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.

February Afternoon Luncheon
The Bala Golf Club, Philadelphia
Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Meet and Greet at 12 Noon!
Lunch served at 12:30 pm!
Ratecard: $28 per person

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

Another Third Wednesday Luncheon!
Wednesday, February 20, 2019!

Good Food - Great Programs - Wonderful Times

35 Years of WXTU!

Hit After Hit, Smash After Smash, Blockbuster After Blockbuster... Here's another "monster" lunch where the "stars" don't wait to come out at night. They are there at lunchtime!

It's a Celebration of 35 Years of 92.5 XTU, Philadelphia's Country Station. It's gonna be a fun time, so plan to be there.

Meet and greet (networking & reception) starts at noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm. Our MC for the afternoon is Broadcast Pioneers board member Leigh Richards, who spent 25 years at WXTU. Don't miss a special performance by new country star, Reviver recording Artist, Tenille Arts. Our program will start promptly at 12:45 pm.

Our panel includes (in alphabetical order):

Mark Razz - WXTU Program Director/award-winning PM Drive Air Personality
Andie Summers - Award-winning, 20-year veteran of WXTU/Morning Show Host
Joe Bell - Beasley Broadcasting's Market Manager for Philadelphia area stations
Natalie Conner - 23 years as WXTU General Manager & VP & Market Manager
Joel Raab - President of Joel Raab Country Radio/Media & consultant for WXTU
Lora Lewis - Former WXTU Creative Services Dir., made everyone look great

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. Lunch includes a nice, fresh, green salad with dressing, a roll, a 3-course meal, dessert, iced tea and coffee.

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. Bring a friend (or three)! 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. $28 per person.

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.

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 appreciate it. It would help us with all the important work we are doing. Thanks!

WE WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE
IN THAT PLACE!

BE THERE!

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!

FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS:

This year, Broadcast Pioneers will again award twenty $1,000.00 scholarships to area college students. Deadline is six days away, Monday, February 11, 2019. They must currently be full-time students and in their sophomore or junior years. Complete details are available on our website at www.broadcastpioneers.com

At the end of March, Broadcast Pioneers will host our 18th Annual College Student Symposium and Pizza Lunch. This time, it's at WPVI. Last year, it was at WCAU-TV and the year before at KYW-TV. Seating is extremely limited and is available for area college students only.

If you know any college students who should know about either of these events, we would appreciate it if you would let them know.

DIGITAL ARCHIVAL PROJECT NEWS:

VIDEO:

Another Third Wednesday Luncheon!
Wednesday, January 16th, 2019!

Good Food - Great Programs - Wonderful Times

All Things Sports!
That Included the Eagles!

(Left to right) Joe Pellegrino, Jimmy Murray, Bill Vargus
Tom Lamaine and Bill Werndl (all are members of Broadcast Pioneers)
The Bala Golf Club
2200 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Photo by Broadcast Pioneers Board Member Michael Muderick

You Kicked off the New Year with our JANUARY SPORTS SPECTACULAR luncheon. The topic was ALL THINGS SPORTS including the Eagles! Our MC for the afternoon was Broadcast Pioneers member Joe Pellegrino, former sports anchor for WPVI and WCAU-TV!!

Our panel included (in alphabetical order):

Tom Lamaine, former sports and weather guy for KYW-TV, DJ at WIP Radio
Jim Murray, former GM of the Eagles; co-founder of the Ronald McDonald House
Bill Vargus, the former sports director for Fox 29, WTXF-TV, Channel 29
Bill Werndl, well-known sports network & area broadcaster and sports author

It 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. Lunch included a nice, fresh, green salad with dressing, a roll, a 3-course meal, dessert, iced tea and coffee.

COMPLETE VIDEO!

Watch the program!

