Tuesday, August 11, 2009

My name is Tim Lones-I have had the Cleveland Classic Media Blog for about 2 and a half years now..What I want to do here is create a listing of NE Ohio Television Stations as a “TV Log”-A permanent listing of just information, Including, but not limited to: Original Airdate Current Network Digital TV Information Current location/address previous addresses Timeline-Including dates of Network changes, premiere/cancellation dates of Notable programs, some important personalities, etc.. I just want this to be a clearinghouse of information that again, will be permanent. 3 WKYC NBC DT 17 Address:1333 Lakeside Ave. Cleveland, OH 44114 (January 2001) Previous addresses: 815 Superior Ave. (1948-1960) 1403 East 6th Street (1960-2000) Website: http://www.wkyc.com/

Original airdate October 31, 1948 as WNBK-Channel 4-Owned by NBC Timeline: January 14, 1952 Today premieres-Therefore WNBK is the first station in Cleveland with an early sign-on..

April 25, 1954 WNBK moves to Channel 3

December 1955-Sale/swap with Westinghouse is finalized

February 13, 1956 Call letter changes from WNBK to KYW-TV

April 16, 1956 "Big" Wilson began a remarkable 5 year run at KYW-TV/Radio..Hosting KYW-AM's morning show, doing Weather and Hosting movies on TV-3, as well as hosting music shows on TV-3..

1957 Paul Sciria is hired as the first full-time news street reporter

September 2, 1957 Barnaby (Linn Sheldon) premieres with Popeye Cartoons, which would be shown on channel 3 well into the 1970's..

1959 The Title "Eyewitness News" is used for the first time for 5 minute newscasts by Pete French and Hugh Danaceau, among others

May 16, 1960 Funsville premieres-Hosted by Josie Carey..Produced by KDKA Pittsburgh, Ms. Carey was already famous for "Childrens Corner" at Public WQED-13 Pittsburgh and for giving Fred Rogers (Misterogers) his start..

May 1, 1961 "Eyewitness News" premieres as a half hour local news show, the first of its kind in the USA..With Bud Dancy, Dick Goddard and Jim Graner.

 December 11, 1961 "The Mike Douglas Show" Premieres

1962 "Woodrow" (Clay Conroy) premeres, first as a Sunday show, then daily at 9AM, replacing "Funsville"

1963 The famous "Group W" Logo debuts at KYW-TV:Mike Douglas enters syndication June 19, 1965 The Westinghouse/NBC swap of 9 years earlier had been declared "null and void" by the FCC-NBC returned to Cleveland with the call letters WKYC-TV

September 13, 1965-WKYC Became "Full Color"

September 27, 1965-A half hour news show "3 On The Town" debuts..first hosts were Bud Dancy, Jay Miltner and Linda Hunt. This show went through many changes, finally being canceled as "Our Man Mark" (Mark Russell) August 9, 1968.

February 28, 1966 Johnny Carson's "Tonight" premieres on WKYC after "Tonight" had been on WEWS-5 since 1958..

April 7,1969-Newsday 90 premieres..Virgil Dominic, Wally Kinnan and Jim Graner-First attempt at a 90 minute newscast (With Huntley Brinkley at 6:30)

1973-WKYC begins to brand itself "Action 3 News"

1981 "Today In Cleveland" begins-Del Donahoo and Tom Haley

1986 WKYC begins stereo broadcasts -Announcer Jay Miltner retires

1990 NBC sells majority ownership to Multimedia

1997 Today In Cleveland ends its run..
Tom Haley retires after 49 years at WNBK/KYW/WKYC

1999 Gannett, which had acquired Multimedia in 1995, buys NBC's remaining shares of WKYC-HD broadcasts begin.

2009 Analog Channel 3 leaves the air permanently-WKYC is now on Digital 17 with 2 channels, Regular WKYC and Weather on channel 3-2

