Thanks
to the many who have sent additional names from the various networks...
Jeff
Good stuff, Jeff! Brings back lots of memories...especially Don Gardiner. I vividly remember the day Don Died. I received a call on a Sunday from Dick Dressel, Contemp net manager, to report in early the next day for Don's shift .... that he had passed away. One of the saddest moments I can recall. I was only there for ten years .... but during that time I worked with all the "greats" because they all were. Guys like Merrill "Red Mueller", Art Van Horn and too many more to name right now. I loaded the following on your site but maybe you will enjoy it here, as well. THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN ON ABC CONTEMPORARY NETWORK COPY PAPER. BY WHOM I DO NOT RECALL "In an abrupt policy move today, ABC News announced that it is dropping all news commentators, newscasters, writers and production people from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin ... especially Wisconsin. Elmer Lower, President of ABC News said: "I have learned there are more of these people on our staff than I realized and that they have infiltrated slowly over the years. Their poisonous thinking has polluted our news. All of their news programs are thus polluted and when the programs aren't polluted - they are. These bastard, "Lower exclaimed,his face swollen with rage, "have taken over the Eastern Establishment News Operation as it is known today. These Midwestern bigots are worse than communists. Oh, yes, they walk softly, lower their heads and say, modestly, 'Why, I'm from Chippewa Falls' and you're supposed to think this sonofabitch isn't trying to take over the country! Incidentally that sob from Chippewa Falls will be the first to go. Bill Larson is as phoney in Wisconsin and John Smith is in New York.", Lower concluded, his hands atremble and his face ashen." Best, Bill Larson (3/03/04) I just saw your site for the first time. It's nice to see someone remember all the hard work we do at ABC Radio. Daria Albinger ABC News (2/27/04) Hi Jeff. I just found your ABC Radio News site. Fantastic! I'm a long-time ABC "fan" -- I've worked at stations through the years that were affiliates and even met the gentleman (Ralph Beaudin) who came up with the 4-network idea. I won't bore you with lots of stories (unless you want me to). I do have the ABC 7-note net cue that was used prior to the four-network split. I noticed it is not on your site and it is an important part of ABC sounder history. (One of your posted letters even referred to it.) I got this copy off the net in 1984...not sure of the exact date. It was the date that ABC finally stopped their terrestrial landline system and was exclusively available on satellite. The 7-note sounder was the last thing they ran on the landline. I'd be more than happy to send it to you if you'd like. Anyway, keep up the good work. I maintain several web sites, so I know how much *work* it truly is. Gary Emenitove Omaha, Nebraska (1/07/02) Great site, great memories. I was ABC Radio's PR person from '78 through '85 and was honored to be a part of it. It was truly amazing to be in the same room with so really interesting people. My team worked for the brass at HQ and on special projects for the networks and stations. I wrote speeches for Hal Neal, Ben Hoberman, Ed McLaughlin, Rick Sklar and others. When I left the company for a new opportunity, no one wanted any of the historical stuff. So all of my writing traveled with me and now sits boxed up, waiting for the right time and place to be dusted off. Oh...just
a clarification on one of the anchor names listed...CHUCK SIVERTSEN is
the correct way he spells it. Now, a 20-year ABC hand, Chuck is an great
friend of mine from Ithaca College days.
Found out from the Ken R Pams jingle page that there is a CD with nothing but radio network news sounders on it. He says there is post-1968 ABC Radio items on it. I'm buying one 'cause these are wonderful memories. Too bad you can't hear radio like this anymore. Steve Zelenak (11/16/2001) Great site! I know that, for a very brief time, local ABC O&O TV anchor Fahey Flynn, a Chicago icon of long -standing, was used as a mid-afternoon anchor on the Entertainment Net. Best regards, and keep pursuing the question of the sounder that ABC Radio may have used prior to that which closed out ABC Radio News in 1967. They also utilized special sounders from the days when the net covered Notre Dame football. Also, ABC Radio used to, until very recently, provided live radio coverage of the Academy Awards, in real time, and I can recall listening to many professional prize fights on ABC Radio... Dr. John Quinn, Chicago (11/13/2001) I was so excited to find your web page about WLS Radio and the ABC Radio Networks. I was born and raised in Chicago, Ill. I now live in Western N.C. with my wife and daughter. I have been an avid listener with a lot of interest in ABC Radio all the way back from its inception of the four network service concept it started back in 1968. I would bug them to death over the years to send me updated materials such as program schedules, pgm. info., News Anchor bios, and other demographic material. John Belensky (11/03/2001) Memories of the Info Network ... they ran a longer newscast at 8am, 6pm and 10pm ET..we had to close it locally. ABC FM must have dropped the open before i ever heard it ... it was always just a cold open. ABC/I had a synthesizer version of its open for a short time before going to the "World News Tonight" sounder. Brad L. (9/07/2001) The last place I worked before going to ABC was a radio station in Charleston, West Virginia. I replaced a man named Tom Martin who had moved onto KQV. I agree with you about the ABC sound. I wrote and edited news casts for a few years, then produced them and then became one of four Executive Producers in the radio newsroom before heading off to television in 1980. A lot of the people from my time have died or moved on, but several are still working in the radio shop. For example, Dan Fisher died of a heart attack in 1983. He was in his mid-40s. Dan Streeter can be heard as the morning news voice on WJR Radio in Detroit. Bob Walker and John Grimes have retired. George Caldwell is anchoring the news in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His son works at the same station. Tom Schell is retired and living in Paso Robles, California. Chet Martin, somewhere in Colorado. The old network sounders were great. And to hear them in the originating studio, free of the limits of a 5K network line, were pretty amazing. I'm sorry I don't have any memorabilia, just memories. I left ABC and the news business a bit more than 10 years ago and got into PR. Better hours, more money, etc. But I'll never forget my time in the business. I've kept the friendships with many of the names you have on your site, and many more, like me, who worked behind the scenes and kept that wheel turning. All the best, David Cohen (8/15/2001) It was great to hear the old sounders again. I worked at an ABC-FM network station during my first job. It was really a walk down memory lane. Do you have the closing sounders by any chance? I think there were also some "promo" sounders the networks had for some of their stations to use. I'd love to hear those again. If not, thanks for the really cool site. Gil Peters (8/05/2001) Excerpt from newspaper ad on 6/15/45: Something NEW will happen in radio... Tonight radio history will be made... Today, we change our name from the Blue Network to one that we feel more truly expresses the reason for our existence. From this day forward, your radio will say - "This is the AMERICAN Broadcasting Company." WJZ, 770 on your dial Your American Broadcasting Company station. Terry Morgan (06/14/2001) I'd seen your KQV and WLS tribute pages about two years ago. I discovered your ABC Radio Network tribute site the other day, when I was doing a web-search on "Don McNeill's Breakfast Club". GREAT website! I'm 40 - was born in 1961, but I can remember growing up in the later 1960s and into the 1970's, hearing ABC/E via WSMB-1350 