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.

December Afternoon Luncheon The Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Meet and Greet at 12 Noon! Lunch served at 12:30 pm! Ratecard: see below

Please reserve now! Call (856) 365-5600! rsvp@broadcastpioneers.com

Another Third Wednesday Luncheon! Wednesday, December 19th, 2018! Good Food - Great Programs - Wonderful Times Lunch is only $10 (if you are a paid up member) It's Our Holiday Songfest! Reserve by e-mail: rsvp@broadcastpioneers.com Reserve by phone: (856) 365-5600!

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICING! Lunch is only $10 (if you are a paid up member) Reserve by e-mail: rsvp@broadcastpioneers.com Reserve by phone: (856) 365-5600! Prices haven't been this low since the 80s!

It's our traditional holiday gathering. Plenty of music, wonderful conversation and good cheer. It all takes place on Wednesday, December 19th at the Bala Golf Club. If you are a member and your dues are paid up-to-date, your cost for the luncheon is only $10. It's our holiday gift to you. Everyone else is at the regular price of $28. You must reserve your space in advance by calling or e-mailing us in order to get the special $10 price. Your dues aren't up-to-date? No problem! Pay what you owe and then your lunch is at the $10 charge. Not a member? No problem! Join that day and you'll get the $10 price. Remember, we will pay the Bala Golf Club 150% more than what you are paying us. Why do we do this? We had a good year and it's our holiday present to you. It's our way of giving back to the membership. (Besides, it's a sneaky way to get you to pay your dues! LOL) In doubt as to whether your dues are up-to-date? E-mail us and we'll tell you: pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com. Reserve by e-mail: rsvp@broadcastpioneers.com Reserve by phone: (856) 365-5600! Lunch is only $10 (if you are a paid up member) Your MC for the afternoon will be Broadcast Pioneers member "Santa" Bob Charger, TV Host of Charger & Co. on RVNTV. You don't want to miss him. Bob will be there wearing a complete Santa suit and hat. Seeing this alone is certainly worth the trip. Here's some of the performers that are scheduled to be with us that day: Danny and the Juniors, Billy Carluccci (of Billy and the Essentials), Kenny Jeremiah (formerly of the Soul Survivors), The Tridels, Sandee Bengel, Paul Big Bear, John Primerano, Joe Pellegrino and Johnny B. Hall with Art Wilson. Plus more. It all takes 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. Call now for reservations. (856) 365-5600! E-mail: rsvp@broadcastpioneers.com. Don't miss this one! THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Make plans to be there. Meet and Greet starts at 12 noon. Lunch is served at 12:30 pm. It includes a nice, fresh, green salad with dressing, a roll, a 3-course meal, dessert, iced tea and coffee. The date is Wednesday, December 19th. SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICING! Lunch is only $10 (if you are a paid up member) Plenty of FREE parking. Our luncheons are open to all our members, their guests and any person in the industry or associated fields, whether active or retired. You do NOT have to be a member to attend. There is no reserved seating at our luncheons. Feel free to sit anywhere. Well, okay--the three people on the camera crew sit near the cameras, but that's in the back of the room. In order to speed up check-in at the luncheon, it would help if you had exact change or your check written in advance. Checks should be made payable to the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. If you would like to add a few dollars extra, we would really appreciate it. It would help us with all the important work we are doing. Thanks so very much!

WE WANNA SEE YOUR FACE IN THAT PLACE!

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.

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!

DIGITAL ARCHIVAL PROJECT NEWS:

A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!

Control Room #4
WCAU-TV
January 1958

This is a view of WCAU Control Room #4 after its conversion to color in January 1958. It was equipped with two RCA TK-41 Color Cameras. WCAU-TV already had an RCA 3-V Film Chain from about 1955 or 1956. This view is looking toward the video controls, the director's position, and the audio position from the door to the hallway. Note the Black & White TV sets atop the RCA Color TV sets.

There were no color monitors available at that time so the sets were "jeeped" for video input. Because of the scarcity of color receivers, it was judged important that the appearance of items look equally good in Black & White, hence the Black & White receivers. Note the new RCA TM-6 monitors too. In all other WCAU -TV Control Rooms, the audio position was situated on a lower level in the control room so the audioman could see the studio floor easily.

Our special thanks go to TUTV - Temple University Television and The Kal & Lucille Rudman Media Production Center. They have underwritten a grant to be used to fund two years of all our newsletters. That's until December 2020. We thank them so much for their support!