(videos courtesy of Broadcast Pioneers VP Brad Seecof and Metramedia Broadcasting & Studios)

AUDIO:

Member Joan Stack was a well-known area interviewer. What's even more interesting is that she never worked for any of the so-called "big stations" in the Delaware Valley. She was always on WBUX (AM) in Doylestown. Her skill became so widely known that she produced a series of oral presentations for the Library of Congress.

During 1974 and 1975, she hosted a cooking show on WBUX and then it was turned into her highly popular daily talk program. Her talk show was successful because she was able to convince the people at the Mike Douglas TV Show to send her many of the stars who appeared on the television broadcast. She became famous herself for her bubbly style and informative plus entertaining guests.

Stack was the president and chairman of the local Planned Parenthood Organization. She also served as the president of the American Woman in Radio and Television and was the founding president of Art Matters.

Joan Stack passed away on July 31, 2011 in New Hope, Pennsylvania. In November of 2016, she was inducted posthumously into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. More than five dozen broadcasts are known to exist today and all reside in the Broadcast Pioneers audio section of our archives.

One of Joan's best interviews was done in January of 1978, 41 years ago. It was with a very beloved figure in Philadelphia broadcasting, member Vince Leonard who passed away last year. 1992 was the first year that Broadcast Pioneers inducted people into our Hall of Fame. Vince was in that class. This program was broadcast live from a local restaurant and is presented exactly as aired, complete with local commercials.

Listen in Real Audio!
Listen in Windows Media!

Today's News Becomes Tomorrow's History!
(This is what our Digital Archival Project, DAP, is all about!)

A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!

Ernie Kovacs (at the top)
"Pick Your Ideal" TV Series
returned to WPTZ, Channel 3, Philadelphia
in January of 1952 (after a short vacation)
(Photo originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Anthony DiFlorio)

IN TOUCH WITH OUR MEMBERS AND THE INDUSTRY:

Broadcast Pioneer Bob Charger has been an on-air personality in radio and TV for over 50 years. Bob worked for almost every station in the Delaware Valley, including Wibbage. He was a Boss Jock on WFIL, and up until recently was heard on Oldies 98, WOGL. He now hosts a TV show called "Charger & Co." on www.rvntv.tv. On February15, 2019, Mike Bove will be his guest on the show, talking about “The Tridels in the 60s.” It's a morning show, 9:30 to 10 am but you can watch it anytime after that as past episodes are available to view. Simply go to that website, and click on "Charger and Co." to watch.

97.5, The Fanatic’s Farzetta & Tra Morning Show gave you a special treat in mid-January. They were there for The Philly Pretzel Factory $10,000 Double Doink Challenge. Football fans were invited to stop to try to re-create Cody Parkey’s now famous “doink field” goal miss that helped the Birds advance in the playoffs. It was fun.

There was also fun at CBS 3, KYW-TV last month. Actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph was there for a “Watch Party” in support of her new CBS Show. She had a great time at KYW-Tv and the public was invited. They even had light refreshments and prizes for everyone.

Andy Kahn, a local performer, has appeared at some of our luncheons and at our banquet. He plays piano for Peggy King and the All Star Trio. Well, Andy has written a book. He tells us: "My first book was just released. It is now available on Amazon. I'm overwhelmingly thrilled that my 9-year project reached the Finish Line and is already in the hands of so many people. I sincerely hope that you'll enjoy reading it!" It's entitled, "The Hot Shot Heard Round the World."

Board Member Kal Rudman is having great success for his MC chores on WTEL Radio. It's a medical program on Saturday mornings at 10 am. Rumor has it that there may be a television version of the show in the near future. By the way, did you know that at one time, Rudman wanted to be a doctor?

Our CEO Gerry Wilkinson was at the Giant Supermarket with his wife, Michele at the end of January. One of their Assistant General Managers came up to Gerry and asked, "Don't you have something to do with broadcasting?" Turns out that he worked for KYW-TV, CBS 3 for 4 years about a decade ago in the news department. He got caught up in some cut backs at the station and ended up at Giant. The store, by the way, is in Havertown on Township Line.