here in New Orleans because that was one of the stations my parents listened to in the kitchen or in the car. The other station they listened to regularly was WDSU-1280, the NBC Radio affiliate - and ***I REMEMBER MONITOR***, EVERY weekend, ALL weekend long from NBC! I'd always wondered *WHY* the ABC Newscasts carried by WSMB kept referring to "American Entertainment Radio Network" rather than ABC Radio... Even when I was ten y.o., I was a bit "puzzled" by this branding, since what ABC Radio was feeding was mostly news/info programs, and *NOT* any long form music programs, etc. (Breakfast Club was already gone by then). I knew that ABC stood for American Broadcasting Company, so the use of "American" in "American Entertainment" wasn't really puzzling, but the word "Entertainment" for news/info short form features "just didn't make sense" to me. Around 1973, the owner of WDSU Radio/TV was "retiring" from broadcasting and sold the station. WDSU-1280 (and sometimes simulcast by 93.3 on WDSU-FM) carried NBC Radio, and WDSU-6 was living color from NBC Television (and still is). Because of various FCC/Federal rules, radio was sold separately from television. TV was sold to Cosmos of North Carolina, and is still WDSU-6 still NBC Television Network. Radio was sold to Insilco of Oklahoma. The AM changed their calls to WGSO-1280, and the FM changed their calls to WQUE-93.3. About six months later, WGSO-1280 was making announcements on the air that they would soon be carrying ABC News / American Information Radio Network. At first, I thought that WSMB was going to be dropping ABC (Entertainment) and picking up NBC -- a "flip-flop" of NBC/ABC affiliation between WGSO and WSMB. Actually, prior to the sell-off of NBC-Blue to become ABC in the early 1940's, WDSU-1280 was the BLUE while WSMB was the RED! My dad told me about this history. Thus, during the rest of the '40s, WSMB was NBC while WDSU was ABC. That remained that way until around 1953, when WSMB and WDSU flip-flopped their affiliations - WDSU became NBC while WSMB became ABC. Two explanations for this... WDSU-TV-6 signed on in Dec.1948, mostly carrying NBC-TV, but since it was the only TV station until 1953, it carried CBS, ABC and DuMont as well. In 1953, WJMR-TV-61 signed on as the second TV station in New Orleans (UHF). Both stations had to "share" all FOUR networks, but WDSU-TV was carrying more NBC-TV than the other three TV networks, while WJMR was carrying a lot of CBS, ABC and DuMont with "some" NBC. BTW, WJMR Radio 990 was an "independent" until they later picked up Mutual after WNOE-1060 dropped Mutual to become an indep. ALSO, the 'S' in WSMB stood for "Saenger" -- the 'MB' stands for "Maison Blanche" a local old-time Department Store. WSMB's studios from 1925 sign-on until they were shortly after being sold in 1988 were in the Maison Blanche Building. The main dep.store had the 1st thru 5th floors, while the 6th thru 12th floors of the MB Building were an old-style office building (doctors, lawyers, etc. with suites). WSMB was the only occupant of the 13th Floor. The Saenger is an old-style theater in New Orleans, once a vaudeville theater and silent-picture theater (one of those BIG PALACE type theaters) and later became the Paramount Pictures owned theater in New Orleans. The Saenger owned 50% of WSMB. Maison Blanche Dept.Store owned the other 50% of WSMB. In the late 1940's, when the five big motion picture companies (MGM, Paramount Pictures, RKO Pictures, Warner, 20th Cy Fox) had to spin-off their ownership of theater chains, Paramount Pictures sold off their owned theaters into a new company called "United Paramount Theaters, Inc". So, WSMB 1350 was half owned by UPTheaters thru their half-ownership by the Saenger Theater. In 1952/53 or so, as you are probably aware, United Paramount Theaters (now separate from Paramount Pictures) and the American Broadcasting Company (now separate from RCA/NBC), MERGED... AB-PT, American Broadcasting - Paramount Theaters, Inc. SO, ABC indirectly owned 50% of WSMB, but WSMB was affiliated with the NBC Radio Network! Thus, the flip-flop, where WSMB picked up ABC, and WDSU picked up NBC. This matched up with the TV side of WDSU as well. In 1957, WWL Radio (CBS Radio) started the third TV station in New Orleans, WWL-TV-4, which of course, picked up CBS-TV. WJMR-TV (now on Ch.20 and later on Ch.13) kept ABC-TV exclusively. (DuMont had folded by then). And since WDSU-1280 was NBC Radio, it was thus that WDSU-TV-6 was NBC TV exclusively. WJMR-990 was probably the Mutual affiliate at the time -- since WSMB "kept" their ABC affiliation, WJMR probably kept Mutual for a while until they went independent again. SO... since I knew that there was a flip-flop in 1953 of ABC vs. NBC with WSMB and WDSU, I "thought" that it was flopping-back in 1973 with WSMB and WGSO (previously WDSU). But, I'd been hearing the branding "American Entertainment... service of ABC News" on WSMB, yet WGSO kept saying they would be dropping NBC and picking up "ABC News - American INFORMATION"... I found THAT to be "puzzling" at 12 y.o. On the first day (probably a Monday) of the ABC News affiliation on WGSO, I began to realize what it REALLY was -- what ABC Radio had really become (although I didn't know that it had been that way since 1968, at that time in 1973 at 12 y.o.) I began hearing a DIFFERENT news jingle, with a different set of anchors, and the "News of the hour, on the hour, from American Information Radio" on WGSO-1280, while on WSMB-1350 I was *STILL* hearing Paul Harvey, and on the bottom of the hour "Here's the latest Worldwide news from the American Entertainment Network" ... Also, it turns out that WNOE-1060 was the ABC/Contemp station here in New Orleans -- WNOE had become top-40. But they NEVER carried a single ABC newscast that I was ever aware of! All they did was tape and play the commercial spots for ABC/C, just to get some compensation. WGSO was able to pick up the weekday morning and afternoon "Howard Cosell, Speaking of Sports", which was branded as American CONTEMPORARY. Of course, I knew that Cosell did sports for the ABC Television Network. And, one time I was dialing across the FM dial (something we rarely did at home), and heard "That's the news, I'm [so-and-so] for the American FM Radio Network, a service of ABC News"... But I was disappointed that I was unable to find NBC Radio and MONITOR beginning in Summer 1973 when WGSO dropped NBC to pick up ABC/I. It does turn out that WNPS-1450 had been the ABC/I station prior to WGSO-1280 picking it up. WNPS picked up NBC at the time, and SOMETIMES my dad, or if visiting relatives on the weekend, my grandmother or my uncle would tune in WNPS to listen to NBC and Monitor.... I've never worked or been employed by any radio or TV station, but the broadcast industry, mostly nostalgically, is one of my INTENSE hobbies/ areas of research / obsessions! :-) Over the years, I've done a LOT of historical research on my own regarding radio/ TV history /nostalgia... I've cranked thru microfilms of old TV Guides, old newspapers for the TV/Radio pages, etc. And I've read a LOT of backissues of Broadcasting Magazine. And I have tapes (audio and VHS) of a lot of things off radio/TV, mostly old shows... I wanted to tell you about the "logos" you show on your page for ABC Radio... The lower-case 'a', with the lower case 'abc' inside... I don't think that ABC Radio ever used that logo. ABC-TV did use that logo from around 1956 or 1957 until around 1962/63. Then, ABC-TV started using the current "simple" circle with ultra-modern lower case 'abc' inside. But ABC Radio... the ads in Broadcasting Magazine for ABC Radio beginning around 1956 or 1957 had that "Star Trek" type 'A' logo! Take a look at the 25th Anniversary page for Don McNeill, and you'll see that logo. Also, around 1957 or 58, ABC Radio was temporarily called "ABN: American Broadcasting Network". That id didn't last long... it went back to ABC Radio. Sometime in the very early 1960's, that triple swirl in the circle (that you have on the 'Flair' pages) was adopted for ABC Radio. I don't think that the "ABC Radio