 |
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is a federally recognized, state chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the Philadelphia Broadcast Community since January of 1962. |
June Afternoon Luncheon |
Meet and Greet at 12 noon! Lunch served at 12:30 pm Ratecard: $28 per person |
Please reserve now! |
|
Visit Our Website Often - http://www.broadcastpioneers.com
You should check the front page of our website often (link above) for important information!
Tune in to our YouTube Channel - http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/youtube
Our YouTube Channel has all our luncheons, exclusive interviews and archival material!
Check out our Facebook Page - http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/facebook
There are things on our Facebook Page that are NOT on our website (like our vintage photo of the week)
Go to our Twitter Account - http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/twitter
The Broadcast Pioneers Twitter Account has info and stuff not available elsewhere!
Go to our Instragram Section - http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/instagram
Here's another one of our social media sections. Visit it as often as you wish!
NEW MEMBERS TO BROADCAST PIONEERS:
FULL MEMBER:
John Kinka has been in our business since 1992. He currently does fill-in air work, a Sunday air shift and sales for Vineland's oldies station, Cruisin' 92.1, WVLT. John interned with Cyndy Drew on WMMR then he moved on to Promotions Director and Public Service Manager for WPGR, 1540, here in Philadelphia. You'll remember it as Geator Gold Radio. He stayed with Jerry Blavat for 15 years as Station Manager for the Geator Gold Radio Network and filled in sometimes for Jerry's two hour air shift.
We are thrilled to have over 500 Members. More than ever. We hope to see as many of our members as possible at our June luncheon. Get your reservations now!
DIGITAL ARCHIVAL PROJECT NEWS:
VIDEO:
Broadcast Pioneers Member Cindy Keiter with our CEO Gerry Wilkinson
Broadcast Pioneers Luncheon
Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Wednesday, May 16 , 2018
Photo by member Mel Klawansky
Our MC for the afternoon of Wednesday, May 16th was Broadcast Pioneers Board Member Ed Eisen. He was the first person of the Jewish tradition to serve as a spokesman for two popes. In another life, he posed for the Philadelphia Inquirer as a bomb-carrying terrorist. As a PR guy, he turned down an offer from the Mafia to represent its Prisoner of the Year. In broadcasting, Ed produced the popular "Flower Man Show" on WCAU-TV. And now at 82, he still gets up and goes to work as a Motivational Speaker.
Our speakers are all members of Broadcast Pioneers, and they were (in alphabetical order):
Amy Buckman, former Action News reporter on WPVI, Channel 6
Cindy Keiter, show performer and daughter of the late Les Keiter
Scott Palmer, Director for Public Affairs, the Philadelphia Phillies
David Yadgaroff, Sr. VP & Market Manager for Entercom (CBS Radio)
This all took place at the beautiful and historic Bala Golf Club, 2200 Belmont Avenue (across the street from the state police) in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia. Only minutes away from Channels 6, 10 and 17 and the radio stations in Bala Cynwyd.
COMPLETE VIDEO
(video courtesy of Broadcast Pioneers VP Brad Seecof and Metramedia Broadcasting & Studios)
AUDIO:
It's been 9 years since we did a luncheon about WIBG. We thought you might enjoy listening to the audio from that luncheon. At the luncheon, our speakers included (in alphabetical order): Don L. Brink, Rod Carson, Frank X. Feller, Ray Gilmore, Dean Tyler and Bill Wright, Sr. Our MC was Sam Lit, son of Hy Lit. It took place on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at the Bala Golf Club.
WIBG Reunion, Parts 1 & 2 (in Real Audio format)
WIBG Reunion, Part One (in Windows Media format)
WIBG Reunion, Part Two (in Windows Media format)
MORE AUDIO:
Broadcast Pioneers member Bill Campbell was a guest on Tuesday,May 22, 2001 on Philly Live. That program was produced by WYBE, Channel 35 in Philadelphia and aired daily from 7:30 to 8 pm, live. The general public was invited to call in on this live telecast.
During this particular week on "Philly Live," it was "Radio Legends" time. The host for that day was Debra D'Alessandro.
Listen (in Real Audio Format)
Listen (in Windows Media Format)
A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!
SEPTA Personnel with member Bill Baldini, second from the right
SEPTA 40th Street Subway Surface Portal
circa 1975
(Photo donated by member Dave Shayer)
(Scanned by member Art Wilson)
This photo was taken about 1975 (judging from the bell bottoms that are not visible in this cropped shot). It was taken in West Philly when the Subway Surface trolleys come out of the ground. What the two people in the center are holding (they look like pies) are scale models of the SEPTA trolleys. Not sure why Bill Baldini was in this shot, but we thought you would like to see it. Know more about this picture? Share the info with us.
IN TOUCH WITH OUR MEMBERS:
The Tuckey Family |
The Tuckey Family |
Broadcast Pioneers member Tammy Tuckey, an Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker and singer-songwriter, made her singing debut with the release of her first album, "You’ll Find Me on Main Street." The album features a compilation of songs, both familiar and rare, as showcased through the years at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Tuckey's cover of the Magic Kingdom ballad, "Remember the Magic," is accompanied by an unique 'before & after' home video/photo collage from her family's past trips to Walt Disney World since 1998. A project that has been 20 years in the making, over 100 photos and videos were recreated in the span of 6 days. These photos matched (as closely as possible) those the family had taken over the last two decades.
