Puget Sound Radio

It’s the date that NBC debuted one of radio’s first variety shows, ‘The Dodge Victory Hour’ starring Will Rogers and Al Jolson. Bob Hope (pictured) made his first national radio appearance on NBC’s ‘The Intimate Review.’ Victoria’s CHEK-TV left the CBC and became a fulltime CTV affiliate; and several lengthy TV runs came to a close on CBS Jan. 4th, ‘Rawhide’ (which introduced Clint Eastwood) and ‘The Twentieth Century,’ hosted by Walter Cronkite. Come INSIDE for ALL the milestones.

The New York Times says NBC News offered her “a triple role in which she will host her own daytime news and discussion program, anchor an in-depth Sunday night news show and take regular part in the network’s special political programming and other big-event coverage.”

I've never become comfortable around ratings releases. After nearly two decades I thought I would have acclimatized just a little, but no. I start feeling anxious days ahead of the release. I often don't sleep well - if at all - in the days leading up to ratings.

Happy Birthday to Dabney Coleman, Van Dyke Parks, Mel Gibson and Stephen Sills. On this date William S Paley (pictured) incorporated the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS.) And a future General Manager of the station Hal Davis joined CKNW as Chief Copywriter. The 100th episode of ‘The Jeffersons’ aired on CBS, and ABC telecast the 100th episode of ‘Hart to Hart.’ ALL the milestones for Jan. 3rd INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Cuba Gooding Jr, Taye Diggs, Jack Hanna, Dax Shepard, Julius Larosa and Kate Bosworth. Bing Crosby began his 10-years as host of NBC radio’s ‘Kraft Music Hall’; the CBC opened its second AM hookup, the ‘Dominion Network.’ ‘The Life of Riley’ with William Bendix came to NBC-TV, and two years later so did ‘The Bob Cummings Show.’ Nanaimo’s CHUB AM 1570 was flipped to FM, becoming THE WAVE 102.3. As we neared the end of the network radio era, CBS dropped ‘The Road of Life’, ‘Our Gal Sunday,’ and two other longrunning soaps. Jan. 2nd obits include Dick Powell, Alan Hale Jr, Anne Francis, CNN’s Jim Huber, and Manitoba’s Jack Carson (pictured). ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Jan. 1st saw many broadcast firsts, including the debut of the Canadian ‘Bravo’ cable channel, the start of VH1 in the US, the debut of ESPN Radio and the CBS-TV series ‘ Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman’ (pictured). The first broadcast of the Rose Bowl game was heard on KHJ Los Angeles, and 4 years later, the Rose Bowl went coast-to-coast on NBC radio. Lorne Green was named voice of the new CBC national news service; Vancouver’s CKNW moved from 1230 to 1320 KHz with 250 watts of power, CKWX Radio went to 24 hour service with ‘Concert Under the Stars’ from midnight to 5, and CHQM amended its Easy Listening music format to include Light Rock. The final episode of ABC-TV’s ‘Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet’ was filmed, and CBS-TV’s ‘The Karen Carpenter Story’ became the most-watched TV movie of the year. ALL the milestones for Jan. 1st INSIDE.

Christopher, who played a Catholic priest but was actually Methodist in real life, auditioned for the role but went off script with a rambling ad lib. Producers loved it and hired him on one condition ... that he stay on script for the series.