5 WEWS ABC DT 15 Address:3001 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 (December 26,1956) Previous Location 1816 13th Street 1947-December 25, 1956 Website: http://www.newsnet5.com/index.html

Original Airdate:December 17, 1947 Owned by Scripps-Howard Broadcasting

1947-Part of all 4 networks at the beginning-Primarily CBS-First show was the Cleveland Press Christmas Party hosted by actor James Stewart

1948 "Giant Tiger Amateur Hour" Premieres-Known as the Gene Carroll Show..Lasted for over 30 years..after 1972 hosted by Jim Runyon and Don Webster
1948 Debut of The Paige Palmer Show, which would run in various time slots till 1973..
1948 Linn Sheldon hosted a weekly pantomime record show for Rogers Jewelers-Said to be the first sponsored show in Cleveland..Sheldon also did "Coming Attractions" as the last show of the night-A "visual TV Guide"

March 2, 1955 WEWS changes primary affiliation from CBS to ABC-Captain Penny (Ron Penfound) premieres his "Noon Show"

1956 Early Channel 5 personality Bob Dale, who hosted many shows on WEWS from 1948-56, including "Dinner Platter" and "10:30 Theater" moves to San Diego California, where he becomes an icon, spending over 40 years at KFMB and KNSD..

1956 Bill Randle hosts a live Sunday night music program at 10:30 for several months in 1956. Alan Douglas is co host and commercial spokesman

Christmas Season 1956 Mr. Jingeling makes his first appearance on Captain Penny...Halles' Christmas Elf was played first by Max Ellis (to 1964) Then Earl Keyes..Mr. Jingeling lasted into the 1980's making the rounds of Channels 5, 8, 3 and 43

1957 Romper Room, after a short time on WJW, begins a 14 year run on WEWS-TV..Barbara Plummer was the well loved teacher on Romper Room, which ran till January 1, 1972

1957 Captain Penny's Evening Show debuts..Later known as "Comedy Clubhouse". "Pooch Parade" and "Jungle Larry" are a large part of the show..lasting till 1971..

August 26, 1957-The One O Clock Club Debuts..For the most part hosted by Dorothy Fuldheim and Bill Gordon..The show lasted till 1964 as competition from Mike Douglas at Channel 3 was said to hurt them..

January 1958 Tom Field , after several years at WNBK/KYW, then a stint with WRCV Philadelphia, moves to Channel 5 as principal 11PM Newscaster..He would stay with TV 5 through the late 1960's..

September 1964 The Big 5 Show premieres, a live rock and roll music show. Hosted by fresh-faced Don Webster, brought in from Canada specifically to host the show..National syndication followed in 1966, with a name change to "Upbeat"..Upbeat lasted till 1971..Webster remained at TV 5 well into the 1990's hosting game shows, talk shows, weather..Even being WEWS General Manager for awhile..
September 22, 1965-The Quarterback Club, a Staple of Channel 5 programming during Browns season since the late 1950's, is first broadcast in Color..
December 25, 1967 John Hambrick debuts as News Anchor..The beginning of a long run of success in the 70's and early 80's with "Eyewitness News"
1968 Adoption of "Circle 5" Logo..similiar to the ABC Owned&Operated "Circle 7"
January 4, 1972 "The Morning Exchange" Debuts..Originally hosted by Alan Douglas and Don Webster..Then for many years by Fred Griffith and Joel Rose with at first Liz Richards and many other fine lady co hosts..This was said to be the model for "Good Morning America"..The Show lasted till 1999..

1975 Ted Henry and Dave Patterson shared anchor duties at Eyewitness News..Patterson left Cleveland after a stint at TV 3..Henry retired in 2009..

1980 A series of Comedy Specials from "Cleveland Comedy Company" are shown..Here is the opening slide to one of them..A remake of what looks to be a WEWS station ID from the 1950's..

