Columns

TV stars Jason Alexander and Chi McBride were born on this date, along with Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Julio Iglesias and John Coltrane. Hank Williams made his final recordings, ‘That’ll Be the Day’ by Buddy Holly & the Crickets was #1, Pay-TV got started with the Rocky Marciano/Jersey Joe Walcott fight; Matlock (pictured) and Marcus Welby MD debuted on ABC, and two Ken Burns epics (The Civil War and The War) debuted on PBS. Leaving this ‘vale of tears’ Sept. 23rd were Canadians Henry Champ and Chief Dan George, actors Cliff Arquette and Mary Frann, country music’s Jimmy Wakely and broadcaster Bill Ballance. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

It’s the birthday of Joan Lunden, Don Harron (pictured), Sylvia Tyson, James Lipton, Adam West, Mama Cass Elliott, and Brook Benton. The early radio soap opera ‘Just Plain Bill’ debuted on a regional CBS network; ’The Mary Tyler Moore Show’, ‘Search for Tomorrow’ and ‘Judging Amy” had their premieres on CBS Television. ‘M*A*S*H’ aired its finale to a record viewership on CBS-TV, while ‘ER’ played its first episode on NBC-TV. Canada’s Giselle MacKenzie became host and featured singer on NBC-TV’s ‘Your Hit Parade’; Max Weinberg debuted as drummer in Springsteen’s E St. Band; and Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman were costars on NBC-TV’s live production of ‘Our Town.’ ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

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 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 CBS-TV’s‘Have Gun, Will Travel’… When Jerry Van Dyke starred in the debut of the universally condemned NBC sitcom ‘My Mother the Car’… ..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 new 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!

Sean Ross is back to talk about radio and records. He answers my burning question: What happened to the hits?

IT WAS SEPT. 2nd … when the radio show “15 Minutes with Bing Crosby” debuted on CBS. For the first six months it ran six nights a week…. When “The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite” expanded from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming US television’s first half-hour nightly newscast… When the CJOR call letters and its News/Talk format disappeared from 600 on Vancouver’s AM dial, as Classic Rock CHRX was born in its place… ..and when Hootie & The Blowfish made their national T.V. debut on NBC’s Late Night With David Letterman. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 1st .. when radio station CKNW officially signed on, with 250 watts on 1230 KHz, some two decades after AM radio had begun on the lower mainland… When CFRB Toronto moved to 1010 KHz as Canada’s first 50,000 watt radio station …. When colour television officially arrived in Canada, courtesy of CTV …. When Edmonton and Vancouver each got their third TV stations, two years apart … When Courtenay and Port Hardy each signed on local AM radio stations, 20 years apart … ..and when the last episode of “I Dream of Jeannie” aired on NBC-TV, after a 5-year run. ALL the milestones for Sept. 1st INSIDE!