Our Uncle Bill Wright, Sr., continues to make progress with his physical therapy at the Wayne Center, located at 30 West Avenue, Wayne, Pa., 19087. His spirits are good and he appreciates the visits from Family and Friends; along with the greeting cards expressing your thoughts and prayers. Bill Wright serves on our Board of Directors and was a former Person of the Year.

On Saturday, January 26th, our member Ira Adelman suffered a heart attack. He is recuperating in Abington Hospital, Lenfest Cardiac Unit: L525, 5th Floor, 1200 Old York Road, Abington, Pa., 19001. Phone Number: 215-481-2000. Ira's wife, Robin, is the daughter of the late Leon Love, a faithful Broadcast Pioneers member. Ira and Robin have two children, Marlene is a Freshman at Arcadia College and an Associate Member of Broadcast Pioneers. Belle is a student in Elementary School. The home address of the Adelman's is: 292 Forrest Avenue, Elkins Park, Pa., 19027. Cards are appreciated and may be sent to their home address.

Member Carol Chrzanowski, otherwise known to listeners as Philly Carol on her Cruisin' 92.1, WVLT radio show, had special guest Pat Delsi on her Country Corner Show last month. He joined her on 92.1 WVLT. Delsi shared his long Broadcast history and fun stories about people he has met over the years. Pat is our current President of Broadcast Pioneers.

Today's News Becomes Tomorrow's History!
(This is what our Digital Archival Project, DAP, is all about!)

A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!

EKKO Reception Stamp
for WIP Radio
late 1920s

For about a decade and a half, collecting radio reception stamps was very popular. Stations got a good report on how the station was being received and the sender got a reception stamp in return. EKKO was the main manufacturer of stamps with the P.M. Bryant Company being the runner-up. More than 700 stations across the country gave away the stamps. The one above was from WIP Radio when it was owned by the Gimbel Brothers Department Store.

(Left to right) Carol Channing and Frank Ford 
WPEN Radio 
circa 1969

Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Ford did a talk show on several different radio stations. In the sixties, he was on WPEN. In this picture, we see Frank chatting with Comedianne Carol Channing who was in town on a publicity tour and a visit to the Mike Douglas TV show, which was syndicated nationally on tape by Westinghouse and originated live on KYW-TV daily at 12:30 pm for 90 minutes. Later, the Douglas show went to tape for better content control. Channing passed away a couple weeks ago, just a half-month away from her 98th birthday. Frank passed away ten years ago at the age of 92.

Did you know...

When we looked at this photo recently, it reminded us what an interesting career Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Ford had. We thought you would be interested.

Born in 1917, Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Ford has had one of the longest runs of any of Philly’s air personalities.

While still a student at the University of Pennsylvania (the late Dr. Charles Lee, a member of the Broadcast Pioneers, was one of his professors) in 1937, Frank Ford started working for WHAT as an announcer.

WIP Radio needed some actors for a Mutual radio network originating live from their studios. The broadcast was done live at 7 pm. However, it was only 4 pm on the west coast, so Ford and his fellow actors had to hang around the studio and re-do the program (live) at 10 pm for the people out by the Pacific (it was 7 pm their time). They paid him $15 for his trouble plus a couple of PRT (Philadelphia Rapid Transit) tokens. PRT was a forerunner of today’s SEPTA. From that date forward, his voice was a mainstay in Delaware Valley broadcasting.

Lady Bird Johnson and Broadcast Pioneers member Frank Ford
at the White House, Washington DC
1964

Known to many as Eddie Felbin (Ford’s real name), he was married to Philadelphia’s District Attorney, Lynne Abraham. They met in 1956 when Lynne was 16 and Frank was 40. She was the babysitter for Frank’s daughter from a previous marriage and they were wed twenty years later. In Ford’s official Broadcast Pioneers bio at that time, he refers to his marriage as “a life sentence” from Lynne Abraham. He then added, “It’s not a bad way to serve time.”