2007 WEWS celebrates its 60th birthday..All under the ownership of Scripps-Howard..arguably the longest ownership of a tv station by a company not owned or operated by a network 2009 WEWS moves to Digital Channel 15.. 7 WTRF CBS DT 7 Address:96 16th Street Wheeling, West Virginia (1953)

Website: http://wtrf.com/

Original Airdate:October 24, 1953

Primary affiliation NBC secondary ABC Owner:Forward Group

1969 Became First in the area to have full color..Over the years newscasters included Jennings Martin and Mark Davis....This writer remembers "Santa Claus" each Christmas sponsored by Department/Appliance Store Boury Inc.

January 7, 1980 switched with WTOV-9 Steubenville and became a full CBS affiliate-Dropping ABC

Mid 1980's Owned by Adams Communications

1996 Owned by Benedek Broadcasting

2002 Sold to current owner West Virginia Media Holdings

August 1, 2008-Launched WTRF-DT3 as an ABC affiliate

February 17, 2009 Dropped analog for Digital 7..7-2 is Fox/My Net affiliate and 7-3 is ABC



8 WJW FOX DT 8 Address:5800 South Marginal Road Cleveland, Ohio 44103 (November 2, 1975) Previous Locations: Pleasant Valley Road, Parma, Ohio (1949-April 1956) (would like specific address if available..1630 Euclid Ave. Cleveland (April 1956-November 1, 1975)
Website: http://www.fox8.com/

Original Airdate:December 19, 1949 as WXEL-9. Owner:Empire Coil Co. DuMont Primary affiliate ABC secondary affiliate (also aired some CBS shows occasionally)

1951-Warren Guthrie hosted "The Sohio Reporter", a 10-minute national news wrapup Monday-Friday night at 11PM until 1963. For much of the time, WSPD-13 Toledo and WKBN-27 Youngstown simulcast Sohio Reporter

1952-Grant Wilson and Alan Freed hosted Afternoon Movies 1952-53 Soupy Hines arrives from Cincinnati to host an afternoon music/comedy show called Soupy's On..After winning a Plain Dealer local TV Award, WXEL cancels the show the next day..Soupy Heads to Detroit, where, as Soupy Sales, he becomes a comedy icon.. December 10, 1953 WXEL moves from Channel 9 to Channel 8 March 2, 1955 After a sale to Storer Broadcasting, WXEL changes affiliation from ABC to CBS..DuMont was pretty much out of business by this time.. April 16, 1956 Call letters change to WJW-TV, to match newly acquired WJW-AM 850 and FM 104.1 February 1957 Linn Sheldon hosted 5PM movies for a time, months before heading over to KYW-TV 3 and launching "Barnaby"

1958-Pete "Mad Daddy" Myers of WJW-AM hosted a late night horror film show on Channel 8 briefly

1959-A young WJW-AM Disc Jockey from Detroit, Casey Kasem, did some TV work on channel 8....Of course, Kasem would go on to be one of the top voiceover artists in the business, hosting American Top 40 from 1970-88 and originating the voice of "Shaggy" for Scooby-Doo. He also did some voiceover work for NBC-TV

October 1960 KYW Summer Intern Cameraman Charles Mitchell "Chuck" Schodowski, arrives at WJW-TV 8 as an engineer, beginning a 47 year career at the station..

April 1961 After WXEL-9 carries the Cleveland Indians games in the early 1950's, and a 1955-60 run by WEWS-5, WJW-TV carries the Cleveland Indians games through 1979..

July 17, 1961 "Ernie's Place" Movie show begins..Hosted by Ernie Anderson, booth announcer and commercial spokesman, over from KYW-3, with writer "director" Tom Conway..Everntually, Chuck Schodowski would be brought in to help direct..Conway, later known as Tim, would become famous on "Mc Hale's Navy" and "Carol Burnett"

January 5, 1962 "Ernie's Place" is canceled

1962-63 Logo for WJW-TV

October 1, 1962 "Dale Young Time" debuts..Weekdays 11AM-12 Noon.A talk-variety show on the order of Mike Douglas and One O Clock Club..Co hosts were Ernie Anderson and Later Jim Doney..Only lasted till April 1963..