Network" ever used the current logo during the 1960s timeframe. Of course, some photos of ABC newsmen holding a mike might have that logo, but that's because that newsman was also ABC-TV News... the audio would be used on ABC Radio... And then, 1968... the "four-way identity crisis"... Each of the four services had their own "color-coded" unique geometric pattern logos... It was sometime during the 1970's, that the current (post 1963) ABC-TV logo also began to be adopted by the "generic" ABC Radio Networks, although the unique geometric color-coded logos were still used. I know that ABC-Direction and ABC-Rock -- and the separate 24/7 satellite feed called ABC-TalkRadio -- all circa 1982/83 -- had THEIR own specific logos as well... (and then, some ten or fifteen years ago, ABC Radio bought out Satellite Music Networks / Satellite News Networks - of Dallas and Phoenix, and those are now absorbed into the Disney-CapCities-ABC-ESPN 'family'; just like NBCRadio, what-was-once-called Mutual, CBS, Viacom, Paramount Pictures (not Theaters), Westwood, Infinity, etc.etc. are all under THEIR same "corporate family umbrella" now). Well, I'll sign off for right now... I could go on and on about network TV/radio trivia and history/ nostalgia, but I'll share that later on. But I wanted to tell you about my interests in ABC Radio and your site! I hope some of the logo history is helpful! Mark J. Cuccia (05/18/2001) I always found it amusing that WCFL - owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor,a Mutual affiliate, AND WLS's top-40 competitor -- cleared Edward P. Morgan & the News (sponsored by the ILGWU), allowing WLS to get back into music 15 minutes earlier. I listened to Mr. Morgan's news & commentary on WABC, New York and enjoyed it. But the WLS jocks must have loved seeing WLS giving up a network show and having its rival pick it up!! P.S. I'm not related to E.P. Terry Morgan action central (05/18/2001) I know that of the New York-based anchors for ABC's Contemporary Network, John Meagher, Bob Hardt, John Causier, Bill Owen, Gil Gross, Les Griffith, Charles Woods and Fred Foy were among those who also did the "News Five Minutes Sooner" newscasts (at :55 and :25) for legendary Top 40 "Musicradio" station WABC-AM (as did one of the 'FM Network' anchors, Jim Branch). I was curious as to whether one of the other New York 'Contemporary' anchors, John Bohannon (later of WNBC/New York, NBC Radio and CBS Radio) ever did any WABC newscasts, and if so, during what dayparts? William Brown (05/14/2001) *** I don't believe John Bohannon anchored WABC local newscasts. action central*** - Terry Morgan Thanks for this great site, Jeff! It's great to see both pre and post 1968 ABC News & Networks together at one site. Terry from action central "This is the ABC Radio Network!" "A service of ABC News." Terry Morgan (05/12/2001) Great job in putting all those names together. I was honored to be the very first hire at ABC in late 1967 for the 4-net split. I did hourlies at the "old" ABC net till the split became official in '68, when I was assigned to the Information Net. Two years later I was reassigned to the Contemporary Net. It was such an honor to work with all those names you listed. We had some wonderful times, and I think we were the best news organization ever. What a talent pool. I might have some old airchecks, if you're interested. Again, congrats on a job well done. Brings back some memories. John Bohannon (05/30/2001) What a great idea to create such a web page. It brings back memories of terrific times. I note that the message just ahead of this one is from Jim Harriott. What a coincidence because Jim was already with ABC Radio when I joined the network in September, 1964. I remember a conversation with Jim about trivia and I told him that if you had any random group of 25 people the odds were overwhelming that two would celebrate their birthday on the same day. He told me I was full of it, so I suggested we start a list. When's your birthday, I asked. August 11th, he said. And I told him we didn't need the other 23 people. We were born within minutes of each other. There were others; Ted Koppel, Charles Osgood, Betty Adams, Bernard Eismann. Tom O'Brien was head of the radio news operation, Walter Porges was second in command. ABC Radio News was everywhere. I could go on forever. It was wonderful. Tom Schell (04/06/01) Hi! Just wondering if there's anybody out there who was part of -- or worked with -- the old "Flair Reports" group in the early 60's. I know Osgood is at CBS -- Ed Hanna's down in Florida -- Producer Frank Maguire is in California -- Ivan Ladizinsky -- and Ted Koppel...Whatever happened to him? <|:) Cheers! Jim Harriott Editor / Producer VOA TV / WORLDNET Washington, DC (04/05/2001) I was curious as to what became of the 4 ABC networks. I started listening to ABC Radio news on the Sacramento affiliate KFBK (news-talk radio) in 1986. The opener was and is still the same, drum roll, theme, "From...ABC News, I'm Joe Templeton (or Bob Walker or John Grimes as well as many others) Back then they were using the closer "For the ABC Information Network, I'm (name)." No stinger on the closer (when did they get rid of those?). About 2 years ago, they started using a simple close "Doug Limerick, ABC News". Made me wonder if Information had gone away. Back in 1986, the newscast at 7 am PT was called World News This Morning, although it was 5 minute newscast just like the others. They stopped using that name in 1988 or thereabouts. Did Information have a long-form newscast in the morning at one time? There are 2 other stations in Sacramento that carry ABC news on the hour. All 3 newscasts are different from each other. ABC News on the golden oldies station has no theme music. The ABC News on the talk station has theme music, but it's different from the Information theme. Neither of these two newscasts is identified as being from the Contemporary or Entertainment networks, just ABC News. I'm just curious as to where the networks have gone, and if not, why have they decided to put everything under the ABC News name. Joe Rouse (03/09/2001) Jeff, Often wonder what happened to all those airchecks of Flair, Breakfast Club and the old sounders. I still have some of this stuff on disc, including one very brassy dub of old pre 68 package. You have put this site together rather nicely. I especially liked hearing Jim Harriet's voice again- certainly one of the best broadcasters in the business in my opinion. And if he's reading this one, he can know that I finally have my own personal copy of Paul White's 'News On The Air'- the classic that Jim let me borrow in 1966. Bob Donnelly retired engineer ABC Radio NY 1966-2000 (01/03/2001) Loved the site! You are missing an entire generation of promo material, however, so I grabbed a few things off the shelf and scanned them for you.This is part of a promotional package for station that introduced"Flair" featuring such folk as Dick Van Dyke, Jonathan Winters and Jean Shepherd (who I believe are mssing on your Flair page. Again -- a great job -- i really enjoyed it! Cheers ... Jim Guthrie (12/30/2000) *** You'll find the new items Jim sent on the Flair Reports Page *** Very nice job on the website. I'll keep you in the loop on things that you might have an interest in... Regards, Chris Berry Vice President, Radio ABC News (12/26/2000) 
