Today in Broadcast History

It's "Happy Birthday" today to Tommy Chong, Bob Dylan, Patty Labelle and Priscilla Presley. Nanaimo got its first radio station, CHUB AM 1570 on this date, while TV shows "Mad About You," " The Dean Martin Show" and "Designing Women" bid us adieu. Also breathing their last on May 24th were bandleader Duke Ellington, comic Dick Martin, Canadian fiddling star King Ganam and British comic actress Hermione Gingold. Check these and scores of other anniversaries INSIDE.

May 23rd is the birthdate of big band stars Artie Shaw and Helen O'Connell, as well as singing star Rosemary Clooney. Both radio station KOL Seattle and Vancouver's Z95.3 signed on. Frank Sinatra. Ella Fitzgerald, the Everly Bros. and The Beatles made music headlines. Singer Eddy Howard, actor Sterling Hayden and comedian Moms Mabley breathed their last on this date, along with the TV series Full House, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Full details, and many more anniversaries, are to be found INSIDE.

On this date the PBS kiddies favorite Mister Rogers Neighborhood was seen for the first time, while To Tell the Truth, the Rosie O'Donnell daytime talk show and Johnny Carson's Tonight Show were seen for the final time. Famed Top 40 deejay Robert W. Morgan checked out much too young, along with the Jack Benny radio show. Canada's broadcast regulator the CRTC made headlines, along with Jerry Lee Lewis, Cher, Raymond Burr, and Phil Donahue. Details of these and scores of other broadcast anniversaries INSIDE.

This was the day of birth for James Stewart, George Gobel, Joe Cocker and Cher. Entertainment headline grabbers this date include Paul Anka, Jimi Hendrix and Connie Chung. And the first runs of TV favorites "Roseanne," " Barney Miller," " Fresh Prince of Belair" and "Cheers" all checked out for the last time, as did Gilda Radner and Annis Stukus. MANY MORE ANNIVERSARIES OF NOTE ARE INSIDE!

Perry Como, Dwayne Hickman, George Strait and Tina Fey each first saw the light of day on this date, along with the OTR drama "Counterspy," and the TV movie remake of "Stagecoach." Taking their final bow on this date were actress Elizabeth Montgomery and bandleader/composer Leroy Anderson, along with the TV series "Murphy Brown" and "Baretta."

It's the birthday of Bob Saget, Bill Paxton, Jim Nantz, and radio's quiz for the intelligentsia "Information Please," and was the last day on earth for "Bobby Ewing," Willis Conover, Lawrence Welk and Gordon Sinclair.

It's the birthday of Janet Jackson, Tori Spelling, Liberace, Pierce Brosnan .. the wonderful OTR thriller "The Whistler," and the CBC's " Cross-Country Checkup."

Clifton Fadiman was born in Brooklyn. He was host of an erudite radio quiz/panel show - CJVI 900 Radio Victoria / Gordon Sinclair/Starksy & Hutch, and more...