Action News (WPVI-TV, 6abc) had a feature on this last month. Tammy and her parents, Todd and Pam, are all members of the Broadcast Pioneers.
Broadcast Pioneers Board Member Kal Rudman has been selected to go into "The Who's Who in the World" for the upcoming year. He previously was in "Who's Who in the United States" and made it into one of only twelve slots for in their 2018 calendar. Kal has served seven years as Vice-President of the Broadcast Pioneers and has been a member of our board of directors for over a quarter of a century.
Eight people in our area made the top 100 talk show hosts list as published by Talkers Magazine. This list is for the entire country and includes many of the national, syndicated people. From WPHT Radio, Member Dom Giordano, Chris Stigall and member Rich Zeoli made the list. From WPG in Atlantic City, member Harry Hurley. This is Harry's 4th year on the list. From WKXW in Trenton are the talk team of Jeff Deminski and Bill Doyle and also Bill Spadea. From WHYY and heard over National Public Radio was Terry Gross. Congratulations to all.
And speaking of Harry Hurley, his 11th annual "Hurley in the Morning" Golf Tournament takes place later this month on Friday, June 15th at the Harbor Pines Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township. Funds raised go to many area charities including Broadcast Pioneers. During the year, Harry has many different charity events and expects to raise about $100,000.00 this year. Thirty grand was raised in April at Hurley's annual dinner and silent auction.
We mentioned it earlier, but here's a brief reminder than member Cindy Keiter was a speaker at our last luncheon. She is Les Keiter's daughter. She tells us her latest play opens this on June 14th for 4 weeks and 16 performances at the Lion Theatre on Theatre Row on West 42nd Street in Manhattan. It's called "Recreating Keiter."
Last week, Janet Klein, wife of Lew Klein (former president of Broadcast Pioneers) received a prestigious award. She got the 12th annual Rebecca Lukens Award for noted historic preservationists. It was presented by the National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum in Coatesville, Pa. Recently, Temple University renamed its School of Communications and Media after Lew Klein.
We heard from member Anthony DiFlorio and others that Mike Bowe's wife, Debbie had surgery last week in New Jersey. She's now home and doing well. You can more information on Chris McCoy's facebook page here. Scroll down to read about Debbie. Mike Bowe has worked for decades at various stations throughout our market and his wife, Debbie, also worked in broadcasting at WNTP. By the way, don't confuse, Mike Bowe with Broadcast Pioneers Board Member Mike Bove, who sings with the Tridels and helps us check in people at the door during our luncheons.
A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!
Newsman Glen Barton
WFIL Radio, Famous 56
City Avenue & Monument Road
Philadelphia
1975
This is Glen Barton, a newsman at WFIL Radio when they were Famous 56 and the Big AM Rocker in town. A WFIL document from 1975 says this about Glen Barton:
One of the great assets of a fine Radio Journalist is his ability to understand and report the many life styles of the community he is a part of. Glen Barton assumes this responsibility with enthusiasm, intelligence and style.Born is Syracuse, New York, Glen received his B.S. degree in History and Physical Education from Ithaca College in 1959. Mr. Barton taught Junior and Senior High School for 9 years at. Mr. Penn High School where he was honored as Teacher of the Year. (Please note that the document says Mr. Penn High School. However, we believe it to be Mt. Penn High School. Mt. Penn is a town to the east of Reading, Pennsylvania).
WFIL has taken advantage of Glen's intense interest in sports and assigned him to cover such events as the Pocono 500, Frazier-Ali war and Villanova's journey to thru the NCAA tourney. While attending college, Glen became the New York State Small College High Jump Champion. Glen's first full time job in Radio was at WHUM (CBS) Reading, followed by the morning show at WPAZ, Pottstown and has been key to WFIL's award winning news department for the past three years. Philadelphians have learned to depend on Glen Barton for concise and accurate coverage of all the News.
Did you know... Bandstand with Bob Horn wasn’t the only dance show televised in the Delaware Valley in the fifties? Well, it's true. There were others. One show was entitled, “The Mitch Thomas Show.” Mitchell L. Thomas, Jr. was a local black radio air personality (on WDAS) who decided to try his hand at television. When Mitch’s show premiered in 1955, Bandstand was a local show and the host was Bob Horn. Originally Bandstand had two hosts, Horn and Lee Stewart, patterned after the famed and well-known team of Joe Grady and Ed Hurst. Dick Clark didn’t come to Bandstand for another year and it was still a year after that when Clark approached ABC-TV about making it a network show and thus renaming it, “American Bandstand.” Now, back to Mitch Thomas. His telecast started on Saturday afternoon, August 13th of 1955 at 2 pm. “The program was a couple of hours in length and was very popular,” said Broadcast Pioneers member Ed Hurst. Thomas had the nickname, M.T. So if you liked Bandstand (which was seen Monday through Friday), you could also watch “The Mitch Thomas Show” on Saturdays.
