Today in Broadcast History

Robert Blake, Jason Sudeikis, Jack Warden, Jada Pinkett Smith, Fred Willard, Frankie Avalon, James Marsden and June Foray all were born on this date. ‘Roving Mike’ began its 50 year run on CKNW, Victoria’s CKDA moved up the dial to 1220 and doubled its power to 10,000 watts, CBS radio came into being with an initial 16 stations, ‘Toast of the Town’ on CBS-TV became ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’, and ‘Wagon Train’ began its 8 year run on NBC-TV. Ken Burns opened his 18.5 hour documentary ‘Baseball’ on PBS; ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ and ‘Get Smart’ debuted the same evening on NBC-TV, and the sitcom based on a rock radio station, ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ had its premiere on CBS-TV. Details and ALL the Sept. 18th milestones INSIDE.

It’s the date of birth for John Ritter, Kyle Chandler, Jerry Colonna, Hank Williams, Bill Black and Anne Bancroft... ABC debuted the TV series ‘Home Improvement’, ‘Spin City’, ‘The Fugitive’ and ‘Battestar Gallactica’; CBS premieres on Sept. 17th included ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Bewitched’, ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ and ‘The Smothers Brothers Show’; while NBC-TV showcased the first episodes of ‘MacMillan & Wife’, ‘The Perry Como Show’ (pictured), and ‘Car 54 Where Are You’... David Letterman hosted the first late-night TV talk show since the 9/11 terrorist attacks 6 days earlier... .. and CIVT became Vancouver’s newest station, a UHF license that would be viewed by most on cable channel 9. ALL the milestones for Sept. 17th will be found INSIDE.

SEPT. 16th is the date that gave us Amy Poehler, Jennifer Tilly, Ed Begley Jr., Lawrence Dobkin. Allen Funt, B.B. King and Maverick’s Jack Kelly. Starting their TV runs this day were ‘Miami Vice’, ‘Frasier’, and ‘The Dean Martin Show’ on NBC; ‘Shindig’ and ‘The Outer Limits’ on ABC, and ‘Wiseguy’ and ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ on CBS. Canadian-born Jenny Jones (pictured) began a syndicated talk show that lasted 12 years. and the CBC introduced ‘The Fifth Estate’ which has now been the network's key newsmagazine for 40 years. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 15th .. when "The Lone Ranger" debuted on ABC-TV, after 16 years on radio... When the family sitcom "Bachelor Father" with John Forsythe began its 5-year run on CBS-TV... When the rural comedy 'Green Acres' debuted on CBS-TV, starring Eddie Albert & Eva Gabor.... ..and when the action-adventure series 'Lost in Space' (CBS) and 'I Spy' (NBC) debuted on the same evening. ALL the milestones for Sept. 15th INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 14th ... when two major radio soap operas made their debut on the same day, 'Big Sister' on CBS, and 'John's Other Wife' on NBC... When Milton Berle was named the permanent host of NBC-TV's 'Texaco Star Theatre,' enroute to his earning the title 'Mr. Television'... When Richard Boone (pictured) starred in episode one of 'Have Gun, Will Travel'... ..and when Alberta premier Ernest Manning was on hand to help inaugurate Medicine Hat's CHAT-TV on channel 4. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT 13th .. when Eddie Cantor (pictured) began his long career as a radio comedian on NBC ... When a number of TV shows made their debut .. ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien,’ ‘Law and Order,' ‘Car 54 Where Are You,’ 'The Rockford files' and Police Woman' on NBC-TV, 'The Outer Limits' on ABC, and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ on CBS... When the first-ever viewer discretion warning was aired on TV, at the start of the syndicated 'Soap,' which introduced us to Billy Crystal... ..and when NBC's "Frasier" won a record fifth consecutive Emmy award as TV's best comedy series. ALL the milestones for Sept. 13th INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 12th ... when a raft of TV series debuted, including Lassie, Family Affair and Maude on CBS; Bonanza, The Monkees and Punky Brewster on NBC; and Taxi (pictured), Lois & Clark, and the Jeff Foxworthy Show began on ABC. Party of Five was seen for the first time on Fox. The 10th season of Murder She Wrote began on CBS-TV, and Vancouver radio station AM 1040 signed on with an adult contemporary music format. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 11th .. when the Miss America Pageant was televised coast-to-coast for the first time. Future TV star Lee Meriwether won the crown ... When the last of Gillette's Friday Night Fights was seen on free, home TV. Veteran Don Dunphy handled the blow-by-blow as he had on radio & TV for 23 years... When the Canadian newsmagazine "W-5" launched on CTV,,, ..and when the Carol Burnett Show premiered on CBS, with the first of 278 episodes over the next 10-and-a-half years. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 10th ... when vaudeville star Jimmy Durante made his first radio appearance on Eddie Cantor's "Chase and Sanborn Hour" on NBC... When Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King took to the radio to announce that Canada was now at war with Germany (WWII).... When comedian/singer Eddie Cantor moved from radio to television, as he hosted the Colgate Comedy Hour on NBC TV... ..and when Seattle's KING TV introduced the first local TV newscast west of Minneapolis and north of Los Angeles, anchored by Charles Herring (pictured). ALL the milestones for Sept. 10th INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 9th .. when the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was formed as a broadcasting service of the Radio Corporation of America, with partners General Electric & Westinghouse. 26 stations made up the US's first national radio network ... When the 1st broadcast of the long-running TV soap "Love of Life" aired on CBS... When 54 million viewers (82.6 percent of the U.S. television audience) turned their TV dials to the 'Ed Sullivan Show' on CBS to see 21-year-old Elvis "The Pelvis" Presley ... .. and when NBC-TV's "Huntley-Brinkley Report" (pictured), their evening newscast, expanded from 15 to 30 minutes, as had the CBS News (with Walter Cronkite) a week earlier. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!