WE REMEMBER:

Charles A. Higgins, age 82, passed away suddenly but peacefully in mid-November, at his home in West Chester. He was born on May 12,1936 in Philadelphia and grew up in Havertown. As a engineer on the WHHS radio station, he had found one of his many callings. He went on to attend Philadelphia Wireless and Temple University Technical Institute and had a 47-year career in Radio & Television Broadcasting. He started at WCAU AM-FM-TV, spent 5 years at WFIL AM-FM-TV and then returned to WCAU. After graduation and during his early work years, he was also the technical advisor for WHHS. When he retired from Broadcasting, he had the opportunity to indulge in hobbies that he hadn’t time for before. He finally acquired his Ham license and W3CAU hit the air and became a Senior Life member of the Philadelphia Area Repeater Association.

Robert P. Levy, 87, known as Bob, passed away last month, near his Bryn Mawr home. He was the son of Dr. Leon Levy, president of WCAU Radio for decades in the station's earlier years. His mother was Blanche Levy, sister of Bill Paley, chairman for a half century of CBS Broadcasting. His grandfather was Sam Paley, a cigar manufacturer and early radio advertiser. In fact, that's how Bill got into broadcasting. Bob was mainly known for his achievements in horse racing, following in his father's footsteps. Bob was a participant in our archival project. Several years ago, he sent us a family scrapbook of photos.

We just got word at press time that Broadcast Pioneers member Marv Bachrad has passed away at the age of 82. He lived in Dover, Delaware. He had worked doing sports at WNAR in Norristown and then he moved on to the WCAU and KYW operations. He loved harness horse racing and worked as an announcer and public relations expert for Liberty Bell, Brandywine and Dover Downs. He also was part owner of several harness horses.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES:

It was 55 Years Ago (give or take a week or so)
Part One

Senator John F. Kennedy at Temple University
Williams Hall on Park Avenue
North Philadelphia
Wednesday, October 31, 1960

It is now a little over 55 years ago when President Kennedy was assassinated. More than half the population of today's United States weren't born yet. But let's backtrack a little until 1960. John Kennedy was then an United States Senator. He was very popular on American college campuses. We'll pick up the story there.

Shortly after 3 pm, Senator John Kennedy motorcaded up Broad Street and arrived on the campus of Temple University. Less than a half-hour later, at 3:30 pm, the future president spoke on what is now known as Park Mall. It was a cloudy, misty afternoon with light rain from time to time. Just to the west of Curtis Hall, a wooden temporary platform was erected. Curtis Hall was on one side and Williams Hall on the other. Williams Hall at this time was a men's dorm and Park Avenue still a city street. The speech took just 15 minutes and ended an extensive four day visit to the state. It would be Kennedy's last journey to Temple.

Broadcast Pioneers member Kenn Venit wrote, "The President was almost holy. I could not bring myself to comprehend the sudden and horrible death of our beloved President Kennedy. I shared with the world the feeling of disbelief. I recall trying to understand how the world felt when President Roosevelt died. I had read some news copy by Damon Runyon describing the funeral 'of the dead chieftain of the mightiest armed force on the face of the earth.' I am sorry that I now know how they felt." Kenn wrote that on November 22, 1963. He was a young Temple University student at the time.

How was this historic event covered by the local broadcast media? in 2013, we asked some of our members to recall the events of the day.

Broadcast Pioneers member Vince Leonard, who was the main anchor at WRCV-TV, Channel 3 here in Philadelphia, recalled for us the days surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy:

On that Friday in November, I came to work early to attend a business luncheon at the Bellevue Hotel. Bob Shafer, our news director, our sales manager and I were hosting two local bank executives, trying to persuade them that their bank should sponsor my six o’clock news program. A little after one-thirty, our waiter told Bob he had a phone call, an emergency. When he returned to the table, Bob said. “President Kennedy has been shot. I don’t have any other information.” Our luncheon broke up and we hurried back to the newsroom.

It wasn’t long before we learned that President Kennedy had died. Shafer, who had been one of our finest news directors, soon had the reporters contacting the local individuals who had close ties to the president and his administration. They were to head out with their photographers to get interviews. Our program producers began writing stories for our local cut-ins. It was the beginning of the busiest, most hectic four days we’d ever experience in the Channel 3 news operation. We were WRCV-TV, at the time, owned by the NBC network. They depended on us to feed them anything pertaining to the Kennedys as it affected the Philadelphia area.

It was my job to go on the air anytime there was a break-in during the network stories and to narrate many of the reports we fed to NBC.

