SATURDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 22nd
One of the oldest three-letter call signs in the US, radio station WOR went on the air from studios in Newark N.J.
The first presidential address on radio from the White House was delivered by Calvin Coolidge.
Vancouver’s CKLG AM 730 dropped its experiment in talk radio and returned to contemporary hit music.
And Sportscaster Al Michaels (pictured) was at the mike as the USA scored its ‘Miracle on Ice,’ upsetting the USSR, enroute to Olympic hockey Gold. Bernie Pascall called the game live to Canada.
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Zenga McCurdy: Soo Good
Zenga McCurdy called me back in May of 2018 and asked for some feedback on his morning radio show. Since then I have made a point of listening to the show every once and a while to hear the progress. I meant to grab a beer with him in Toronto last year but we only had enough time for a "Hi, How are you?" and then we were off to whatever we were off to.
FRIDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 21st
The first TV soap opera ‘A Woman to Remember’ debuted on the shortlived Dumont network.
The 200th episode of “Perry Mason” (starring New Westminster’s Raymond Burr) aired on CBS TV.
Neil Diamond’s first TV special aired on NBC-TV.
The 200th episode of the hit sitcom 'The Jeffersons' was seen on CBS-TV.
Montreal's Leonard Cohen made a rare TV appearance guesting on NBC's 'Miami Vice.'
And David Letterman (pictured) returned to his CBS Late Show some five weeks after having emergency quintuple heart bypass surgery,
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THURSDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 20th
It was a Feb. 20th when 8-year-old Ricky Nelson and his older brother David began portraying themselves on ABC Radio’s ‘Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.’ Until then their roles had been played by actors.
When Vancouver’s CHQM AM 1320 dumped its ‘Lite 1320’ format for ‘Memory Music’ from the 1930s to the ’60s.
When The Platters made their only appearance on Dick Clark’s ‘American Bandstand.’
When the Dave Clark Five and The Supremes headlined CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show.
And when the original host of ABC’s ‘Good Morning America,’ David Hartman (pictured) left the daily program.
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WEDNESDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 19th
It’s the date the late iconic voice of the Seattle Mariners, Dave Niehaus was born.
Sammy Davis Jr. kissed the biggotted Archie Bunker to great hilarity on CBS-TV’s ‘All in the Family’ (pictured).
Dick Clark staged the first “American Music Awards” on ABC TV.
The Four Tops, Pat Boone and Pearl Bailey headlined ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ on CBS-TV.
Toronto radio station CFRB was officially launched.
And Calgary was introduced to radio station Q-107 as CKIK-FM switched to Classic Hits.
ALL the milestones for Feb. 19th INSIDE.
Jon Gay: JAG in Detroit
Jon Gay has a radio story that is probably not unlike yours if you have worked on the programming side of radio. It involves a little bit of the WKRP theme song, "Town to Town. Up and Down the dial...". Jon's radio career started with an internship at Kiss 108 in his hometown Boston.
TUESDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 18th
Canadian-born movie star Glenn Ford was the subject of NBC-TV’s ‘This is Your Life.’
The Everly Brothers sang their latest hit. ‘Cryin’ in the Rain’ on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show.
Career broadcasters Harvey Kirck and Harry Caray died, while Gordon Lightfoot was falsely reported to have died.
A US religious group cancelled Pat Boone's weekly gospel music show after he appeared in black leather and fake tattoos on the American Music Awards show.
And the mini-series ‘Roots: the Next Generation’ began its 7-night run on ABC-TV.
ALL the milestones for Feb. 18th INSIDE.
PRESIDENTS DAY/FAMILY DAY in Broadcast History .. Mon. Feb. 17th
Johnny Cash was Ralph Edwards’ surprised guest of honor on NBC-TV’s ‘This Is Your Life’ (pictured).
After five years on Minnesota radio only, Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” was first broadcast nationally on NPR.
Aerosmith were the musical guests on NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live.
An L.A. radio station played two unreleased Rolling Stone songs non-stop for 48 hours.
And FOX-TV attracted 40 million viewers for its finale of the reality series ‘Joe Millionaire.’
ALL the milestones for Feb. 17th INSIDE.
SUNDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 16th
It was Feb. 16th when Foster Hewitt broadcast his very first hockey play-by-play, Toronto Argonauts vs. the Kitchener Greenshirts, over the Toronto Star’s pioneer radio station CFCA.
When Vancouver’s (predecessor to CBU Radio) CRCV increased power from 500 to 5,000 watts, and moved into new studios in the new Hotel Vancouver.
When for the first time host John Daly presided over an early CBS TV Sunday night institution, ‘What’s My Line?’ It lasted 17 years!
And when during a week co-hosting syndicated TV's ‘Mike Douglas Show,’ John Lennon sang two duets with his hero, Chuck Berry.
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SATURDAY in Broadcast History .. Feb. 15th
On this date ‘My True Story’ began its daily, almost 19-year run on ABC Radio.
“The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show,” a musical variety half-hour, debuted on ABC-TV.
Vancouver’s CFBT-FM (The Beat, now Virgin Radio)) first began testing its transmitter on 94.5 KHz.
The 'Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special' aired on NBC-TV.
And one of the stars of the CBS- TV sitcom M*A*S*H, McLean Stevenson (pictured), suffered a fatal heart attack at age 68.
ALL the milestones for Feb. 15th INSIDE.