WPFH, Channel 12 ad The Thomas telecasts aired on WPFH-TV, Channel 12 out of Wilmington, Delaware. Harron Broadcasting owned it. The station (along with WIBG) was sold to Storer Broadcasting in 1957 and they re-christened the television station, WVUE-TV. At that time, Channel 12 was a commercial station, not educational. WHYY-TV, during that era, was on Channel 35 and not Channel 12. Channel 35 was UHF and there weren’t many UHF receivers at that time. The Mitch Thomas program started in 1955 and ran until June of 1958. In the early days, reports show that the broadcast originated out of Wilmington. The station was located at 1003 North West Street in the Quaker Hill section of the city. Later, the studios and offices moved to 2809 Baynard Blvd. in the Baynard Village Section of Wilmington near Delaware State Parks. By 1958, reports show that the broadcast had moved to WVUE’s Center City Philadelphia location in inside the Suburban Station building. Mitch was born in Florida during 1922 and his family relocated to Northern New Jersey during the thirties. He was a graduated of Delaware State College (now Delaware State University) and he served in the United States Army during the later part of the forties. It was during 1949 that he did his first radio broadcast on WTUX in Wilmington. A few years later, he went to WILM in the same city. It was a step up for Mitch as WILM was better known and had more listeners. In the mid-50s, Mitch Thomas moved to Philadelphia’s R&B Powerhouse, WDAS. He was with the station for a dozen years. In the late sixties, Thomas left broadcasting and became a gang counselor. One does have to remember that teen dance shows were a very cheap way to fill airtime on a local independent station with no network affiliation. Channel 12 lost its NBC-TV affiliation when WPTZ (now KYW-TV) got more power and could cover the Wilmington population out of Philly. There was no need for a second affiliate in Wilmington anymore. While Thomas’ show was a Saturday show, Channel 12 did do a daily broadcast at 5 pm, hoping to get the teens that were watching Bandstand. At 5 pm, Channel 6 did what is called, churning the audience. They stopped teen programming and went for a younger audience. WFIL-TV carried the Mickey Mouse Club after Bandstand. It was a feed direct from ABC-TV. The Channel 12 show was a dance program from the Wilmington studios of WPFH, Channel 12. It featured former WPEN legends Joe Grady and Ed Hurst. The program aired for two hours and for the last part of its run, it originated out of their Center City Philadelphia studios. But now, let’s look at the influence of Mitch Thomas’ TV telecast. Chuck Willis was often referred to as The King of the Stroll. Mitch’s program aired Willis’ music. His tunes had the dancers on The Mitch Thomas Show” do a dance called, “The Stroll.” Viewers picked up on it and the kids on Bandstand started doing the dance making for a quick release of the Diamonds’ hit recording, “The Stroll.” But it started with Mitch Thomas. Many sources say that Storer bought the station in 1956; that is incorrect. The FCC approved the sale in March of 1957. Harron sold the station for a nice profit even after throwing in his “small” radio station in Philadelphia. Harron owned WIBG since 1941. In fact, WIBG even had a construction permit for a UHF TV station in Philadelphia, Channel 23. The TV outlet was never built and Harron gave back the CP to the Federal Communications Commission upon agreeing to buy Channel 12 in 1955. Now, two years later, he sold it to Storer Broadcasting.
WVUE-TV, Channel 12 ad Philadelphia broadcasters were worried that Storer was trying to turn Channel 12 into a Philadelphia station. They asked for permission to move the transmitter from Wilmington to Pittman, NJ. Storer also agreed to operate the TV station serving the city of Wilmington and the surrounding area (including Philadelphia). Moving the transmitter put the tower 7 miles closer to Philadelphia. That’s about 30% closer. Now renamed WVUE-TV (the new VUE), Storer was referring to the station as WVUE-TV, Wilmington-Philadelphia. The station went dark for a week at the end of August of 1957. On September 2 nd of that same year, they came back on the air as WVUE-TV, the new VUE. At the same time, the station opened its new office and studio in Suburban Station Building. Storer also had plans to have new offices and studio in Wilmington. Tower and transmitter also went on air on September 2 nd. They had invested a lot of money to make the station profitable. In June of the next year, Storer went in a different direction and a way to make more money. While some say that low ratings was why the show was cancelled, it was, in actuality, that the station (not the show) that was cancelled. Storer eventually handed the license back to the FCC saying that they just couldn’t make any money owning an independent (non-network affiliated) station. Dropping the Mitch Thomas Show from their air schedule was just the first step in preparing to going off the air. But there is more to the story than that. Storer DID believe you could make money with an independent station, just not THAT one. Storer was negotiating to buy WITI-TV, Channel 6 in Milwaukee. It was an independent station, but WITI was already making money. The company started to believe that they could make more money in Milwaukee than they could on Channel 12 (even though they invested a ton of cash to increase profits).