What an astonishingly-wonderful site, to include those great sounders, and names of the finest broadcasters of the era, who helped to inculcate many a young person into the love of news, and its majestic sound! "Thirteen and a half million Americans bring you 'Edward P. Morgan, News and Comment..."; "News, five minutes faster, from ABC Radio..."; "Gathered by network radio's largest news staff, this is "News Around the World. I'm Don Gardiner, ABC, New York, and in the Top of the News...". All great stuff! Thanks for bringing it back; I had thought that I was the only one nostalgic for such minutiae! How about Bill (William H.) Lawrence (political editor), Joseph C. Harsch doing commentary? Dr. John Quinn (12/17/2000) Jeff: Well done! An extremely nostalgic trip for those, like me, who started in radio in 1968 and have "met the net" for all of the ABC Radio nets at one time or another. Of course, the multitude of great ABC Radio News names identifying the tag lines you have posted come back to life as if yesterday. It would be great to hear a montage of those liners with the voices attached. What an honor to those who really were ... "A service of ABC News." Also, a short history of where the sounders came from, how they were created and who developed them would be interesting. I'd like to know more about them. These classic sounders all said "News" in a big way. What memories of great radio through the years. Again, very well done and a fitting tribute to ABC Radio News. Hopefully, we can work to expand on the theme for a long time to come. Good day! ... Joe Benson (08/07/2000) The answer about the 4 ABC Sounder comes from Jonathan Wolfert of Pams & Jam Creative Productions "There isn't much to tell. PAMS did the initial sounder packages for all 4 ABC networks Contemporary, Information, Entertainment, and FM). They debuted on 1/1/68. To make the Contemporary network sound cutting edge, it utilized the then-new Moog synthesizer along with real instruments. To make the FM network not sound out of place on mostly background FM stations of the day, it had a lighter, classical flavor to it. The other two networks used traditional instrumentation. ... Jonathan Wolfert (08/09/2000) The ABC Radio themes were created, I believe, by PAMS of Dallas in 1967 and tested and tweaked for several months before being accepted. Consultant Mike Joseph may have had a hand in their creation, particularily for ABC Contemporary. I'm sure the late Rick Sklar also had a hand in them, but I'm not certain. Joe Benson (08/10/2000) We know that this sounder was retired on 12/31/1967, but when was it first used? And the obvious follow-up is... was there a previous sounder and does it exist in an audio archive? John Adkins (08/06/2000) *** Tracy Carman from the Media Preservation Society sends this answer *** I would have to look at the reel to say when it was 'created'..... my best guess, off the top of my head, is 1958. I don't know what they used prior to that one ... Tracy Carman (08/10/2000) Hi. Bill Diehl alerted me to your site. It really brought back memories to see all the names. Did you know that, in addition to my main affiliation with Contemporary, I had worked originally on FM? And that I had fed all the networks with special reports? [I was also Theater Critic for WINS-AM (an affiliate) during that time.] Anyway, thanks again. Your labor of love is appreciated. Leida Snow (07/30/2000) Thanks for a great site. I listened to WABC from '67 to '70 or so when top 40 began to change. It's good to see names I remember, like John Hardt, and others who did "News five minutes sooner on WABC". I cut my teeth on a Gatesway (still my favorite board) in WNLC's production room. Later at my first "paying" job, I rode the board and babysat automation at W-104-FM, Great American Country in Waterbury CT. Sitting there Sat. nites before all night service, when the net went down around 1 AM Eastern, I threw the Gates Stereo Statesman into cue and listened for something - ANYTHING - to keep me company. Sometimes the Entertainment Net played segue way serenade; other times it was just tones. I have a tape of ABC's Kennedy documentary narr. by Fred Foy. Don Gardner breaks in the net to say JFK was reported to have been shot. This is a great nostalgia trip. BTW, one night (Monday morning) around 2 AM I heard WABC testing the transmitter. Someone played music then tones and then "From the echo chambers of the Blue Network .... ha-ha-ha-ha-ha" like the Shadow. Funny, I never heard anything like that again. Bob Paine (07/27/2000) Great site! You're crazy! But in a good way. Have the latest and newest logo on me. Later! ... Pete Cipriano Affiliate Services (05/11/2000) 
Thanks for your great site. I enjoyed listening to all of the four ABC networks when I lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the late 60s and early 70s, as I was getting into the radio biz. I would quickly change from the Contemporary newscast as it ended on KVIL in Dallas or KXOL in Fort Worth, to the Information newscast on KDSX in Sherman (it would still be a few years before ABC-I had a Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate which actually aired their newscasts). Then at :15 after I'd go to the FM network on WFAA-FM; the Entertainment network aired at half-past the hour on WFAA(AM). Someone mentioned the Contemporary news-in-brief. For many years it was fed at :50:30 past the hour: a minute of news, followed by up to 90 seconds of spots. The script for the close of the five-minute Contemporary newscast went like this: "That's the latest news! I'm Joe Doakes in New York for American Contemporary Radio (sounder) . . . a service of ABC news." In Dallas, KVIL had a thing about bailing out of the Contemporary newscast early: they aired the sounder, but faded it out before the news anchor tagged it with the ubiquitous, "A service of ABC News". Often the jock on the air would screw up and you'd hear some of the tag anyway; it sounded horrible. On the other hand, KVIL had a *cool* local intro to the Contemporary newscast. They'd run the contemp sounder, and the local open juxtaposed nicely with the network. It went like this -- (Sounder): "Downtown skyscraper set ablaze. This is news from KVIL radio, and I'm Bob Morrison in Dallas. (Net join with the identical sounder): "This is news from American Contemporary Radio, and I'm Bill Larson in New York." The aforementioned Bob Morrison, by the way, did a fair share of newscasts on the FM Network between stints at KVIL and elsewhere. He's now teaching college and is a part-time news anchor for KRLD in Dallas, if I understand correctly. Other names from the FM network: Bill Owen, who also read the live Pennzoil spots which aired on the Information Network during the 8:00 am Eastern time broadcast of "News Around The World"; Jeffrey Hendrix of WLS occasionally graced the FM network. I remember one Saturday morning hearing Hendrix lose track of time; he then realized he was running late, and delivered a blistering close to an otherwise relaxed newscast: "That'sthenewsI'mJeffreyHendrixontheAmericanFMRadioNetworkAServiceofABCNews!!!!" I heard that newscast one 1974 morning on KTBA in Broken Arrow/Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the jock, a man by the name of Don Cook, followed up Hendrix without missing a beat and said,: "Boy, he sure can talk fast." Then Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Somebody asked about the logos which opened and closed the newscasts. They were produced by PAMS in Dallas, the premier jingle company of the 50s and 60s. Probably you can get dubs from Ken R. or from JAM Creative Productions. I am still on the lookout for the Entertainment network's sports logos (both the opening and the closing themes); if anyone has a good clean copy, please write me: <stace@intersite.com>. Before the ABC networks went to 24-hour-service, the first newscast of the day (during the early 70s) was an anomaly: it was an Information Network newscast which aired on a sustaining basis (no commercials or PSA breaks at all) for *4* minutes. The opening script went something like this: "Good morning, it's six am Eastern time, three o'clock Pacific, on this Monday, January 10th, 1972. I'm John Grimes in New York, and here is the first edition of network news from American Information Radio." Then he would read three-and-a-half-minutes of news straight through, pause for a moment, and then at 3:40 past the hour, you'd hear the drum roll, the theme, and the closing voiceover, which was also slightly different from the usual run of things: "I'm John Grimes in New York, and that's the first edition of network news on this Monday, January 10th. For news of the hour, on the hour, throughout the day, *listen* to American Information Radio . . . (stinger) a service of ABC News". One more little