Some years later, Abraham got a part-time job with the Valley Forge Music Fair owned by Ford and Broadcast Pioneers member (and former President of the Broadcast Pioneers) Shelley Gross. Abraham wanted to go to medical school (she stills buys and reads medical books), but Frank Ford talked her out of it. He said, “You got a big mouth. You talk well and you’re smart. You ought to be a lawyer.”

The Fair started in 1955 with an investment of $100,000 in a tent and later went on to a permanent structure. Their first presentation was “Guys and Dolls.” Ford characterized the music fair as “the paperback business” of Broadway shows. “If it wasn’t popular on Broadway, we didn’t run it,” said Ford. “They don’t make a paperback out of a book that didn’t sell,” he mentioned.

Ford, who has been referred to as “The Father of Talk Radio in Philadelphia,” said on Pioneers in Broadcasting, our exclusive webcast program, “The first summer, 13 and a half weeks, we made a profit of $52,000.” The next year, they opened another music fair in Long Island and later one in Cherry Hill, NJ, plus a couple more in Baltimore and the Washington, D.C. area. During the height of the business, they employed 2,000 actors and musicians including Philadelphia’s “Playhouse in the Park” which they ran for the City of Philadelphia. Ford and Gross also produced a couple Broadway Shows plus five national tours of musical presentations.

(Left to right) Frank Ford with Irving Berlin
circa 1958

Then Frank owned an automobile company, Auto Sport Importers, Inc. They made reproductions of the classic Jaguar of 1938, called the Squire SS100 (the name Squire came from a golf club Ford was a member of.) While his company made and sold several hundred vehicles, it really didn’t succeed as a commercial venture.

While running the fair, he was still working for that advertising agency, doing mornings on WPEN and then they asked him to temporarily take over the late night talk show vacated by someone who went to New York City. He did it for a while until a replacement was selected. However, shortly thereafter, Frank Ford was back on late night talk. On Pioneers in Broadcasting, he said, “I was the first one in the country to do two-way talk where the caller could be heard as well as the host.” He did it for six years until his schedule with the music fair would no longer allow it. A couple years later, he was back doing two-way talk on WCAU. From there, he moved to WFLN for a few years and then WWDB until his departure in 1983. Six years later, he would return to the station.

When founding Broadcast Pioneers member (our first Vice-President and second President) Ray Green sold WFLN (AM), Frank Ford purchased the AM station (price was just under a million bucks), renaming it “Talk 900” with new call letters WDVT (We’re Delaware Valley Talk). He owned the station from 1985 until 1988 and was on the air daily from 12:30 pm until 4:30. Remember, the station was a day-timer. That is, it only operated between sunrise and sundown so it wouldn't interfere with other broadcast outlets.

He was on WCAU and WPEN in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s with his famous liberal outlook. Ford went off the air in 2000 when FM talker WWDB switched to a music format. After that, Frank Ford ran an advertising agency (Reinhart Productions) out of his Society Hill house.

After Frank from the Philadelphia airwaves, wife said, “Boy, it was better when you were on radio. You could holler at things instead of hollering at me!"

In his spare time, Frank Ford followed in his wife’s footsteps by studying law (just for fun). He also said he did a lot of cooking. On Friday, November 19, 2004, Frank Ford was inducted into our "Hall of Fame."

Ever wonder how he chose the name Frank Ford? Well, he sold some radio time (11 am to 12 noon, six days a week) to Frankford Grocers Association in the spring of 1947, and they wanted a music (Broadway show music, light opera with a little jazz) show. Frank figured that he would host it and pick up the talent fee (as well as the commission). However, the advertiser knew him as Eddie Felbin, so he took an air name of Frank Ford from the grocery store’s name. In that way, if they didn’t like him, he would “fire” Frank Ford and hire someone else. They liked him and only then did he tell the company that it was him doing the show. The program lasted for ten years and the rest, as Frank says, is history.

This regular monthly column is written and researched by Gerry Wilkinson

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!