December 22, 1962-Adventure Road premieres with Jim Doney..Longtime announcer/newsman at TV 8..The travelogue program, one of WJW's first color shows, lasted till 1975. After a brief stint at WSUM-AM 1000 Parma, Doney moved to Hawaii, where he worked at the CBS affiliate in Honolulu for many years.eventually retiring there..He also made acting appearamces on Hawaii 5-0..Health problems in recent years forced him to move to Atlanta,Georgia to be near his children.

January 18, 1963 "Ghoulardi" debuts..Ernie Anderson dons the fright wig and glasses for the first time hosting Friday Night Movies.. Beginning an over 3 year run as the most popular local show in Cleveland TV History 1963-64 The "Ghoulardi Craze" spawns 2 more shows-"Masterpiece Theater" Saturdays at 6PM and "Laurel, Ghoulardi and Hardy" weekdays at 4:30PM. By fall 1963 Laurel, Ghoulardi and Hardy would be replaced by "Leave it to Beaver" reruns

1964 Franz The Toymaker debuts at 9AM weekdays..Ray Stawiarski hosts a gentle half hour of crafts and cartoons till the early 1970's

March 1964 Becomes first Cleveland TV station to colorcast local programs

1965 Bob "Hoolihan The Weatherman" Wells arrives as weeknight weatherman

October 23, 1965 "The Ernie Anderson Special" airs on WJW-TV..guests include Tim Conway, Cleveland Brown Gary Collins, Nancy Ray and Chuck Schodowski. Portions of this special have been seen on Hoolihan and Big Chuck, etc.. Classic "Television ei8ht" logo..began being used in 1966..

1966 "Parma Place" a series of Skits on Ghoulardi, become a huge controversy..Parma Leaders put pressure on Channel 8 to stop the skits..Ernie Anderson leaves for Hollywood, where he becomes one of the highest paid, most famous voiceover artists of all time..

March 28, 1966...Dick Goddard arrives at Channel 8, after several months at KYW-3 Philadelphia..He becomes weeknight weatherman while Bob Wells is moved to the Noon Show..Goddard is still with Channel 8 after 43 years

Deember 23, 1966 "The Hoolihan and Big Chuck Show" debuts with Bob Wells and Chuck Schodowski as co-hosts..

1967 Joel Daly, half of the "City Camera News" anchor team with Doug Adair since 1964, moves to WLS-TV 7 in Chicago where he would stay over 30 years..Before WJW, Daly had been at WEWS-TV 5..

1976 WJW-AM 850 is sold to Lake Erie Radio, Inc. (Art Modell, etc.)

April 22, 1977 Call letters changed to WJKW-TV. As FCC rules stated at the time , two broadcast stations owned by different companies could not share the same call letters.

August 31, 1979 The last Hoolihan and Big Chuck show is aired. Bob Wells and wife Barb moved to Florida to begin a Christian TV Mininsty, while it was deemed a success in a short time, the program was cancelled..Bob has lived in retirement since, doing dinner theater and coming up to participate in Ghoulardifest..

September 7, 1979 The Big Chuck and Lil John show premieres.."Lil John" Rinaldi is a local Jeweler who had done skits on Hoolihan and Big Chuck since 1970..The show would continue for nearly 28 more years..

December 19, 1979 WJKW celebrates its 30th anniversary with an hour special hosted by Dick Goddard, with guest appearances by Warren Guthrie, Ernie Anderson, Joel Daly. Jim Doney among others..

1985 Storer TV stations, including WJKW, bought by Kohlberg/Kravis/Roberts

September 16, 1985 WJKW calls revert back to WJW after AM 850 is sold again, taking the call letters WRMR..

1987 WJW sold to Gilett Communications, then SCI Holdings

1993 Sold once again to New World Communications

May 24, 1994 WJW announces it will swap Network affiliation from CBS to FOX

September 1994 FOX affiliation takes effect.

