Roy Neal, a Broadcast Pioneer

Roy Neal in 1947

This picture dating from early in 1947, features Roy Neal with two kids and the General Manager of a local bubble gum company. It was featured on WPTZ's "Pleased to Meet You" which aired Thursdays at 8 pm for twenty minutes. The show usually had four guests, each with about five minutes. The "bubble" event on TV was to publicize the "blowing bubbles" contest to be held "in the park" the very next day. The program ended with Roy blowing some bubbles of his own to Spike Jones' Bubble Gum Song. This picture, by the way, was taken within several weeks of Neal joining the Channel 3 staff.

This photo was taken by Broadcast Pioneers member Preston Stover. Preston was on staff at WPTZ but moonlighted taking pictures of Channel 3 shows and selling them. Mrs. Stover told us that Preston would take the snapshot and then develop it that night in their bathtub. They were saving up to purchase a home and his photography work gave them the money for a down payment. Stover started at WPTZ as a cameraman and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Director/Producer. He stayed with the station until it was traded to NBC. At that time, his family moved to Cleveland and the newly acquired Westinghouse properties there.

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