bit of weirdness: for many years, at 8:00 am Pacific time, the Information Network fed a 14:30 version of News Around The World to West Coast stations, while utilizing its news content as part of a five minute newscast for the eastern part of the country. The eastern part of the country would get pre-recorded standard opens and closes, while the News Around The World script went live to the left coast. It was a challenge for the news anchor to stretch the normal hourly open-and-close scripts to 15 seconds each, which is what was required in order to cover the NATW open being sent live to the Pacific time zone. One more item to close this interminable message:: for many years, the cue for the second spot break in the Contemporary newscast, following the conclusion of the final news story, was this: "And that's the report from (location) that's making Contemporary news." Thanks again for your wonderful site. Stacy Richardson (04/21/2000) I found your site when I was searching for my old friends Chet Martin and George Engle from ABC News. I was very sad to see that George has passed on; he was one of the warmest, kindest men I've ever known. I notice Chet isn't listed, though I think he was on ABC's Direction Network. I couldn't find that page. I was on the FM Network from '85 - '89, and before that on Contemporary (I think! Maybe it was Direction <g>) and Rock. Do you have pages for them? Regards, LaVonne Ellis (3/23/2000) *** No pages for the Newer Nets. This started as an off shoot of the KQV and WLS sites and has since grown as a tribute to ABC's original 4 Demographic Networks. *** How about Betina Gregory and Tom Dunn? I believe they both anchored on the Contemporary network in the 1960s-1970s.. I think your site is GREAT! Alan Strum (03/12/2000) Hi! Just surfed over and found your ABC News site. It was great to reminisce and to hear the old logos, which I believe were done by PAMS. I worked at a few ABC affliates in my radio career: WROV/ Roanoke, VA (Contemp), WJJJ/ WVVV Christiansburg/ Blacksburg, VA (both Contemp), WCOG/ Greensboro, N.C. (Contemp), and WCHV/ Charlottesville, VA (Info, later a charter Direction station) Suffice it to say, the major accomplishment of my radio career is the ability to back- time music to 54-and-a-half minutes after the hour! (I saw a few stations that used a grease pencil on the glass clock face to mark little numbers, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 between the hash- marks for minutes and that helped.) As to the question of when ABC went 24-hours: I remember taping the Contemp news at 11:54:30 and News in Brief at 11:50:30 at WCOG so the overnight guy would have news to run. This was in 1976 and early 1977. They went 24-hours after I left WCOG for WCHV in late 1977. Anyway... submitted for your approval... a small but rather infamous chapter in the ABC story: When I was in college at Virginia Tech's WUVT and working part-time at WJJJ/WVVV, I saw a telephone-company wire at the J/V studio that was marked "WPUV". I found out that it was a tap of our ABC phone-line feed which led to Pulaski, VA and Information affiliate WPUV. One April Fool's night, our team of radio hackers at WUVT conspired to feed a bogus ABC-I newscast down that wire at midnight. The newscast features such "ABC veterans" as anchor "Al Label", reporter "Tedd Couple", and science editor "Jules Fernman". The "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrest of the Story" is at: http://www.tomtwine.com/wuvt/wpuv.htm Tom Twine Webmaster WTAJ-TV (02/06/2000) On your ABC Radio News Tribute site, you may wish to add Louis Rukeyser to the list of names for the Information Network. During my shift at WCOS-FM, during 1971, I remember running him. I believe he followed the noon news. Memory fails, but he may have done a sports report. I don't think the broadcast was financial in nature. ... Eddie Knox, Pasadena, Ca. (1/22/2000) I just came across the web page. What memories it brought back. Just to let you know I'm still alive. I recently revisited Berlin and retraced my footsteps of many years ago. You're right; radio news is not what it used to be. My last job was running NBC's Washington Radio News Bureau until I left the business entirely in 1982. Even then we were segregated from the main television bureau and located at the National Press Building downtown. My old experience in Germany prompted me to find a German client after I left NBC News in 1982 and went into the real estate business. Benjamin Lacy (1/21/2000) I am currently looking for the words to the song of the Breakfast Club show that Don McNeill hosted. My mom sang only a portion of those words to me growing up and I just loved it. She recently past away and just before she died I had her sing that song as I videotaped her. She told me to look for Don McNeill and the Breakfast club, which I have but have had no luck with finding the words to the "Good Morning" song.I know it went something like this: Good Morning, good morning...I like to see you smile Good Morning, good morning...you make my life worth while etc. I would love to know the rest of the words if anyone has them. Thank you. Janette Davis (1/3/2000) Well..now that I have found it..it looks pretty darned good. ... I joined ABC and the contemp network in '67. At that time, fellow ABC'ers in the LA bureau..(on air types) were Tom Schell, and Dick Wahl, partimers Bob Scott and for awhile Carl Messmer. (sp?) I was also doing a daily sports report for KGO in San Francisco. That arrangement lasted about a year. Then I was fulltime ABC Contemporary as an anchor and outside reporter for all four of the networks. covering such things as riots, earthquakes, politics etc. It was a grand time. Scott Shurian (12/01/1999) Former ABC Information Network Anchor John Deignan has died. John told me he was the nation's youngest news director of a major station when he worked in Cleveland. He later anchored at legendary all-news KYW Philadelphia. He was a staple at ABC in New York for many years. He also covered agriculture and general assignment news as a domestic correspondent for ABC. In 1992 John became the first morning drive anchor on Standard News Radio Network based in the Nation's Capitol. I was his newscast producer and news editor there. Friends say John died in Lewes, DE where he had made his home since leaving Washington in 1995. Randy Hennig (10/5/1999) Like probably most of the people who have found your site, I grew up in the "News Live at 55" era in Gadsden, Alabama. Our local affiliate, WGAD had a big ol' GATES DUALUX console, and I can still remember as "the kid" (15) getting to hit the network over a fading instrumental. The jock on duty was usually in the can, I got to help out by doing the mundane tasks like riding Lowell Thomas, University of Alabama football, etc. If memory serves it was the NET key just above the CHANNEL 9 fader! It's nice to hear that logo again. Boy - those were good times. Bob Mayben (8/20/1999) Jeff: I found your EXCELLENT tribute page to ABC news and eventually found your home page. VERY NICE! I will be back to look further. I am looking for more info on ALEX DREIER, formerly of NBC and ABC news. Hope he is still alive. Roy B. Quady (6/11/1999) Fabulous Site! Wasn't Mass Marketing fun? The montage of the ABC voices is spectacular. Ralf Seiffe At one time WNAE, WSRM and later, WTSO (7/29/99) While I had visited your site previously, I was tickled to see the "network" pages. Few folks realize that, while the ABC Radio Network was created by the government's breakup of NBC's Red & Blue Networks (only one network per company, please!), ABC was first on the block in the re-creation of the multi-service concept. One of our stations (WCEH-AM, Hawkinsville, Georgia) has been an ABC affiliate since 1959, choosing to go with the Contemporary Network in 1969. Even though they were a "full-service" station, programming blocks of country & MOR, they opted for the Contemporary Network. The station's then general manager told me (which explains why many stations did this) that they just stuck with the news that was scheduled