 

You Can Help Us!

When you log into Amazon via http://smile.amazon.com, all eligible purchases earn Broadcast Pioneers a donation of 0.5% from Amazon. However, you must log in to Amazon through http://smile.amazon.com. We have made it simple. You can also log into them using http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/amazon. It's easy to remember and takes you to the same place.

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices and the same service. The only difference is that they donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Broadcast Pioneers. IT DOESN'T COST YOU ANY MORE TO DO THIS! Same price to you and we get a donation to help us continue with all our great educational projects! IT'S WIN - WIN!

WE REMEMBER:

Larry Pollock, 87, passed away last month. Larry was the President and GM of WPVI from 1975 to 1986. Larry was the executive in charge when Action News became #1. Larry started his career with Capital Cities in 1963 at WTEN in Albany, NY. He moved on to WKBW in Buffalo in 1965 as GSM and then became their GM in 1969. The next move was on to WPVI. Larry’s success in Philadelphia propelled him to President of the ABC Owned TV Stations in 1986 and he held that position until he retired in 2000.

THIS AND THAT! Little Bits of Information....

 

(left to right)left iis WCAU Radio reporter Bob William
sitting is WCAU Radio reporter Tony Williams
(standing second from right) Bill Hart
unidentified man with beard
James Tate for Mayor Campaign headquarters
Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
1963

Broadcast Pioneers founding member Jack Steck who worked many years at WFIL (and before that at WPEN Radio) is known to us as a broadcaster. But to many, he was known as a singer. He sang on the brand new CBS Radio Network as part of a vocal group called, "The Fox Fur Trappers."

Speaking of CBS Radio, did you know that the network's founder Bill Paley was the brother-in-law of dentist Leon Levy? In 1926, Leon bought his brother's law partner out to become half-owner of WCAU Radio. The other half was owned by Ike, his brother. They pursued their occupations during the day and put the station on the air at 5 pm and "played radio" throughout the night. Not until the Paleys invested in WCAU was Leon able to quit his dental practice and run the station full-time (with a daytime schedule).

Katharine Clark, who was a reporter here on Philadelphia radio (again WCAU) was one of this town's first female news people. This was back in the 40s. But did you know her husband, Edgar was also a reporter? Before coming to Philadelphia, the Clarks were working on a story in Minnesota where they were based. Police were known to be underpaid and many were on the take to make ends meet. When a well-known criminal was killed there, Katharine covered the morgue where she saw that the crime boss had tens of thousands of dollars on him in the form of a money belt. It has been said that the money would have disappeared if she wasn't there. Shortly thereafter, her son's baby carriage was set on fire. The family was assigned FBI protection.

Back in the early fifties, there was a half-hour TV drama show with amateur detectives named, "Mr. and Mrs. North." It starred Richard Denning and Barbara Britton. The first season was on CBS-TV and the second on NBC-TV. Ernie Kovacs, when here in Philadelphia on WPTZ, did a spoof on the characters. Kovacs and Edie Adams portrayed "Mr. and Mrs. South." One interesting note that no one ever mentions is that Kovacs left Channel 3 BEFORE the Mr. and Mrs. North TV Show premiered. So how did Ernie know about Mr. & Mrs. North? Easy. There were books, followed by motion pictures and a long running radio series. Kovacs and Adams married two years after they left Philadelphia.

The next piece has nothing to do with Philadelphia. Board Member Leigh Richards urged our historian Gerry Wilkinson (also our CEO) to tell the story. Several years after Ozzie & Harriet went off TV, the couple decided to do another TV series, this one in 1973 and syndicated. It had the same identifiable laugh track as the earlier series. Ozzie and Harriet came up with the idea to rent out a room to nearby college students. So they did. One of the young ladies ran for class president. She was up against a young good looking, long haired student with blue eyes. That student was played by none other than Mark Harmon (Leroy Gibbs on NCIS). It was his first screen appearance. How did he get the gig? His sister, Kris, was married to Rick Nelson. Hey, we came up with a Philly connection. Gerry Wilkinson's cats are named Ozzie and Harriet. Gerry's son-in-law found them floating on a log in the Delaware River.