WVUE-TV, Channel 12 ad Here’s the problem. In that day, the FCC only allowed an owner to have 7 TV stations and no more than 5 of them could be VHF stations (Channels 2 to 13). With Channel 12, Storer already owned their limit. If they could sell it, they would be free to purchase the Milwaukee station. Problem is that no one offered them a good deal. Because of tax laws, it was better financially for them to actually go off the air than to sell at a reduced price. So taking WVUE-TV off air had advantages for Storer dollar wise, plus it would allow them to buy a profitable independent TV station. It was win-win. They would gain a tax advantage with a loss for Channel 12, and they would be able to purchase Channel 6 in Milwaukee. Taking Mitch Thomas and other local programming off air was only the first cost cutting step. Since they were going to take the station off air shortly, it didn’t matter to them what they aired or if they had viewers. Fill the air with cheap film programming (even if it meant running it over and over) was the most profitable way. They didn’t care if no one watched. It was all about cost. Storer took station off air in September 13, 1958. At the same time, it dropped Thomas; Storer gave up its dream for using a directional TV antenna and increasing power. Storer surrendered the Channel 12 license in December of 1958. They handed in the Channel 12 license just one week before taking over the ownership of WITI-TV. Mitch Thomas passed away in 1999. He lived in Wilmington. This article written and researched by Broadcast Historian Gerry Wilkinson |
Our special thanks go to TUTV - Temple University Television and The Kal & Lucille Rudman Media Production Center.
|
 |
|
MORE DIGITAL ARCHIVAL PROJECT NEWS:
VIDEO:
Betsy and Barbara Brookshier
Broadcast Pioneers Luncheon
Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010. We had a wonderful time as we celebrated "Brookie's" life. There were stories by the ton about Broadcast Pioneers member Tom Brookshier. It all took place at the beautiful Bala Golf Club.
Our moderator was Brookie's Channel 10 colleague, Bill Baldini. On the panel we had:
Bill Campbell, the Dean of Philadelphia Sports Broadcasting
Angelo Cataldi of the WIP Radio Morning Show
Jim Gallagher, former Eagles Press Guy for 47 years
Tommy McDonald, former Eagles player and sportscaster
Al Meltzer, former TV Sports Director & Play-by-play
Plus Tom's wife, Barbara Brookshier and his daughter, Betsy joined us for the afternoon. We heard from Pat Summerall and Jack Whitaker live on the telephone.
COMPLETE VIDEO!
(video courtesy of Broadcast Pioneers VP Brad Seecof and Metramedia Broadcasting & Studios)
AUDIO:
The Apollo 14 mission, with a crew of Alan Shepard, Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 31, 1971. It was the third mission to achieve lunar landing. The spacecraft landed in the Fra Mauro highlands, the same area that was to have been explored on Apollo 13.
Although the primary mission objectives for Apollo 14 were the same as those of Apollo 13, provisions were made for returning a significantly greater quantity of lunar material and scientific data than had been possible previously. An innovation that allowed an increase in the range of lunar surface exploration and the amount of material collected was the provision of a collapsible two wheeled cart, the modular equipment transporter (MET), for carrying tools, cameras, a portable magnetometer, and lunar samples. Lunar liftoff occurred on February 6, 1971 with mission completion on February 9.
Of course, American television was on hand to cover the whole thing. The walk on the surface of the moon was moved ahead a couple of hours and television prepared to cover it. KYW-TV, the NBC-TV affiliate in Philadelphia had already signed off the air. At 2:55 am, they signed back on expecting live network coverage to start at approx. 3 am.
...I was very much involved in this. (John) Dancy and I were the correspondents in Houston that morning and he had the duty. There were many of these incidents. This was a rare one.
BTW, Alan Shepard was a close friend. NASA has a final video taped interview in its oral histories file that I did with him 3 months before he died.
I also have several signed photographs from him, one of which reads "To the Neals with my warmest personal regards and appreciation for the friendship and confidence...Alan Shepard, Rear Admiral, US Navy."
Listen (in Real Audio Format)
Listen (in Windows Media Format)
MORE AUDIO:
A 1968 promotional piece says of Roy Nassau:
...Roy Nassau, for 8 years, news analyst and senior reporter for WFIL Radio. Covered top political races including Governor Scranton's 1964 bid for the Presidency. Acute news sense and thorough familiarity with the Main Line (he was the Regional News Manager for WFIL Radio for the Main Line).
From Sunday, July 31, 1966, at 11:55 pm, we have a complete radio newscast by Roy Nassau. Note that the opening to the cast contains the legal ID. Less than two months later, WFIL would become Famous 56.
A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!
(Left to right) Reggie Lavong, Bill Webber, Michael Smerconish, Pat Delsi and Joe Pellegrino
Broadcast Pioneers Luncheon
Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
(Photo taken by Gerry Wilkinson)
WE REMEMBER:
Jay Bushinsky was the KYW Newsradio Middle East Bureau Chief for more than three decades. He started in our business in 1964 (that's 54 years ago). He worked then for the Times-Herald Record newspaper based our of Middletown, NY. Then, a couple years later, he moved on to the Chicago Daily News. They assigned him to cover events in the Middle East and off he went to Jerusalem. He has lived in Israel ever since. He worked for several radio and TV stations including all of the Westinghouse Broadcasting stations and others. He also wrote for other publications. Jay was laid to rest in Israel last month. He was 85.
Member Connie Roussin (Spann), 87, passed away this spring in South Carolina. She had worked at WFIL-TV (and WPVI) for decades. She hosted many different TV shows including “Conversations with Connie,” “Dialing for Dollars,” “Target”(a late night talk show, The Mummers Show of Shows, The Mummers Parade, a series of pre and post Mummers Parade Specials, The Philadelphia segments of the Jerry Lewis Telethons, The Gimbels Thanksgiving Parade, Romper Room (first in Portland, Maine on WCSH-TV and then here in Philly on WFIL-TV). She was inducted into our Hall of Fame in November of 2014.