at :55 (actually 54:30), since that fit into the existing format. After changing to all country in 1975, WCEH switched to the Information Network, which we stuck with until 1993, when we changed to a soft rock format, utilizing newscasts from the Direction Network in certain dayparts. Interestingly, WCEH was a "PSP", or Program Service Plan, station, which meant that we paid a monthly fee for our service, but were NOT required to clear any network commercials, AND we could clear programs from any of the four networks. When we made the switch to the Directions Network, we were informed that that were only three other "PSP" stations, and that, with our change, we would be required to clear network inventory AND pay a monthly service charge, until our measurable audience reached a certain level. Meanwhile... As I recall, the Information Network's opening & closing script said: (Sounder) "NEWS...of the hour, on the hour, from American Information Radio. I'm (newscaster's name) in (city), and at this hour...." (Sounder) "I'm (newscaster's name) in (city). Hear news of the hour, on the hour, throughout the day from American Information Radio." (Stinger) "A service of ABC News." If memory serves, the Contemporary Network's opening & closing script said: (Sounder) "This is news from American Contemporary Radio...I'm (newscaster's name) in (city)." (Teaser headline) "Details in sixty seconds." (net :60) (Sounder) "I'm (newscaster's name) in (city), and that's the latest news from the American Contemporary Radio Network." (Stinger) "A service of ABC News." I never worked at an Entertainment Network station, though I remember hearing the newscasts on several stations. The only station I heard FM Network newscasts on, was WMAZ-FM in Macon, Georgia. This was in late '72-early '73. By then, ABC had (apparently) stopped using a sounder on FM newscasts, as I remember them hitting it "cold", using a headline tease...surprisingly like many of today's netcasts. Well...I've rambled enough. Keep up the good work! Cordially, Jay Braswell (7/27/99) Let me just say that I enjoy this site of yours very much. I have some comments. Concerning the sounders--I wonder who ABC commissioned to compose the 4 network sounders. They were well done, and suited the networks perfectly. I recall actually hearing these on the air. Both the Information and Entertainment sounders were used at both the beginning and the end of the news broadcasts. Information also had a "stinger" ending played before the announcer said "A service of ABC News." As for the pre-1968 ABC Radio sounder--was it played at the beginning and end too? Another thing--what were network radio feed schedules like in the 1960s? Is it true they were used for only a few minutes an hour then, and the 4 ABC networks helped to put those expensive network lines in use? Finally, there is one thing I would like to see added to your site: namely a page dealing with ABC Radio's coverage of President Kennedy's asassination in 1963. If you don't already know, ABC was the first radio network to carry the initial bulletin on the shooting-at 1:36pm EST, read by the late Don Gardiner. Hopefully, you will obtain some airchecks of this coverage. Jeff, I hope you keep up the good work in keeping the spirit, as well as the memory, of network radio as we once knew it, alive. JCB (6/30/99) Hi...I just saw your ABC Web Pages and enjoyed them . I was a desk assistant in the ABC Radio Newroom at 39 West 66th Street from early '62 to '64 and a Sound Effects Artist on Flair Reports in '64 and '65. Good Luck with expanding a good idea...thanks ... Bob Ring (6/22/99) Hi, this is George Weber, I anchor the news on WABC radio, in the afternoon...and know many of the network folks..since I coordinate my newscasts every day with them... mainly to insure,. they don't steal my lead... selfish, I know... but hell, I only get two and a half minutes on the hour...:60 on the bottom. see ya... George (5/27/99) Thank you for including the pre-1968 ABC radio stinger on your web page. It brought back a lot of memories. Just seeing the names of some of the people I worked with in those days brought back a lot of visual images. If you ever have any questions about what went on at ABC in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in the fifties or early sixties, I will try to answer them. I am now happily retired in Orlando. Thank you again. Al Mann (5/2/99) I found an article in "Variety" on the switchover to the four demographic networks.. Hope you find it interesting. Kenneth Johannessen (3/17/99) (you'll find the article on the menu on the left... Jeff) In case you're interested (and maybe no one is), my long-awaited Web page on the DuMont Network is up and running. Well, okay, it wasn't long-awaited. But if you'd like to check it out, here's where: http://hometown.aol.com/cingram/television/dumont.htm Clarke Ingram (2/7/99) As a broadcaster and a HUGE fan of ABC Radio I love your site. Thanks for the memories! Brian J. Preston (1/22/99) My first job full-time was news/sports director/board operator at the former WFWA-FM Sullivan, Illinois, in May 1975. WFWA was an ABC Information Network affiliate, and back then ABC got the signal to the station via permanent land-line from the nearest network drop point which was Decatur, about 25 miles northwest of us. I fondly remember the many voices of the Information Network--Bob Walker, Bill Deal, John Baskem among others. I also remember that great news sounder that I begged ABC to send us on reel, so we could begin our local newscasts with it. It made me feel like I was working on the network myself. Now, 25 years in the business, and owner / operator of 6 stations in northern and central Illinois, my mind is reminded of the many hard working people that enabled our small station in Illinois to sound like a million bucks, every hour, when that drum roll and sounder meant American Information Network news was on the air. WFWA was one of the few small market radio stations in our part of Illinois, that was a member of any national radio network. Thanks for bringing back some great memories, and deserved recognition of some outstanding network radio newscasters. Sincerely, Randal J. Miller, President, Miller Media Group, Taylorville, Illinois (12/30/98) I know Mort Crim worked at WLS/Chicago during the early-to-mid '60s. Didn't he go from there to either the pre-'68 ABC Radio Network or the post-'68 Contemporary Radio Network? Warm regards, Walter Luffman (12/13/98) Thanks to Bob Gibson for the Flair Reports program. Anybody remember Flair with Dick Van Dyke as the host. I was in high school and worked at KBAR in Burley, Idaho. We were and ABC affiliate. As I recall it started around '61 or so. It was fed to us from 1 to 1:55pm. As I recall you could carry it whole or use it in 5 minute segments. We also carried a 5 minute show of Dennis Day songs sponsored by Archway Cookies. In fact we took just about everything the network sent including "Matinee" and Vincent Lopez from 1 til 3 Saturday afternoons. I'm also looking for any information on ABC in the mid 50's when they had some show called "Newsounds". I'm told it was supposed to compete with NBC's "Monitor". Also any information on ABC's brief fling at revamping their network in 1957 or so and calling it the American Broadcasting Network. Thanks. Phil Gray (11/29/98) True. It happened live on the ABC television network during coverage of the Ronald Reagan / James Brady shooting in Washington. ... Dave Alpert (12/7/98) Does anyone know if it was Frank Reynolds who was responsible for admonishing his fellow reporters to "Get it right" ? I kind of remember this being attributed to him when he passed on some years ago. It kind of says it all if true. Thanks .... Ted Stanley (10/31/98) How I found this page, who knows ? But just a comment. The ABC news sounds from all the networks were just great ! Was born in 1963 and I can remember them well, especially the Contemporary and the Entertainment one vividly. I heard the Contemporary one on (what else but? ) WLS 89. The Entertainment one was used by one