Joel Samuelsohn was named Vice-President and General Manager at WMMR during the fall of 1969. The post was newly created at the station. WMMR at that time was the sister station to WIP (610 on AM). At one time, WMMR was known as WIP-FM.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES:

Miss Claire and Romper Room!

Claire Coleman on "Romper Room"
WFIL Radio, 46th and Market Street, Philadelphia
1955

We heard from a visitor to our website, Bill Harmer. He lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he's a CPA. His mom is 90 years old and still lives here in Philadelphia, where he grew up. He told us last month:

"I had a few minutes and started looking at old pictures, coming across my class photo from Romper Room.  I remember the bus, the el ride with my mother, the catwalk across the studios, and embarrassing my father (he was a blue collar worker and went to the bar near his plant to tell the bartender to put the TV on Romper Room). At the beginning of the show, I stood up from my chair to ask Miss Claire what the toy was in front of me.  It was a clock with plastic numbers 1 through 12 that had to be put over the 5 through 60 numbers.  I even remember the clay I am playing with in the class picture. And the little red headed girl that was in the class."

Claire was "Miss Claire" on WFIL-TV's Romper Room on Channel 6 from 1954 to 1956. The program aired Monday through Friday from 10:30 to 11 am. She graduated from Temple University in 1953 and married Dick Schweiker in 1955. The couple had 5 children and 23 grandchildren.

Dick Schweiker later went on to be an United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He was selected as Ronald Reagan's running mate for VP in 1976. While that bid was unsuccessful, Reagan did get elected President four years later and Schweiker became Secretary of Health and Human Services (1981 to 1983).

Claire hailed from Glenside, Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia. She was valedictorian of her high school class and became the Temple University May Queen.

Claire was the Traffic Manager for the campus radio station, WRTI-FM. After her college graduation, Claire was hired by WFIL-TV (now WPVI) to be the new host of a local version of "Romper Room." She was just 22 years old. Before his "Bandstand" days, Claire shared an office with Dick Clark, who was a staff TV announcer and radio DJ at the time. Former President and former Chairman of the Board of this organization, Bill Webber (also a staff announcer at the station) told us one time that Claire had dated both Clark and Webber before meeting Richard Schweiker. Besides being "Miss Claire," she was also a Sunday School teacher.

(Left to right) 3 unidentified persons with John Roberts (on right in back)
& Claire Coleman (on right in front)
"WFIL Studio Schoolhouse's 10th Anniversary
WFIL Radio, 46th and Market Street, Philadelphia
Spring 1953

In a December 10, 1954 article appearing in the Temple University News talked about Claire. It said:

The job is exacting and she loves every minute of it. "This is what I have always dreamed of doing," Claire said. When it was suggested that greater things might be in store for her on TV, Claire commented that she is completely happy in teaching little children.

She mentioned an instance when one of the small boys on the program spontaneously helped a little girl with her chair during a broadcast, explaining to Miss Claire: "I am being friendly," a term which she has emphasized in encouraging helpful behavior.

"It makes me feel good to have this opportunity to teach children how to be nice to one another. My experience in teaching Sunday school has been helpful to me in handling my little charges," she said.

Claire spends a good bit of her time in the library finding material for her show and although she spends only a half-hour on the air daily there is considerable preparation necessary. She interviews her little guests and selects those to appear with her. She also personally answers the mail from her large audience, most of it from children who follow her show daily.

She has found the children most observant and considers their reactions when buying a new dress to be worn on the program. Since the children are often startlingly natural in their comments Claire has found she must be constantly alert.

Dr. Shock Movies for 1978/1979!