1995-96 "ei8ht is news" period..The station revived its 1966-77 logo to advertise its newscasts..

1997 FOX buys WJW-TV

June 2007 Big Chuck and Lil John do their last broadcast

April 14, 2008 WJW sold by Fox to Local TV, LLC

June 12, 2009 WJW-TV moves to its final digital position of 8, after being on DT 31 for much of the digital transition.. 9 WTOV-TV NBC-DT 9 Address:9 Red Donley Plaza, Box 9999 Steubenville, Ohio 43952 Website: http://www.wtov9.com/station/index.html

Previous call letters: WSTV-TV 1953-78

Previous network affiliatons: CBS 1953-80 ABC 1953-2000 (Partial affiliation)

Original Airdate:December 24, 1953-Brothers Louis and Jack Berkman found WSTV-9..WXEL-9 in Cleveland moved to channel 8 two weeks earlier to clear WSTV to go on the air.. CBS had also applied for Channel 9 to use as a Pittsburgh-based Owned and Operated station, but was turned down by the FCC..WSTV was a primary CBS affiliate for over 25 years..Westinghouse eventually bought WDTV (KDKA)-2 in Pittsburgh from DuMont to serve as that city's CBS affiliate

1953-Marshall Fatkin, WSTV announcer and weatherman, begins his long tenure with the station..staying with WSTV till 1970..

1950's "Tell-All", WSTV's one hour daily news-interview program is seen till the 1970's at least..Stan Scott, Red Donley and Marshall Fatkin were primary anchors..Donley had the longest tenure at WSTV..from 1953-61 and 1970-88, with a break from 1961-70 at WIIC-11 Pittsburgh

1955-9 Teen Time began..was on the air till the late 1960's with Stan Scott and later George Wilson as host. Probably the most well-remembered program on WSTV.. WSTV Building in 1960 with the then WSTV-9 Logo-Courtesy wtov9.com

1977-Jamboree In The Hills begins..The 4-day country music festival is carried live every year by WTOV

1978-Call letters change to WTOV-Rust Craft (owner) merged with Ziff-Davis

January 7, 1980-affiliation change from CBS to NBC

1983-WTOV sold to Television Station Partners

1996-WTOV sold to Smith Broadcast Group

2000-Cox Enterprises acquires WTOV-secondary ABC affiliation dropped 2009-Digital Channel moved from 57 to 9 9-1 Regular WTOV 9-2 Retro TV As there are no logos or any other Test Patterns available at this time for WICA-TV, I borrowed this logo from 1984 of WICD-TV Champaign, Illinois.. (No relation to WICA) Courtesy dougquick.com. If something comes up for an actual WICA logo, etc..I will replace this.. 15 WICA-TV Ashtabula (Defunct)

Jefferson Road Ashtabula, Ohio

Sister Stations:WICA-AM 970, FM 97.1

Sign On Date 1:September 19, 1953 Sign-Off Date 1:June 21, 1956

Sign On Date 2:April 4, 1966 Sign-Off Date 2: December 26, 1967

Network Affiliation:NONE http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/05/ashtabulas-beacon-of-entertainment-part.html


http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/05/ashtabulas-beacon-of-entertainment-part_30.html

http//clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/05/ashtabulas-beacon-of-entertainment.html

Three Part Series on the History of WICA-TV from Cleveland Classic Media in June 2007, based on original Newspaper Articles by Carl Feather of the Ashtabula Star-Beacon, published in 1995.
TBN Crest Logo-WDLI has been a Trinity Broadcasting Network Owned and Operated station since April 1986..