The next day, another shocking drama, totally unexpected. As the Kennedy shooting suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, was being led out of the Dallas police station, a man named Jack Ruby stepped from the small group of spectators and shot Oswald at point blank range. Standing just a few feet away, on camera with a live microphone in his hand, was NBC reporter Tom Pettit. Tom shouted, “He’s been shot. Lee Oswald has been shot ….”

NBC was the only network live on the scene at the police station that day. A real advantage for us. Tom Pettit had built his reputation as a reporter working with us at Channel 3. After about three years, he went to work for NBC television.

Watching the funeral on Monday was a stirring, emotional experience. No one will ever forget the scene of Jackie Kennedy and her two small children, Caroline and John John, watching the casket roll by with little John John saluting.

The assassination remains a continuing story. There are still rumors of a conspiracy. Many critics believe there was more than one gunman, that there was another man firing from the grassy knoll. They insist Oswald could not have fired those accurate shots at a moving car from a window of the Texas Book Depository. They will never accept the official explanation. All of this happened 50 years ago. An incredible experience.

We continue with this story below in Part Two.

It was 55 Years Ago (give or take a week or so)
Part Two

We now continue with the story. Broadcast Pioneers member Mike Quinn worked at WCAU-TV. He wrote to us:

November 22, 1963. I was a 20 year old junior member of the Channel 10 News staff: a copy boy and John Facenda's teleprompter typist. I was at home when JFK was assassinated, because I didn't have to be at work until mid-afternoon. A friend who also worked in the newsroom heard the bulletin on his car radio and drove to my house. We went into work immediately.

Listening to the car radio, we wondered if this was a communist act, would it mean war? This was in the depths of the Cold War. The atmosphere in the newsroom was grim, of course. But everyone was doing their job, contacting local political leaders and others to get reaction; man-on-the street interviews; phones ringing nearly non-stop; reporters and film crews going in and out.

I began helping the dayside copy boy to clear the AP and UPI teletype machines. One bulletin and urgent after another with the warning bells ringing almost constantly. There was one bulletin quoting two Roman Catholic priests leaving the hospital, saying the president was dead. I still have that wire copy.

Others arrived. Facenda. Herb Clarke. The WCAU Radio and TV operations were in the same room in those days. At some point, we heard Allan Jackson report on CBS Radio, the official announcement that President Kennedy was dead. A few moments later, we watched Walter Cronkite do the same on TV in that now famous broadcast when he nearly broke down on the air. We were stunned. A couple of staff members began crying quietly. We all continued to work, our training and sense of duty compelled us.

Then came the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald, film of him in the hallway at Dallas Police HQ surrounded by reporters and photographers. The CBS Network was going to give local stations air time briefly at 11pm. Someone suggested that our local newscast end with John reading "Oh Captain, My Captain," which I think was written by Walt Whitman. Someone remembered we had a lot of film of ships at the Philadelphia Navy Yard that could accompany that.

John insisted that it be taped because he was concerned he might become emotional on the air. He did it perfectly in one take. I left the newsroom for home about midnight. An exhausting and emotional day. The details of which are still vivid in my memory.

Steve Sacks, a member of our organization worked at WFIL-TV, now WPVI. He tells us what it was like at his station:

The day the earth stood still: November 22, 1963. Who can forget where they were at 1:30pm in the Delaware Valley? I was at 46th and Lancaster Avenue coming back from an enjoyable lunch with Ralph Goldstein on that bright sunny day. We were just pulling up to Triangle Broadcasting's Division Film office in my car listening to the radio, when we heard come over the air, "We interrupt this program to tell you that the President has been shot in Dallas, more details to follow."

We sat stunned in the car for several minutes listening to the details as they started to trickle in. Once inside our offices the only communication we had was a little AM clock radio to tell us what was happening and keep us posted on this very tragic day.

The mood at the station, like everywhere else, was very somber. It is important to note that Walter Annenburg, head of all Triangle Publications and Roger Clipp station manager of WFIL AM, FM, and TV were staunch Republicans, and so were most of the station's management, but they too as Americans felt they had taken a bullet to the head, and realized what a wound the American People had suffered and the pain, shock, and uncertainty it had created around the world.

WFIL-TV at the time canceled its regular program schedule and filled much of its programming with somber music, local political pundits, and very important information fed down to us by ABC News. With all this sadness in the community, WFIL kept broadcasting the news and dedicated its local resources to broadcasting as much information as it possibly could provide.

Member Ralph "Bud" Galow worked at WRCV Radio during this era. He recalls the events of those fateful days in November of 1963:

As a representative of WRCV Radio (now KYW Newsradio) at that time, I was enjoying a day off and working in my cellar on a project that at this time I don’t recall. I had my radio tuned to WRCV and was initially shocked when the Big Band music was interrupted with the special announcement that President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas Texas. I remember stopping work and going outside to look up and the sky and think, “What the hell is going on?”