(Left to right) Dr. Shock & Member Rick Fox
WPHL-TV, Channel 17, Philadelphia
Saturday, November 26, 1977

Dr. Shock was a TV favorite for a decade here in Philadelphia. Broadcast Pioneers member Rick Fox recently donated some Dr. Shock material to our archival project. One was a sheet of paper telling us what movies would run on Dr. Shock's TV program. We thought you would enjoy a look.

9-2-78 - Monster on the Campus (only one movie)
9-9-78 - The Strange Case of Dr. Rx & Murders in the Rue Morgue
9-16-78 - The Black Cat & The Deadly Mantis
9-23-78 - Pre-empted
9-30-78 - Pre-empted
10-7-78 - Pre-empted
10-14-78 - The Wizard of Mars & The Return of the Fly
10-21-78 - Navy vs. the Night Monsters & The Werewolf of London
10-28-78 - Women of the Prehistoric Planet & Tarantula
11-4-78 - Dracula & Dracula's Daughter
11-11-78 - Frankenstein & The Bride of Frankenstein
11-18-78 - The Wolf Man & Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman
11-25-78 - Genesis II & The Pit and the Pendulum
12-2-78 - Back from the Dead & The Mummy's Hand
12-9-78 - The Frozen Ghost & The Monolith Monsters
12-16-78 - Pre-empted
12-23-78 - The Human Monster & The Mummy's Tomb
12-30-78 - The Thing That Couldn't Die & Missile Monsters
1-6-79 - pre-empted
1-13-79 - Pre-empted
1-20-79 - The Invisible Woman & The Spider Woman Strikes Back
1-27-79 - The Black Cat & The Mummy
2-3-79 - Jungle Captive & Creature from the Black Lagoon
2-10-79 - Jungle Woman & Trog
2-17-79 - Journey to the Center of Time & Revenge of the Creature
2-24-79 - Pre-empted
3-3-79 - The She Beast & Dead Man's Eyes
3-10-79 - House of Horror (only one movie)
3-17-79 - Mystery of the White Room & The Ghost of Frankenstein
3-24-79 - The Invisible Man Returns & Captive Wild Woman

A LITTLE BIT OF BROADCAST HISTORY!

Member Richard Maloney
during his days at
KYW Newsradio

OUR HATS OFF TO YOU FOR GIVING:

We would like to thank all those people who made an extra contribution when they attended our January luncheon. They included: Eric Address, Paul Big Bear, Mike Bove, Damon Castle, Pat Delsi, Mel Klawansky, Tom Lamaine, Dorie Lenz, Tara Levy, Mike Melnyk, T. Morgan, Mike Nozilo, Steve Tatz and Gerry Wilkinson.

We welcome these people as new members of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia: Joseph Asumendi, Banana Joe Montione, Joseph Chuk and Amy Feldman and thanks to new members Amy Feldman and Banana Joe Montione who included an extra gift with their membership application.

Special thanks to the Entercom Philadelphia radio cluster and WPVI, 6 abc for the use of their conference rooms for our scholarship committee meetings. Thanks.

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. Your gift to Broadcast Pioneers will help us and may lower your federal income tax. That's win-win, isn't it?

Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for the gift of Appreciated Stock: (a federal tax advantage for the giver)

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
The Sylvia Kauders Foundation - $10,000
A Member who wishes to remain anonymous - $1,000

Special Thanks (in alphabetical order) for April 2019 Scholarships:

Member Robin & Ira Adelman - 1 scholarship in memory of Robin's dad, member Leon Love
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 Elliot Abrams - $500
Members Robin and Ira Adelman - $500
Member Priscilla Fox - $500 plus another $500 for our scholarship fund
Member Bill Kelley - $750
Member Art Moore - $500
Armitage Shanks (not their real name) - $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....

“I have never gotten to the point during an audition where I said, 'OK, kid, that's enough.' I let them have their three minutes in the sun."

Al Alberts
1985

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!

© 2019, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
All Rights Reserved

Newsletter Editor is Gerry Wilkinson
Newsletter proofreader is Michele Wilkinson

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