Columns

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!

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… When the Carol Burnett Show premiered on CBS, with the first of 278 episodes over the next 10-and-a-half years… and when the world’s broadcasters reported the dreadful facts of one of the USA’s darkest days. 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 … 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… and when CBS CEO Les Moonves stepped down amidst a widening sex scandal. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 8th … when The Hoboken Four, featuring a 19-year old Frank Sinatra as lead singer, appeared on Major Bowes Amateur Hour on WOR radio, and won the week … When Canada’s first English-language TV station, CBLT in Toronto started operations… two days after Montreal’s French-language CBC station… When “Bat Masterson,” a western starring Gene Barry, began its 108-episode run on NBC-TV… ..and when the pioneering space series “Star Trek,” starring Montreal-born William Shatner, debuted on NBC-TV. ALL the milestones for Sept. 8th INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 7th … when pioneer Vancouver radio station CKFC first took to the air from First Congregational Church… When a young Sally Field debuted in the title role of ‘The Flying Nun’ on ABC-TV… When the final episode of (pictured) the original “Dick Van Dyke Show” featuring Mary Tyler Moore, as well as the last “Beverly Hillbillies” episode, aired on CBS-TV… When ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on US cable TV as the world’s first fulltime sports TV station… .. and when CJRY-FM Edmonton signed on as Shine-FM, with 100,000 watts at 105.9 MHz. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT 6th … when the first prizefight to be broadcast blow-by-blow was heard on WWJ Detroit, as heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey scored a third-round knockout … When (pictured) Lionel Barrymore introduced us to his latest crowd-pleasing character as ‘Mayor of the Town’ debuted on the NBC Red radio network, co-starring Agnes Moorehead… When future movie star Steve McQueen premiered his CBS-TV series ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive” … When the team of Martin & Lewis were reunited on Jerry’s telethon after a 20-year estrangement … When Canadian television debuted as Montreal’s CBFT aired the drama ‘Oedipus Rex’ in French…. ..and when the smash hit radio comedy“Fibber McGee and Molly” ended after an almost 25 year run. ALL the milestones for Sept. 6th INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 5th .. when the populat daytime drama ‘Life Can Be Beautiful’ began its 16 year run on NBC radio… When Frank Sinatra was instrumental in the reuniting of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin live on Jerry’s Labor Day telethon… When the US got its first network hour-long news show as the Public Broadcasting System’s “MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” expanded to 60 minutes… When the Camosun College radio station CKMO began an 11.5 year run on AM 900 … ..and when “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark on ABC, was cancelled after 30 years on television. ALL the milestones for Sept. 5 INSIDE!

IT WAS SEPT. 4th … when BC-born actor Raymond Burr starred in the last original episode of the CBS-TV courtroom drama, Perry Mason… When Jerry Butler & the Impressions made their national TV debut on ABC-TV’s “American Bandstand”… When the short-lived Carol Burnett-Richard Hayes Show, a 20-minute nightly variety package, debuted on CBS Radio… ..and when the last of 98 original episodes of “Gilligan’s Island” aired on CBS-TV. It would continue for decades in syndicated reruns. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE!