The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Dorie Lenz
circa 1985

Broadcast Pioneers member Dorie Lenz joined WPHL-TV, Channel 17 in Philadelphia as Public Affairs Director in 1970. She was previously with Channel 29 for over two years as co-host (with Alan Scott) of the daily six-hour live “Stock Market Report.” Before that, Lenz was talent on a KYW Radio broadcast, “Once Upon a Time,” a weekly children’s educational program. As a child, Dorie used to recite poems and other things on "The Children's Hour" hosted by Stan Lee Broza, our first president.

Dorie was Executive Producer and host of public affairs programs “Delaware Valley Forum,” seen daily and the weekly “New Jersey Forum.”

In October of 1979, for example, our files show these air times for Delaware Valley Forum:

Saturday, October 27, 1979 - 6:30 am & 2:40 am
Sunday, October 28, 1979 - 6:30 am
Monday, October 29, 1979 - 9 am & 2:05 am
Tuesday, October 30, 1979 - 9 am & 2 am
Wednesday, October 31, 1979 - 9 am & 2:25 am
Thursday, November 1, 1979 - 9 am & 2:05 am
Friday, November 2, 1979 - 9 am & 2:20 am

In actuality, we believe that the show was also rerun on Sunday evening/Monday morning. The TV listings we have end at 1:45 am, even though some stations aired programming later. We feel that since there were only a few additional lines of listings, the publication decided not to print an additional page. The late night airings followed a movie so that the times were determined by the running time of the film.

For her efforts on behalf of women and her direction of many long-term station projects including “The Displaced Homemaker (1981),” “Sexual Harassment on the Job (1984),” “How to Get Child Support,” and the Emmy Award-winning Caring for the Frail Elderly (1988),” Dorie Lenz has been honored by many organizations including the National Commission for Working Women, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Women in Communications, Women in Transition, and American Women in Radio and Television.

Dorie is a board member of Eagleville Hospital, Family Service of Philadelphia, the Salvation Army and Jewish Employment and Vocational Service and on the advisory boards of several organizations in the Delaware Valley.

On Wednesday evening, May 19, 1993, Dorie Lenz was honored as “The Person of the Year” by our organization, the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. In 1999, Dorie Lenz was inducted into our “Hall of Fame.” She was our group’s President during 1991 and 1992 and has served for many years on our Board of Directors. Here's the 8 page press release we issued about Dorie and her selection to be our 1993 "Person of the Year."

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com