THIS AND THAT! Little Bits of Information....
Broadcast Pioneers member Allen Stone During 1944, Broadcast Pioneers Founding member Jack Steck hosted a half-hour radio broadcast on WFIL on Thursdays from 7:30 pm until 8 o'clock. It was called, "The Sears Crosstown Quiz." Of course, it was sponsored by Sears and Roebuck. It was a game show where Jack asked the contestants questions on current affairs in the Delaware Valley. There were two teams. Each was from a various plant who was contributing to the World War II effort. Winning team members won $10 each with the losing team getting a $5 bill. Polly Whitaker was married to John Ables. On October 1st of 1946, she gave birth to a son, Michael. What makes this story interesting is that Polly was the Program Director for WDAS Radio right here in Philadelphia. At that same time, WDAS started airing remote big band broadcast of the Bob Shebley Orchestra originating live from the Trianon Ballroom. And WDAS owner, Alex "Bink" Dannenbaum sold the station for just under 400 grand to William Goldman, who ran a bunch of movie theaters. Dannenbaum (that's what the D in WDAS stands for) went over to WPTZ as Sales Manager. Helen Lipkin, who was a former president of this organization, started working in broadcasting while still attending Overbrook High School. She was an office helper at WDAS Radio. By the late 30s, she was the station's firstr female disc jockey hosting "The Merry-Go-Round." It was a jazz and be-bop music program. She later went on to be one of Philly's first TV hosts during the early days of WPTZ. Member John Zacherle returned to the Delaware Valley TV airwaves in 1981 when he was on WWAC-TV, Channel 53 in Atlantic City. His appearance was delayed because that year, Zach had open heart surgery. Zacherle was, of course, known to many as "The Cool Ghoul, Roland" and the host of "Shock Theater on WCAU-TV in 1957 and 1958. In 1957, WVUE-TV, Channel 12 out of Wilmington was owned by Storer and was a commercial broadcaster. They carried a live, daily telecast at 3 pm entitled, "Petticoat Partyline" and featured air personality Bob Marshall. They had a live studio audience. In one of the ads for the program, it said: "Everyday is ladies day. There's music, laughs and prizes galore. Ladies groups and organizations are greeted and seated in the studio for the afternoon's fun." In August of 1985, Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Ford bought WFLN (AM), 900 on your dial. He instituted a phone-talk format on the station. Frank, besides being the owner, took his shift on the radio from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Ford previously did telephone talk on WCAU (AM) and WPEN Radio. Did you know that Broadcast Pioneers Board Member Kal Rudman once sold TV sets? Well, he did. There were only a few places in the area selling the expensive equipment. One was at 52nd and Market Streets in the heart of West Philly. It was called Bartel's. He stayed about a year before moving on to become "The Round Mound of Sound" at WCAM in 1959. Everyone knows the "Friday with Frank" and the "Sunday with Sinatra" shows done by member Sid Mark. However, did you know that when Mark was with WHAT-FM, he also did a program called, "Evening with Ella" on Thursdays from 6 to 8 pm. Of course, Ella was Ella Fitzgerald. The year was 1967. Chuck Gordon was a staff announcer at Channel 29 in the early days in the sixties when it was WIBF-TV. He left the station in the fall of 1967 to become Program Director of WCAM Radio in Camden. A sidebar on Chuck: He held a law degree from Rutgers. |
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES:
The Vince Leonard Story - Continued!
Vince Leonard and the Eyewitness News Team
KYW-TV, Philadelphia
circa 1965
During April of this year, the broadcast industry lost a real legend in Philadelphia telecasting, Vince Leonard. You can always read his bio on our website, but we thought you would really enjoy having Vince Leonard tell you about himself. It was written by Vince in January of 2013. While we were suffering through snow and freezing temperatures, Vince and his wife, Frankie, were enjoying the warmth that is Las Vegas. This was written and sent to us for publication. Last month, this newsletter ran the first part. Now, the conclusion.
We arrived (in Philadelphia) on April 14th, 1958. I began work the next day. The news director, Ernie Leiss kept me hopping. I covered stories, made many personal appearances. Most days for me were long and tiring.
But after many months on the job we began to make some progress in the ratings. In the November books in 1959, we had attained first place three nights a week. By February of 1960, we were number one across the board. We held that position for the next eleven years.
Of course, I was working with some very talented people. We had Wally Kinnan, the Weatherman and Jim Leaming on sports. Later, Bill Kuster became our number one weather reporter.
In 1972, the news operation at Channel 3 changed greatly. Added to our staff were Mort Crim, Al Meltzer and Jessica Savitch.They brought new life to our news programs. We became known as "the dream team" and Camelot. We were successful again. And we became close friends. But that's another story.
During my 22 years at Channel 3, I worked for 8 general managers and 13 news directors. I think that must be some sort of record.
Our son, Mark, was an achiever. He was a student leader and an athlete at Conestoga High. He was admitted to West Point and served in his first command in South Korea.
On his arrival home in 1979, the army was sending him to graduate school at West Point. After getting his master's degree, he would be assigned to a teaching position at West Point.
Driving from Oklahoma to Austin on a winter morning, he suddenly came across black ice on the two lane highway and slid into the front of a truck. He was killed instantly.