WDLI-TV 17 (DT-49) Current Address:(2009) 1764 Wadsworth Road Akron, Ohio 44320

Website: http://www.tbn.org/

Previous Address:(1967-2009) 6600 Atlantic Boulevard NE Louisville, Ohio 44641

Original Airdate: January 3, 1967 (as WJAN-TV) Original Owner: Janson Industries, a Theater Equipment Manufacturer in Canton, Ohio

1967-Original airtime was 4:30-10PM Monday-Friday News was by WHBC radio newsman John Baker..All programming was in Black and White

1968-Some weekend programming is added..Sundays some religious programming is added, including Canton Baptist Temple, which would remain on TV 17 until 1986..WJAN at this time was on 8:25AM-1:30PM Sundays..Saturday programming might revolve around High School Sports

1970-Broadcast Day is expanded from 10:30AM-Midnight..Shows like Sherry Lee, Ben Werk, Milton the Milkman, The Cool Ghoul and others are somewhat popular..WJAN also carries the Jerry Lewis Telethon as the Akron-Canton affiliate..

1972-74..The broadcast day is shortened, first Not on the air till 2PM..Then 3:50PM as Janson finds it tough to keep going..Though they do add color..Off network series include The Virginian, Emergency! Dragnet, Lawrence Welk and The Bold Ones..

1974 The PTL Club begins buying airtime on TV 17..

1977 Janson sells out to PTL Ministries (Jim Bakker), which changes the station to all religious programming..Fundraising irregularities and the threat of a possible FCC probe force Bakker to sell the station to Lonnie Rex and the David Livingstone Missionary Foundation in 1982... Original WJAN-TV 17 Canton Logo

1983 David Livingstone Missionary Foundation assumes control of WJAN, changing the Call Letters to WDLI..Denny Hazen Begins "Plus or Minus 60" on WDLI-He had been a movie host, etc..on WJAN..

April 1986-WDLI is sold to TBN (Paul Crouch) Denny Hazen and wife Marge take "Plus or Minus 60" as a separate program, still airing on WIVM-52 to this day..

April 2009-Analog Channel 17 is taken off the air for digital 39-airing 5 subchannels: 17-1 TBN 17-2 Church Channel 17-3 JCTV 17-4 TBN Enlace (spanish) 17-5 Smile of a Child (Children's Programming Early 2011-WDLI moves to RF Channel 49 from 39
May 24, 2012-Original Broadcast tower of WJAN-TV off Route 62 East of Canton is dismantled..
Current CBS 19 Logo 19 WOIO CBS DT 10 Current Address:1717 E. 12th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 1994-Present Previous Address:Van Aken Blvd 1985-1994 Website:

http://www.woio.com/ Affiliation:CBS (1994-Present) FOX (1987-94)

1954:Cleveland Plain Dealer Applied to the FCC for the Channel 19 License as WHK-TV

1958:CP Sold to Metromedia, Inc. Never put on the air
WOIO Logo just after they joined FOX-screengrab
May 19, 1985:WOIO takes to the air as an Independent-Owned and operated by Hubert Payne..Former WKYC Sales Manager

Late 1985:Payne sells the station to Malrite Communications (who incidentally, owned WHK-AM at this time)

1986:Cavaliers flagship TV station (till 1994)

1987:Joins Newly formed FOX Network

1994 Joins CBS Network..Begins Local Marketing Agreement with WUAB-43

1994-Begin Local News with Julie Hanahan and Betty Haliburton updates during CBS Morning News

February 1995:"Cleveland Television News" begins with 6 and 11PM Newscasts:Denise Dufala, Emmett Miller, Gretchen Carlson and Jeff Phelps were among the early newscasters

1996:News title changed to "CBS 19 News" More newscasts added in the early morning

1999-Hometeam 19-Now the News Title.

2001:New Owner Raycom Media hires Bill Applegate as General Manager

2001:19 Action News Begins..Very controversial News presentation..

2005:WOIO carries Preseason Browns Games-Browns end association in 2006

June 12, 2009: WOIO begins Digital Broadcasting on Channel 10

2010:Tentative plans (pending FCC approval) to operate a Digital TV translator on Channel 24 in the Akron/Canton Region because of a weak DTV Channel 10 signal..