Columns

Happy Birthday to Cuba Gooding Jr, Taye Diggs, Jack Hanna, Dax Shepard, and Kate Bosworth. Bing Crosby began his 10-years as host of NBC radio’s ‘Kraft Music Hall’; the CBC opened its second national 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.

Happy Birthday to Burton Cummings, Ben Kingsley, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Val Kilmer and Bebe Neuwirth. Seattle radio station KOMO debuted at 980 KHz; Guy Lombardo played ‘Auld Lang Syne’ on CBS radio to bring in 1930, and a tradition was born; ‘Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’ debuted on NBC-TV (it moved to ABC two years later); CNN’s second channel ‘Headline News’ debuted on US cable systems; the BBC began using the chimes of Big Ben as its ID; and ‘The Doctors’ ended its 19 year run on NBC-TV. Among the obits for Dec. 31 are Vancouver big bandleader Dal Richards, Nashville pianist Floyd Cramer, Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan, pop singers Rick Nelson and Natalie Cole, and actress Eileen Heckart. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Tracey Ullman, Meredith Vieira, Sean Hannity and sitcom guru James Burrows. Also born this day were Bert Parks, Jack Lord, Dennis Morgan and Jeannette Nolan. Canada’s first radio network hooking up Montreal with Ottawa broadcast the CNR’s Anniversary Show; the famous Jack Benny feud with Fred Allen kicked off on NBC radio; the first black and white TV sets sold for $1,175 US; James Arness, soon to be Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke, made his TV acting debut on the Lux Video Theatre; ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ with Winnipeg’s Monty Hall (pictured) debuted on NBC-TV; and the same network, after 25 years, cancelled ‘The Wonderful World of Disney.’ Among the obits for Dec. 30th were composer Richard Rodgers, bandleader Ralph Flanagan, and ’60/’70’s Seattle radio DJ Lan Roberts. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Ted Danson, Jon Voight, Dinah Christie, Patricia Clarkson and Ashleigh Banfield. Radio soap favorite ‘Young Dr. Malone’ began 4 seasons on CBS-TV; WMCA’s Good Guys became the first N.Y. radio station to play ‘The Beatles’; Jane Pauley ended her 13 years as co-host of NBC-TV’s ‘Today Show”; and Sly and the Family Stone headlined CBS-TV’s ‘Ed Sullivan Show.’ And passing away at age 77 was the ‘King of Jazz,’ Paul Whiteman (pictured). ALL the milestones for Dec. 29th INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to Dame Maggie Smith, Denzel Washington, Seth Meyers,, Nichelle Nichols and John Legend. The last episode of ‘Ding Dong School’ with Miss Frances aired on NBC-TV; trumpeter Hugh Masekela guested on CBS-TV’s ‘To Tell the Truth’; Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau gave a year’s end interview to CTV; ‘The Edge of Night’ wrapped up its 28 year run on CBS and later NBC-TV; CNN boss Ted Turner was named TIME Magazine’s Man of the Year; and Ed Bradley interviewed an emotional Michael Jackson on CBS-TV’s 60 Minutes. Dec. 28th obits include Clayton Moore (TV’s Lone Ranger), Jerry Ohrbach of ‘Law & Order,’ William Demarest (‘My Three Sons’), music men Billy Taylor and Freddie King, and singer/comedienne Kaye Stevens. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy Birthday to broadcast journalists Savannah Guthrie and Arthur Kent. It’s also the date when the late Sydney Greenstreet, Oscar Levant and Cokie Roberts were born. ‘The Glenn Miller Show’ began its 3-year, 3-times a week run on CBS radio; C-ISL AM 650 became Vancouver’s Oldies Station, and CKKS became ‘JACK FM.’ Don McNeill’s ‘Breakfast Club’ ended its 35 year run on ABC Radio; ‘Howdy Doody Time’ (pictured) started its 13 year run on NBC-TV; the prime time soap ‘Knot’s Landing’ debuted on CBS-TV, and The Doors played ‘Light My Fire’ on CBS-TV’s ‘Jonathan Winters Show.’ Among those departing forever Dec. 27th were Vancouver’s first TV anchorman, Tom Robinson, and music men Hoagy Carmichael, Freddie King and Vancouver’s Chris Gage. ALL the milestones for Dec. 27th INSIDE;

Boxing Day saw the birth of funny men Steve Allen and Alan King, actors Jared Leto and Eden Sher, musicians Bob Carpenter and Chris Daughtry, and ‘America’s Most Wanted’ host John Walsh. The WSM Barn Dance began a Saturday night tradition on Nashville radio, soon becoming the ‘Grand Ole Opry.’ ‘Big Sister’ ended its 16 year run as a daytime soap on CBS Radio; Victoria’s 107.3 switched off the Christmas music, and introduced KOOL-FM, with ‘Today’s Best Music’; ‘The Shadow’ ended its 24-year radio run; and ‘Search for Tomorrow’ ended its 35 year run on first CBS-TV, and for the last five years, NBC. Obits Dec. 26th include Jack Benny, Jason Robards, Nigel Hawthorne, Fontella Bass, wrestler Gorgeous George, and LA sportscaster Stu Nahan. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

For the last five years, Matt and Terry Dimonte have gotten together for a podcast chat around Christmas time. Terry loves Christmas and its a chance to talk about radio and a whole lot more.

Born on Xmas Day were Rod Serling, Jimmy Buffett, WKRP’s Gary Sandy, Barbara Mandrell, Sissy Spacek, and bandleader Leighton Noble, who lived out his retirement years in Victoria BC. Trail BC got its own radio station when the experimental 10AT signed on; Milton Cross hosted the first Metropolitan Opera broadcast; Bing Crosby performed ‘White Christmas’ for the first time on NBC radio’s ‘Kraft Music Hall’; and Walt Disney made his first foray into TV. Obits this day include Dean Martin, W.C. Fields, Eartha Kitt, Joan Blondell, and the ‘Godfather of Soul’ James Brown. ALL the broadcast milestones for Christmas Day INSIDE.