Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Channel 3's Westinghouse Years-Personalities

The KYW-3 years between 1956-65 represented some of the best years in Cleveland Television..When the talent came out and really established themselves as enduring broadcast personalities. Linn Sheldon..Had made a name for himself at TV 5 before this..His Character "Barnaby" was said to be among the most popular ever in Cleveland..From 1956-88 he WAS Barnaby on channel 3 and Later 43..Tom Haley..Had already been at WNBK since about the beginning and would be at channel 3 TV and radio an astonishing 49 years..till 1997 when he signed off "Today in Cleveland" with Del Donahoo. Sports Director Jim Graner from 1957-1974 when sadly he passed away from cancer. Clay Conroy (Woodrow The Woodsman) who started about 1961 as a sidekick to Barnaby, eventually landing his own show. He Did "Woodrow" for a few years in Detroit before landing back at WKYC in the early 70's. He revived the Character in an IGA-sponsored "Woodrow" revival from 1997-2000 at WJW-Fox 8..
Others include Dick Goddard..who was at channel 3 from 1961-65..He moved to Philadelphia with KYW but only stayed a few weeks..**He tells of trying to get hold of Wally Kinnan at first, as Kinnan didnt want to leave Philly..but they couldnt connect with each other. Goddard was homesick so he moved back to Cleveland at WJW-8 "Because they had the Browns"..and has been at Channel 8 ever since..Mike Douglas..who did the Mike Douglas Show from KYW in Cleveland at first before moving to Philly. It was the prototype for the modern "talk/entertainment" show..Douglas, until his death last year considered Cleveland "home"

KYW pioneered "Eyewitness News" which began in Spring 1959 with anchor Pete French..KYW used the name/format until June 1965..WEWS used "Eyewitness News" in the 70's and 80's..

KYW was very independent minded when it came to pre-empting NBC..For a time around 1959 or so Channel 5 ran Huntley-Brinkley..Channel 5 also took the Tonight Show from the late 1950's till sometime in 1965..(Note:while about all of channel 5's shows were black and white the tonight show was fed and shown in color..) 3 would have late night shows like Mike Wallace's PM East/PM West or Regis Philbin if they didnt have movies..

Below is The Thursday, Sept. 15, 1960 KYW-TV 3 schedule

6:25 Farm Fare
6:30 Summer Classroom
7AM Today-Garroway
9AM Funsville-Children
9:30 Life Of Riley
10AM Give N Take-Tom Haley/Quiz
10:25 Gal On The Go-Brown
10:30 Play Your Hunch-Merv Griffin (Live)
11AM Price Is Right-COLOR-Bill Cullen
11:30 Concentration-Hugh Downs
Noon Truth Or Consequences-Bob Barker
12:30 It Could Be You-COLOR-Bill Leyden
1PM Movie-Green Hell-1939-Big's Party Line Hosted by "Big" Wilson of KYW-1100
2:20 News-Pete French
2:30 Loretta Young
3PM Young Dr. Malone
3:30 From These Roots
4PM Thin Man
4:30 Barnaby, Popeye and Friends
5PM Movie-Dimples-1936 (Shirley Temple)
6:30 News-Bill Minshall
6:40 Weather-Big Wilson
6:45 Huntley-Brinkley
7PM Rescue 8
7:30 Laramie
8:30 (Four Star) Playhouse
9PM Thriller-DEBUT-Boris Karloff
10PM M-Squad
10:30 Ten-4-Broderick Crawford-(Highway Patrol Reruns?)
11PM News-Bill Minshall
11:10 Weather-Jim Gerard
11:15 Sports-Jim Graner
11:20 Movie-Mary Of Scotland-1936
1AM Movie- Before Dawn-1933

Listings from TV Guide Cleveland Edition..

**Dick Goddard Story from "Channel 3: 50 Golden Years." 50th anniversary program October 27, 1998

2 comments:

  1. I lived about 50 miles away from Philly in 1965 when Westinghouse and NBC swapped back, and remember seeing the KYW test pattern on channel 3 there(we lived there for about a year because my dad was transferred on his job). We moved back a few months later, but I enjoyed seeing Dick Goddard and Mike Douglas on there.

    Wally Kinnan was as popular in Philadelphia as Goddard was in Cleveland. I remember talking to Dick Goddard at a band show, and he told me neither wanted to move, but later they would become good friends and golfing buddies.

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  2. I was curious as to what the KYW test pattern looked like in the Cleveland years, I guess they had about 2 - 3 variants. All B&W, of course.

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