of our local stations. Really takes you back !! Thanks for the memories, Dave Harsha (10/24/98) I first started in radio at KBAR in Burley, Idaho at 14. We were an ABC station. That was in 1959. We ran "Breakfast Club", "My True Story" and of course all the news programs.We even ran "Matinee" on Saturday afternoon. Ahh, I still have fond memories of the 2.5khz phone lines we had. The music REALLY sounded bad! I'm looking for the news sounders of the old "live at 55" newscasts, the one you have on your website. Also the old seven note ABC System Cue that was used back then. Phil Gray (10/23/98) I just found you! This is just great. A wonderful place to go. I see that Diane Linkletter is listed as abc talent. I'm assuming that this is Art's late daughter, who fell out of a window in 1969. Does anyone know what sort of programming she was involved in, and was she any good. Also, anyone here know her? What was she like? I hope to visit quite often. ... Joe Postove (10/16/98) What a great web page!!! You do bring back more wonderful memories of network radio at its best. Thanks ... David Winner (10/16/98) I am impressed with the work on this site! Hey, the network news to me was a part of a station's sound! If any of the great newscasters are reading this, post! Some of us listeners (and later announcers who worked at ABC radio affiliates and were part of our jobs *smile*) would love to hear from you and swap stories :) I look forward to visiting here many more times :) ... Scott Levison (10/17/98) It seems every station I've worked for in my 33 year career has been an ABC affiliate and the one before last, KSCS-FM, Dallas Ft. Worth where I did morning news for nine years was an O and O. Boy....isn't it amazing how just reading a bunch of names can bring back so many great memories. About Don Gardiner, I remember he made a lot of mistakes but I loved his delivery. I have a tape somewhere of news screwups.... a lot of them on ABC. Seeing these names makes me want to dig it out and relive some precious memories. Good job, . . . Paul Bottoms (10/8/98) I 'm delighted that you added Charlie Osgood who I've known for about 35 years. I'm assuming you got his name from Ludlum and that's fine. But I just wanted to point out that Osgood whose main involvement at ABC Radio was the Flair Reports feature also told me last year, that toward the end of his ABC tenure he also did some hourlies which at that network were of course 5 minutes before the hour. It's interesting to note, if you care, that Osgood and Koppel were in fact hired for Flair Reports as was Jim Harriott whom you may add to your pre -1968 news roster. Harriott did the net news at :55 for a few years. As memory serves me, when Flair Reports went on the air in the summer of 1963 the anchors were Osgood, Koppel, Harriott, Stewart Klein, Howard Hodgkins and Betty Adams. Edward Hanna, whom I believe was an editor, also did air work for the feature series after it was on the air a while. . . . To the best of my recollection Charles, Ted and Jim were the only ones from that group to anchor network newscasts during their tenure. I'm sorry to have to tell you that 2 fine former staff announcers who did an excellent job delivering the news, Les Griffith and Charles Woods, passed away within the last four years. I'm delighted that the response has been as STRONG as you've indicated to your website but I must say I'm not surprised. That news operation, although we sometimes disagreed with management decisions (what else is new?), had a lot of very talented people going back many, many years. Your work will be appreciated and I guess you're just discovering that, which is a pleasant and deserving development for you. Bob Gibson (10/7/98) Bob has been a consistent contributer to this site and has provided a tremendous insight to this work... Jeff Hi--- I just checked out your ABC webpage and enjoyed it. I worked for ABC News, radio in 1964... under Tom O"Brien. After a few months I joined CBS where I worked for much of my career ---several years of it as News Director of WCBS Newsradio88. Also worked for the CBS net. Anyway, you asked about any other news anchors. George Hays was a longtime ABC staff announcer--- ala Bill Owen and Les Griffith. Like them,, Hays did newscasts. I wrote some of them for him. Also wrote for John Cameron Swazey who did two pm drive casts on the ABC net in the 60s. Also Art Van Horn. Ted Koppel was also doing radio news at ABC then. So was Richard Bate. And George Ansbro. Charles Osgood was working in that shop then...for Flair Reports. At ABC Radio, I wrote. At CBS, over the years, I did many things including writing, producing, some on-air and news director. Also did tv at WCBS and was Head Writer at Good Morning America. I learned about your site from Bob Gibson, a friend who has many years on the air at lots of places including ABC and CBS...and the old WNEW. Nowadays I teach broadcast journalism at NYU..... Mike Ludlum (10/7/98) Enjoy scanning the names in your ABC lists... Recently I found some net stuff in my attic from my first five years at ABC Radio. When I get a few spare moments I'll paw through it again and see what I have, compare information on your site and drop you another email. ... Gary Nunn (10/7/98) I just looked at and listened to your page. It is great. I particularly enjoyed the note from John (Jack) Meagher. The logos and sounders for each network are neat. I well remember listening to them. Thanks for taking the time to preserve and make available to the rest of us a bit of radio history. Stan Kelton (10/6/98) Fantastic addition to your website. Thank you for your effort in order to share with others. I'll be sure to add a link from my webpage. It's great to hear these classic sounders, especially Information and Entertainment. I used to listen to Contemporary at 54:30 and soon as it was over, flip he dial quickly to hear Information at the top of the hour. I'll dig thru my tapes to find more name for Contemporary, but I do have a couple adds now. Roger Grimsby was definitely on Entertainment, I think either 3:30 or 4:30pm eastern. I also remember Jack Reeves with sports on Information that ran :06. I'll look for more. ... Greg Pattenaude (10/5/98) Great idea! You've done quite a good job rounding up the many names of correspondents on the various ABC Radio Networks. I came to ABC in '71 on the Entertainment Network. I'm still at ABC although for the past ten years I've been covering Entertainment News for all of the ABC radio Networks. I do a daily Entertainment show called Bill Diehl's Spotlight that includes celebrity interviews and movie reviews and I cover major events like the Oscars, Grammy's, Emmy's etc. Happy to leave the daily news grind which I did for so many years. Guy named Chet Douglas replaced me on the Entertainment Network when I shifted to more Entertainment News.... still did some casts on the network but gradually the Entertainment beat became permanent. While your list is pretty comprehensive I can add a few names and correct some listings. (all have been added since ... Jeff) George Engel died two years ago. Both Bill Beutel and Roger Grimbsy did casts on the Entertainment Network when I first arrived.... Grimbsy did the 3:30 Entertainment show... Beutel, the 4:30... then they'd head up the street two blocks to co-anchor the 6 PM Channel 7 Eyewitness News.Beutel as you probably know still anchors... and Grimbsy died several years ago. There are so many names and so many memories..... Dave Alpert just passed on your note to me, via e-mail, and it's late on a Sunday night but when I get more time, I'll try to provide some more names for you. Just remembered Chet Martin... who was with me on the Entertainment Network. (Chet for a time worked on the ABC Radio Network when we were doing anchored casts out of our L.A. Bureau) John Cameron of course was John Cameron Swayze's son... and both worked on the ABC radio network although not at the same time. The son didn't want to be so closely identified with his father so he went by the name John Cameron although later when he left ABC