The next few days were just a blur for everyone was on duty covering the News of The Day. We followed all the reports and had a former WRCV newsman on scene namely Tom Pettit. As we watched the news on TV we were a bit surprised to see Tom in the mix of reporters as the fight over the hand gun Jack Ruby was holding after he shot Oswald was turned and pointed at the belly of Tom Pettit. He later told the newsroom “That scared the Sh-t out of me." It was a very bad few days and something I don’t think any people who were in the broadcasting business will ever forget.

On the other end of our state, Broadcast Pioneers member Al Primo was working at Westinghouse station KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. Al tells us what it was like that day:

I was eating lunch at Stauffer’s Restaurant just across the street from the station in Gateway Center, the office complex built at the Point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the mighty Ohio. Salesman Bob Dickey came to our table breathlessly announcing the president had been shot. We dropped everything and rushed back to the station.

Bill Burns, Anchorman/News Director was already in the announce booth reading posts from Associated Press and United Press International, just outside the newsroom. He was on the air before CBS, our network, had only the bulletin slide up. When Walter Cronkite came on live, we went back to the newsroom.

I had the idea of bringing a live camera right into the newsroom which was on the second floor above the studio. The Chief Engineer absolutely refused, warning the camera and dolly were too large and expensive to get into the elevator. I went to the General Manager and begged that he move it into the newsroom. He granted permission and for one of the first times in TV history we were broadcasting “live” from a television newsroom.

I sat next to Bill Burns gathering information from the mayor, local officials, and clergy, handing my copy to Burns who was masterful in his delivery. We were all sad when we had to throw it to the network for full coverage. A few weeks later I received word that after 12 long years at the station, I was being promoted to News Director of KYW-TV (which was then in Cleveland).

A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!

Neil Harvey doing a TV commercial
WFIL-TV
circa 1950

Broadcast Pioneers member Neil Harvey was a staff announcer at WFIL-TV and WFIL Radio. Part of his job was doing whatever commercials that were assigned to him. One such spot was for Horlacher Beer, a local brewery based out of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Their first brewery was built there in 1845 when Frank Horlacher was 5 years old. At the age of 28, Frank and his family moved to Parryville, Pennsylvania and started a hotel. He operated a small soft drink bottling company out of the basement. A few years later, he purchased a small brewery which was renamed Horlacher. During prohibition, they bottled soft drinks but continued to make beer on the side. In 1935, the company went bankrupt and was sold to F.B. Franks Sr., a local cement manufacturer. The company lasted into the late seventies.

OUR HATS OFF TO YOU FOR GIVING:

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, 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 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 - 4 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
Member Marlin Taylor - 2 scholarships

Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for a contribution of $500 or more to our DAP, Digital Archival Project:

Member Art Moore - $500
Armitage Shanks (not their real name) - $500
Members Robin and Ira Adelman - $500
Member Bill Kelley - $750
Member Frankie Leonard (Vince's wife) - $500

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.

If someone underwrites a complete scholarship and we'll give them credit in the electronic newsletter until the scholarship is awarded. The gift of appreciated stock of $2,000 or more) will be thanked in our "Thank You" column for two years. If someone donates $1,000 or more and we'll list them in our "Thank You" column for a year. If someone gives a donation of $500 or more and we'll list them in our "Thank You" column for six months. They 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), the giver can get a charitable contribution tax deduction based on the current market value of your stock. At the same time, they avoid the capital gains tax that would arise if they simply sold the stock. So if someone would like to support our educational mission or our archival project and save money on taxes too, they could 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 someone is, they can donate directly to Broadcast Pioneers from their IRA Account. If they take a distribution and then donate to us, they would have to pay federal tax on the distribution. By donating directly to us, they pay no tax and we get the full amount. Remember, this donation must go directly to us in order for the giver to avoid paying income tax. This direct donation may also prevent the donor from going into a higher tax bracket. That's always good. The donor should always contact tax advisor about this and get complete details.

Thanks so much for everyone's support.Our address is Broadcast Pioneers, PO Box 2886, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, (856) 365-5600. Our e-mail is: pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com

A FINAL THOUGHT....

"A man who Joe Grady knew, the man's house was on fire and he called the fire department. The fire captain said, "How do we get there?" The man said, "don't you have those big red trucks anymore?"

Cozy Morley
1989 Persons of the Year Dinner
honoring Joe Grady and Ed Hurst
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

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!

© 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