That tragedy prompted Frances and me to re-think our lives. We decided to leave Philadelphia when my contract was up and start life anew in another city. Give ourselves a change of scene, a change in our life style to help us cope with the terrible reality that had hit us. Sixteen months later we left for Phoenix. But not before a huge going-away party given for us at the Resorts International Hotel in Atlantic City. It was arranged by Herb Clarke, Marc Howard and a number of people at the various stations. What a bash it turned out to be.
Members Vince Leonard and his wife, Frances
Farewell Philadelphia Bash at the Superstar Theater
Resorts International Hotel, Atlantic City
Sunday Evening, May 4, 1980
I was told there were nearly 600 people in attendance. They had cocktails, a complete dinner, saw a live show and the ceremonies. Big Al (Meltzer) served as MC and did a fantastic job. Mort flew in from Detroit, Jessica came down from New York and Bill flew in from Denver. Frances and I had a penthouse suite. We still talk about that night. The station gave us another party in our studios. Then we were off to Phoenix.
I worked at the NBC station there for the following ten years. There, too, we had number one ratings and a happy life. It turned out to be almost stress-free and a wonderful transition into retirement. Frances and I have had much to be thankful for.
To this day, we enjoy each other very much and love our life together. In closing, I'll borrow an old line used by Arthur Godfrey when he signed off on his programs..."the good lord willin' and the creek don't rise"..we'll be celebrating our 65th wedding anniversary in July!
Herb Clarke!
Broadcast Pioneers Former President Herb Clarke
WRVA-TV, Richmond, Va.
1957
This picture was taken in 1957 in Richmond, Virginia at WRVA-TV where Herb Clarke was News Director. A U.S. Marine helicopter brought Clarke to the station after he covered the last ever International Fleet Review observing Virginia's 350th anniversary. Herb said of the helicopter flight, "I couldn't hear for three days." The next year, Herb Clarke came to Philadelphia and WCAU-TV where he stayed for 40 years. After retirement, Herb couldn't stay away from broadcasting. His love for gardening took him to KYW Newsradio where he did their garden reports for several years. We thought you might enjoy some of those reports that he wrote (and voiced).
Monday, June 9, 2003
No other garden plants supply such wonderfully aromatic foliage, cooking benefits or an easy-growing attitude as an assortment of herbs in containers. And planted in a windowbox or containers, they add color and beauty to front or kitchen entrances and patios.
You don’t need great amounts of herbs for cooking or delightful smells, so it’s best to go for variety. A mix of Mediterranean herbs in a sizeable container: oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary and bay are beautiful and useful. This combination needs a lot of sunlight and somewhat dry soil.
Try mixing parsley with a few kinds of basil – Spicy Globe, Siam Queen or Purple Ruffles and Lemon Basil – with flavored flowers like Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass and Lemon geraniums. Give this arrangement a drink or water everyday.
The combination of moss-lining and wire baskets is excellent as an herb container. They hold the moisture well. Herbs can be decorative and useful in most any container. I use chives instead of ornamental grass in pots of pansies and parsley and rosemary spotted in pathway flower beds. Herb Clarke, KYW Newsradio.
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Roses are easy to grow. Really, they are. Maybe the easiest of the flowering shrubs. And they’re tough – no prima donnas here – roses live long after lesser plants give up. With regular care, they are blue ribbon rose producers. The word “care” means water, fertilizer, pest control and pruning.
Okay, I fibbed a little. Plant food, pest control and water may be easy but pruning roses can be hard work. Right.
Pruning has four goals: Cutting out dead branches and twigs; removing damaged, weak and useless branches; opening the bush to get air circulation; and finally, to create a better-looking plant.
Nearly all roses have thorns. That makes it a painful hard job, requiring heavy leather gloves that come up on your forearm, scissors to snip away small stuff and a pair of shears to cut side and main branches, twigs and twigs.
Thick stems may need a pruning saw or loppers, or both. Cut at an angle. Seal the cut with a dab of Elmer’s glue, especially if you have rose borers. So, roses do need care and work. But perfect roses pay back richly for a bit of labor. Herb Clarke, KYW Newsradio.
Thursday, June 19, 2003
Your tomato plants have to work hard: growing stems, leaves and blossoms, developing and ripening all those big fruits. It’s not easy. They’re counting on you for a supply of water and food, as in fertilizer.
You don’t have to overdo it. Side-dressing a couple of times during the season will do fine. “Side-dressing” is simply putting fertilizer around the plants for extra nourishment, especially as the tomatoes take shape and add size.
You can use a complete fertilizer, 10-10-10, say, or an organic plant food such as bone meal, dried manure or cottonseed meal. Once you put it around the plant, cover it with soil so the next watering can take it right to the roots.
Pruning tomatoes is easy and it probably helps. In this case pruning means pinching off the shoots – the suckers – that sprout from the stems. If you don’t, the suckers use energy that could be creating bigger tomatoes.
We don’t want that, do we? Herb Clarke, KYW Newsradio.
Frank Kastner tells us about himself!
Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Kastner
WFLN Radio
1964
In 2001, Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Kastner told us a little about his career in broadcasting. It was sent to us for publication by Atlanta voice over announcer Jerry Immel. Frank gave us permission to run what he wrote.