and went to WCBS in New York, he became Cameron Swayze. On the Contemporary Network (at least when I first arrived) I don't recall a network cast at the 25 mark.... just '55. They did do a news brief....a one minute quickie that if memory serves was fed at 7:52 or three, I'll have to check on that... Bob Hardt I'm sure can fill you in on some of that although Bob was at WABC Radio before finally coming over to the network full time. Bettina Gregory was on the American FM Network in earlier days (she did ABC TV for a number of years later, then returned to the radio network a few years ago where she still works out of the Washington bureau) Ann Compton (she's been an ABC-TV correspondent for many years, covering mostly the White House, her current beat) was a correspondent on the American "FM Radio Network. Guy named John Lloyd worked the FM network too.... don't know where he went. And David Leslie was on the Contemporary Network for many years.... he's now at the Metro News operation (they have a traffic division too) headquartered in New York. Some other names Mary Margaret Myers (left ABC Radio several years ago) and Leida Snow (yep, her real name) who I believe was assigned mainly to the contemporary network. Jeri Hamilton was on the Entertainment Network for a number of years..... so was another anchor, John Deignan Bob Gibson, served on the Information Network for many years.... of late he's been free-lancing for WCBS News Radio. A lot of names .... I'll try to scour my files and see what else I can come up with. In the meantime.... good luck with the website and I'll pass the word on to others still at ABC. Bill Diehl (10/4/98) I have a Bill Tuohy newscast on tape. Why, you may ask? Well, in 1983-84, my college radio station (WBIM Bridgewater State College) became a ABC FM affiliate. Actually, we had a phone line from WBET in Brockton (they used the Information service) and we tapped in for the FM at :38 (no more :15 at that time). Another local college used a line to pick up the Dicovery net...anyway, I would tape ABC FM news to run during halftime of basketball games (I was remote producer) and one time I got Bill Tuohy's newscast. I dubbed it on cassette, edited out the net spot (we ran a PSA instead) and played it at the half. During the game, a friend of mine brought over this rare 45 I'd been looking for and since she didn't want to give it to me, she and I went into the production room and dubbed it on the only casette I had handy....right after Tuohy's 'cast. The cast is generic-sounding with just a plain "I'm Bill Tuohy, ABC News," but I do have it if you want a copy. It's good quality considering it's over 14 years old and came thru a modified phone line. Sad to hear Don Gardiner died. Another network voice from my past.... Scott Levison (10/4/98) GREAT site! Unfortunately, my system is not fully sound-capapble yet, so I can't enjoy anything... not that i don't plan to :) Noticed some names are missing, thought I'd add a few: (all have been added since ... Jeff) I noticed you had Ed Kane... if I remember correctly, Kane was on the Contemporary Net. Also, I first heard FM in '73 when WVBF in Boston picked it up.. on 5 minute delay. They had no sounder by then... the format was a cold start into top story, then a 1 second pause "I'm <announcer> American FM Radio (later ABC FM radio), then a spot then news, then a brief "This is American FM Radio (later ABC FM radio)," then either a filler or another spot. Then we'd have a "I'm <announcer> in <city> on the American FM radio Network...a service of ABC News." I also remember the old Contemporary news break cue "...and those are some of the stories crossing the Contemporary news desk..." ... Thanks..keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Scott Levison (10/4/98) Thanks for putting those sounders on your web site. .... Jim Stewart DFW (10/4/98) ABC Information News.... I remember John Grimes every afternoon, George Ingle(?), Dan Streeter, and also Don Fisher. Remember how the newscaster use to identify where he was at? "I'm John Grimes from NY and that's the news. Here news of the hour on the hour throughout the day (later revised to AROUND THE CLOCK when they went to a 24 hour schedule.) from American Information Radio.... A Service of ABC News." Can you remember when ABC News went 24 hours? I also remember the Information network had longer newscasts at certain times.... News Around The World at 7AM CT was 14:30 minutes long and 9:30 minutes long at 5PM. World Wrap-up at 9PM was 14:30. As I recall, there was an optional cutaway at :05. Don't really remember when they stopped doing that. ... Tim Brown (10/3/98) I find this discussion quite interesting. I remember a Bob Willson on ABC Entertainment who did work at NBC-RADIO earlier. I seem to remember that Entertainment did not have much hard news for several months. It struck me as interesting that on Memorial Day 1968, ABC-RADIO did not carry LBJ'S News Conference. On Election Night 1968, WSTC in Stanford, CT ran all the updates from all 4 nets, until around midnight, when ABC went network wide til around 630AM. You don't know how much I wish HHH had won! I also heard part of that I think 1055PM last newscast. The new newscasts began next morning, however, I think it took WABC-FM til evening of January 2 to start running them. WSTC ran both Information and Entertainment. If you wanted dramatic casts, check out Mutual---and later Mutual Black Network. Take care... Larry Hart (10/3/98) I really enjoyed your abc news page. Its cool. Don't forget that Peter Jennings used to anchor ABC News Radio beginning in 1965 until the early 70's. He was the youngest anchor they ever had. Peter Jennings started at ABC News Radio and Television sometime in 1965 ,he came to them from the CBC. Somewhere there is an aircheck floating around and its documented in a book on the history of ABC called Beyond Control. He did some stuff for the early information network but I am not sure when he stopped anchoring radio news. But he has had a commentary piece "Peter Jennings Journal" on the "I" net for quite a few years now. BTW, did you know Peter didn't even finish High School ! He started his career at the age of 16.. ... Henry Cotterill (10/2/98) I just checked out the ABC News page. Good job, as usual. I've been to your KQV and WLS site and I've enjoyed both. Glad to be of assistance. Thanks for the mention. If ever I could be of any more help, please don't hesitate to ask.... Vince Santarelli (10/2/98) Jeff: Allan Sniffen mentioned that you were looking up old network anchors and directed me to the WABC letters page. I have avoided that area because of the sheer bulk of the messages, if you know what I mean. Any, in case anyone cares, I am alive and well in Southern Shores NC...on the Outer Banks. My wife, Sally and I permanently relocated from New Jersey in late July after 30 years in the New York market. For what it's worth, I worked as a freelancer at the Contemporary Network for about five years - starting in the spring of 1968 - until the strain of a sixth day just became intolerable and the money was no longer worth the pain. Bob Hardt is the only newscaster from ABC with whom I maintain contact. He and I lived only a few miles apart in New Jersey, we are both Ham operators and chatted several times a week on the local UHF repeater. We also lunched every week or so with a half dozen other Hams - none of whom are in broadcasting. I didn't note the name, but one of the contributors on Allan's homepage ran down a list of names, some of which struck a resounding "gong!" with me. Among then Don Gardiner - whom I met while at network at 1926 Broadway - and a man who died much too young. Don was a real gentleman. It is somewhat reassuring to see that s-o-m-e folks cared enough about the news- types to mention their names. Alas, at WABC - we in the newsroom were quite aware that, "The Programming department and the News department are separate and equal - except that the Programming department is MORE equal." Best regards, John (Jack) Meagher Southern Shores NC - y'all! (10/02/98) |
