Columns

It’s the day that gave us Burt Lancaster, David Schwimmer, Paul Ford, Jay Black, k.d. lang, and early West Coast newscaster Sam Hayes. The early radio soap opera Myrt & Marge (pictured) debuted on CBS; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was created; CFGP brought 100 watts of local radio service to Grande Prairie Alta, and years later on this date, CFCW signed on with 250 watts in Camrose. CBC-TV experimented unsuccessfully with a 9 pm newscast, Ted Danson’s ‘Becker’ debuted on CBS-TV, and NBC-TV aired the 100th episode of ‘Third Rock from the Sun.’ Three veteran TV character actors left us on this date, Leonard Stone, Sid Melton and vocalist Paul Frees. ALL the milestones for Nov. 2nd INSIDE.

It’s the date of birth of broadcasters Dan Rather and Jane Pauley, singers Dale Evans and Ethel Waters, actors Michael Landon, Barbara Bel Geddes, Ken Wahl and John Candy, and rapper Vanilla Ice. Vancouver’s CHAN-TV (now Global) signed on for the first time; NBC televised ‘Carmen’ as the first opera ever aired ‘in living color’; the 100th episode of ‘The Odd Couple’ was seen on ABC; and Alice Cooper hosted ‘The Monstrous Munster Mash’ marathon on superstation WGN. Bing Crosby’s ‘White Xmas’ began an 11 week run at #1; the Rolling Stones played Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto; and Barry McGuire sang ‘Eve of Destruction’ on CBS-TV’s Ed Sullivan Show. ALL the milestones for Oct. 31st INSIDE.

Erin Trafford is a co-founder of Story Studio Network, a full service content branding and podcast experience for brands she co-founded with her dad Dave Trafford, who is a radio mainstay in the Greater Toronto Area

It’s a birthday for Marion Ross, Helen Reddy, James Carville and Katy Perry; also for the late ANNIS STUKUS (pictured), Bobby Gimby, Minnie Pearl and Leo G. Carroll. The longrunnning radio soap opera “Stella Dallas” debuted on New York’s WEAF; Ed Sullivan introduced The Rolling Stones to North American TV audiences; ‘Newhart’ premiered on CBS-TV; the 200th episode of ‘Cheers’ aired on NBC-TV; and Rick Nelson played a dramatic role on ABC-TV’s ‘Streets of San Francisco.’ Obits for Oct. 25th include Vincent Price, Roger Miller, Richard Harris, Mildred Natwick, Forrest Tucker and early radio balladeer Morton Downey, ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Before Jennifer got started in radio, she was an actor. She later enrolled at BCIT, found her way to Astral owned The Bear, which has now been shifted to the Bounce cluster of Bell properties.

Happy Birthday to actor Viggo Mortensen, ‘The Waltons’ Eric Scott, ‘The Office’s John Krasinski, country music’s Wanda Jackson, plus the late Tom Petty, Jerry Ohrbach, Arlene Francis, Grandpa Jones, Dr. Joyce Brothers (pictured) and Will Rogers Jr. Lee DeForest demonstrated his major invention, the electric vacuum radio tube; ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ debuted on the NBC Red network; ironman news anchor Robert Trout joined CBS radio; ’Break the Bank’ debuted on Mutual radio; Walter Cronkite introduced the CBS-TV documentary series, ‘The Twentieth Century’, and Canada’s first private TV station signed on in Sudbury Ontario. Signing off forever were actors Burt Lancaster and Jane Wyatt, plus country music’s Merle Travis. See ALL the milestones for Oct. 20th INSIDE.

The birthday of Jim Reeves, the Kingston Trio’s Dave Guard, actors Robert Reed and John Lithgow, Canada’s Tommy Ambrose, Nashville’s Charlie Chase, and TV builder extraordinaire Ty Pennington. Arthur Godfrey fired singer Julius LaRosa (both pictured) live on CBS Radio; ‘Big Town’ starring Edward G. Robinson debuted on CBS radio; Henry Ford made his first speech on early radio; Florence Henderson joined NBC’s Today Show, and CKEK signed on 570 kc. to give Cranbrook BC its own radio service. Obits Oct. 19th include Phillips H. Lord who created radio hits ‘Gangbusters’ and ‘Mr. District Attorney’; plus Tom Bosley, Martha Raye, Phyllis Kirk, and Noel Harrison. Details and ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Happy Birthday today to Suzanne Somers, Merilee Rush, John Mayer, Kellie Martin and Tim Robbins. Vancouver deejay Jack Cullen (pictured) aired his first ever ‘Owl Prowl’ on CKMO AM 1410; ‘The Right to Happiness,’ a longrunning quarter hour daytime drama, debuted on the NBC Blue radio network; ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ aired its 100th episode on CBS-TV; The Vancouver-produced ‘Smallville’ debuted on the WB network; and the last episode of ‘Max Headroom’ aired on ABC-TV. Among the celebrity deaths for Oct. 16th are Shirley Booth, Ken Carpenter, Barbara Billingsley, Lister Sinclair, Jean Shepherd, Ella Mae Morse, Gene Krupa, and Dan Dailey. Details, and ALL the milestones for this date INSIDE.

ON THIS DAY in 1909 radio & TV announcer/news anchor Robert Trout                               ...

It’s the date that gave us Roger Moore, Lillian Gish, Harry Anderson, Canadian news anchor Harvey Kirck, radio actor Russell Thorson and singer/TV talent judge Usher. ‘The Lux Radio Theatre’ began its 20 year run, from New York; Edward Noble’s purchase of NBC radio’s Blue network was approved; The rescue of little Jessica McLure from an abandoned Texas wellshaft began on North American TV screens; Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers guested on ABC-TV’s ‘Shindig’; and ‘Red Red Wine’ by UB40 was #1. Notable obits for Oct. 14th include Bing Crosby, Leonard Bernstein, Elwood Glover (pictured), Keenan Wynn, Hy Averbach and Dame Edith Evans. ALL the milestones for this date INSIDE.