Today in Broadcast History

Born this date were Gene Autry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bryant Gumbel, Gwen Ifill, Madeline Kahn and MASH’s Larry Linville. The daytime radio game show Double or Nothing got its start on Mutual; Lowell Thomas (pictured) began his 46-year career of nightly radio news broadcasts; and the Adventures of Sam Spade began its Sunday night run on CBS Radio. Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, a radio hit, got its start on CBS-TV. Also debuting on the Tiffany network were the TV hits Designing Women, My Favorite Martian, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Alice, and The Judy Garland Show. Sept. 29th was also the date a number of ABC-TV hits debuted, including Love American Style, My Three Sons, Make Room for Daddy, thirtysomething, Macgyver and Grace Under Fire. And CBR-FM signed on for the first time at 102.1 on Calgary’s radio dial. ALL the milestones for this date INSIDE.

This date gave us Marty Robbins, Julie London, Olivia Newton John, Kent McCord, and Linda Hamilton. Vancouver's CKWX opened a newly-built state-of-the-art radio facility on Burrard Street; Paul Anka and Roseanne Barr had their stars unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.; the first Nixon-Kennedy Presidential Debate was staged; ‘Beverly Hillbillies’, ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ ‘Jake and the Fatman’ and the original ‘Hawaii Five-Oh’ began their runs on CBS;’The Brady Bunch’ debuted on ABC-TV. and ‘Knight Rider’ began its run on NBC. Obits Sept. 26th include actors Richard Mulligan (of ‘Empty Nest’) and Charles Correll (of radio’s ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy’), bandleader Billy Vaughn, singer Robert Palmer, and the boop-boop-a-doop girl Helen Kane. Specifics of ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

It’a the date of birth for Seattle radio legend Pat O’Day (pictured), Jim Henson of the Muppets, Canadian Phil Hartman, TV business anchor Lou Dobbs, sportscaster Jim McKay, and Three’s Company’s Audra Lindley. Making their series debut on ABC were The Odd Couple, The Donna Reed Show, The Mod Squad, Growing Pains and The Love Boat. Judy Garland made her TV debut in a Ford special on CBS; 60 Minutes, The Munsters and Petticoat Junction also had their premieres on CBS; and in Canada the CTV National News began in a late night quarter hour format. Elvis Presley appeared on the televised Louisiana Hayride on KRKH Shreveport; and one of the great announcers of bigtime US radio, Harlow Wilcox, took his final breath. ALL the milestones for Sept. 24th INSIDE.

Sept. 20th brought us Sophia Loren, Gogi Grant, Gary Cole, orchestra leader Frank Devol, Northern Exposure's Peg Phillips (Photo) and Leah Pinsent. The Calgary station now known as City TV signed on, while Vancouver's CKLG 73 ended 29 years of rock music and switched fulltime to talk. Jimmy Stewart debuted a radio western 'The Six-Shooter' on NBC,; the 'Bill Cosby Show' began its popular 8-year run on NBC-TV, while 'You'll Never Get Rich' with Phil Silvers, and the original 'Hawaii Five-Oh' had their premieres on CBS-TV. Meantime, this was the date Gunsmoke's bartender Glenn Strange, singer Jim Croce, and bandleader Paul Weston departed this vale of tears. ALL the milestones for Sept. 20th INSIDE.