAY 4th …. when radio station KNX Los Angeles, the longtime West Coast flagship of the Columbia Broadcasting System, signed on for the first time… When ABC-TV debuted the weekly “Alan Freed’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Revue,” which was cancelled after 4 episodes… When Canada’s Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster (pictured) made their first of a record 67 appearances on CBS TV’s Ed Sullivan Show… When the 100th episode of the syndicated TV musicfest ‘Soul Train’ aired … ..and when two long-running daytime TV dramas debuted on the same day. “Another World” on NBC, “As the World Turns” on CBS. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.