I went to work at WCAU in early 1945, and I think it was during that summer that George Thomas told me they were auditioning for actors at WPTZ (Channel 3) --- then the only TV (station) in Philadelphia, established by Philco, mostly to give people who bought Philco (television) sets something to look at. editor's note: (it was actually the summer of 1946).
WPTZ’s studio was in a penthouse on top of the Architects’ Building at 16th and Sansom, right around the corner from ‘CAU. So I landed the lead in a “drama” called “Leave it to Henry,” which had been written by one of the cameramen. Other members of the cast were Creighton Stewart, an Englishman who did a women’s program on ‘CAU; the secretary to an exec at ‘FIL, and another woman. I don’t remember either woman’s name; one was my wife, the other my mother-in-law.
The story had something to do with a painting, and ended with a house fire. They built a miniature house and set it afire. The Director, who later moved to Cleveland as PD there and, I believe, eventually became a self-employed artist’s agent, offered me a Saturday afternoon shift as booth announcer. (editor's note: Kastner used the name Frank Carter).
WPTZ’s transmitter was in Wyndmoor, the tower is still there, and the announce booth was in a closet in the transmitter building. I had no car. I used to ride from Center City to Chestnut Hill with the Correlator. I can’t remember any of these names anymore, but it was at the transmitter site that I met Earle Gill.
He was the only announcer. I was somewhat in awe of him, partly because he was older than I, much more sophisticated and well settled into the TV groove. When NBC took over, they closed the penthouse and set up the announce booth at 1619 Walnut, and for a time my TV career was over.
Gill, for some reason, did not want to do on-camera work, and eventually quit. I think he married a woman who had her own real estate business. After a disastrous attempt to free-lance and the break up of marriage in 1956, I was offered the Saturday night booth shift at what was now WRCV-TV. The shift soon became Thursday through Sunday night, seven ‘til signoff (1:00 am unless we had a long movie on Saturday).
At the same time, I was working various shifts at WFLN (Kastner was the first voice heard on the station when they signed on the air in 1949), but earning much more in TV than in radio. It caught up with me in October 1959, when I said "sh-t" on the air on TV. I did an occasional shift at 3 after that, and about two years in the “news department” at 29, but my TV days were over. A few months later, Ray Green fired me for being a smart "a-s" off the air.
Almost all of my “scrapbook” was lost when my house burned down in 1993. The only other photos I have was one taken in November, 1944, when I first went to work at WIBG, and another with a couple of guys from Tastykake, taken when I started doing the commercials on Tastykake’s sponsorship of the Phillies games in 1951.
I also remember doing a Ford Motor sponsored “science show” on WPTZ with the then Director of the Franklin Institute. That was in 1947. In order to get from Norristown, where I had an on-air shift, to the Architects’ Building, I bought a 1947 Chevrolet Aerocoupe. After a couple of shows, the agency decided to let the guy from (the) Franklin Institute do the commercials, and I was out of TV again. Shortly afterward, the show was cancelled. It’s been an up-and-down 60 years.
His last days in broadcasting was working as an announcer for some of their classical music programs on WRTI-FM. He also worked at WPEN and WRDR Kastner loved classical music. He started listening to it when he was only seven tuning in the music broadcasts on his grandmother's radio. He loved the Philadelphia Orchestra and he passed away listening to his favorite composer, Mozart in 2004.
A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!
WFIL-TV News Anchor Gunnar Back
on the set of the RCA Victor News Reel
WFIL-TV, 46th and Market Streets, Philadelphia
1956
(Photo originally donated to us by Linnea Klee, Gunnar Back's daughter)
OUR HATS OFF TO YOU FOR GIVING:
We would like to thank the following for their contributions donated at our May luncheon. They include: Eric Address, Paul Big Bear, Tom Cannon, Cindy Keiter, Mel Klawansky, Mike Melnyk, T. Morgan, Linda Munich, Mike Nozillo, Steve Sacks, Steve Tatz, Rich Troyan, Todd and Pam Tuckey and Gerry Wilkinson.
We would like to give a big thanks to all those of you who contributed to Broadcast Pioneers by sending an extra gift when they mailed in their membership renewals. They include: Philip Thompson, David McCrork, Cathy Gandolfo, Bill Kelley, Bill Mazzarro, Robin Mackintosh, Stephen (Stevie Doo Wop) Selber, Richard Maloney, Michael Muderick, Joanne Calabria, Sid Mark, Dick Sheeran, Elaine Skypala, Ken Jeremiah, Paul Gluck, Johnny Lerro, Pat Ciarrocchi, Bruce Greenberg, Orien Reid Nix, Art Moore, Chuck Gagliardi, Esther Kurtz, Marc Howard, Jackie Strauss, Charles Rabb, William McCloskey, Al Primo, Hope Krosskove, Joe Tarsia, Donald Rosenblit, Brooks Saint Ives, Melanie Capoferri, Bob Manning, Gerry Molynauex, Lydia Reeves Timmins, Carl Hemple, Constance Webber, Terry Ruggles, Kim Martin, Steve Nikazy, Mike Strug, Richard Troyan, Bob Backman, Harvey Sheldon, Dave Roberts, Bob McCone, Todd Tuckey, Bob Feldman, Jim Loftus, Kevin Delany, Ted Hodgins, Marlin Taylor, Dennis Ostopowicz, Donald Bustard, Samuel Cerrato, Anthony DiFlorio, Bill Toffel, Irv Grodsky, Jerry Klein, Kennard Brown, Bob Craig, Ron Corbin and Merrill Reese.
If your name isn't listed above and you would like to make a contribution, it is never too late. Do so now. If you mailed in your dues and included an extra contribution and your name isn't there, we probably haven't received your check yet. You'll be in the next issue of our newsletter.Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for the gift of Appreciated Stock: (a federal tax advantage for the giver)
Member Marc Howard - $3,600 (put into our general fund to be used where needed)
Member Sylvia Kauders - $5,159.45 (used for the scholarships listed below)
Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for contribution of $1,000 or more to our DAP, Digital Archival Project:
Member Jerry Del Colliano - $1,500
Member Johnny B. Hall and wife Ginny - $2,200
The Harry Hurley - Hurley in the Morning Charity (Harry is a member)- $1,000
The Shunfenthal Family (in memory of Sherri Shunfenthal's father, Member Les Waas) - $2,000
Member Marlin Taylor - $2,000
A member who prefers not to be identified publicly - $1,000
Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for contribution of $1,000 or more into our General Fund to be used where needed:
Member Bill Kelley - $600
Member Art Moore - $1,000
Member Brad Seecof and Metramedia Broadcasting & Studios - $1,000
Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for April 2019 Scholarships:
Member Johnny B. Hall and his wife, Ginny - 5 scholarships
The Harry Hurley - Hurley in the Morning Charity - 1 scholarship (for a Stockton University student)
Member Sylvia Kauders - 1 scholarship (from a grant for 5 yearly scholarships running until 2019)
Member Kal Rudman - 5 scholarships (for Temple University students)
Member Tony Scafide - 1 scholarship (for a Temple University student)
Member Marlin Taylor - 2 scholarships
Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for a contribution of $500 or more to our DAP, Digital Archival Project:
Member Bill Webber, Jr. - $500
The Philadelphia Eagles (in honor of Ray Didinger being inducted into our Hall of Fame) - $500
Armitage Shanks (not their real name) - $500
Members Robin and Ira Adelman - $500
Member Esther Kurtz - $802
Bequests in their Will:
Member Sylvia Kauders passed away recently. In her will, she bequest to the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, the amount of $5,000. This funding is to be used to underwrite one scholarship per year until gone. These scholarships will start in the year 2020 and continue until 2024. From a previous gift, Sylvia has underwritten one scholarship a year starting in 2015 and continuing until 2019.
Member Dave Shayer passed away last year. In his will, he bequest to the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, the amount of $5,000. This funding is to be used to underwrite our archival project which was dear to Dave's heart and soul.
Underwrite a complete scholarship and we'll give you credit in the electronic newsletter until the scholarship is awarded. Give us a donation of appreciated stock of $2,000 or more) and we'll list you in our "Thank You" column for two years. Give us a donation of $1,000 or more and we'll list you in our "Thank You" column for a year. Give us a donation of $500 or more and we'll list you in our "Thank You" column for six months. You can select how we use the money: for our archival project, for scholarships or for our general fund to be used as needed.
More Thanks:
A growing portion of the revenues that fund the different activities of the Broadcast Pioneers comes from donations. This includes our archival project and our scholarship program. Now we are making it even more beneficial for our donors. Broadcast Pioneers is now able to accept gifts of appreciated stock, which provides a significant tax benefit to you. By giving appreciated stock (stock which is worth more now than what it cost when it was purchased), you can get a charitable contribution tax deduction based on the current market value of your stock. At the same time, you avoid the capital gains tax that would arise if you simply sell the stock. So if you'd like to support our educational mission or our archival project and save money on taxes too, please consider making a gift of appreciated stock. We are a federally recognized, state chartered charity with a 501(c)(3) status. Contact us at (856) 365-5600 or e-mail pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com for more details.
Many of us are over 70 and a half years old. If you are, you can donate directly to Broadcast Pioneers from your IRA Account. If you take a distribution and then donate to us, you would have to pay federal tax on the distribution. By donating directly to us, you pay no tax and we get the full amount. Remember, this donation must go directly to us in order for you to avoid paying income tax. This direct donation may also prevent you from going into a higher tax bracket. That's always good. Speak with your tax advisor about this.
Don't be left out. You too can make a pledge. It's never too late. You can earmark it for scholarships, our Digital Archival Project or our general fund. Thanks so much for your support. If you forgot to make an extra contribution (cash or memorabilia) and would like to do so now, you can do so. We would be thrilled to hear from you at: PO Box 2886, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, call us at (856) 365-5600 or e-mail us at: pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com
A FINAL THOUGHT....
"When as a teenager, I told God my plan for my life. He just laughed."
Bill Wright, Sr.
at the 2009 Broadcast Pioneers' "Person of the Year Ceremony
Please contact us by e-mail at pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com or by mail to: Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, PO Box 2886, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Your stories are important, to you, to us, and your colleagues. Contact us today and we’ll include your story in the next newsletter! |
Newsletter proofreader is Michele Wilkinson
© 2018, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
All Rights Reserved
The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com
For luncheon reservations call (856) 365-5600 or e-mail us at: rsvp@broadcastpioneers.com
