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A Special Message
I
guess it all started when I found a
box of old TV Guides at my grandparents house in Taylorville, when I
was about 5 or 6 years old. This collection included editions from
the first year of the TV magazine which used to include local
listings, as well as the news from the central Illinois local
stations. As young as I was, I spent hours reading them from cover
to cover, and then I would begin again, hoping to discover something
new each time.
The news of
the local TV stations were
of most interest. The advertisements for the local news, featuring
the faces of the news anchors, the weathercasters and the
sportscasters, along with the logos of the local stations. Many of
the early editions also featured news of new programs being added to
the schedule, or even new personalities who had joined the local
stations I watched. Many of the ads from those early TV Guides
are included in this web site.
As a
youngster I spent hours watching
Wagon Train, Bat Masterson, Wanted Dead or Alive, The Jackie Gleason
Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Maverick, Cheyenne and many others including
The Three Stooges, Soupy Sales and the local kids panel shows on
WICS, WCIA and WTVP(now WAND).
That
exposure to TV, and the
fact that my Dad listened to the Top 40 radio station KXOK from St.
Louis, led me ultimately to a
career in radio broadcasting across central Illinois.
During the
last 36 years I have worked at WTIM/WEEE in
Taylorville, WTAX/WDBR in Springfield, WDZ/WDZQ in Decatur, WDAN/WDNL
and WWDZ in Danville during my radio career and am now Chief Weather
Anchor at WICD-ABC/NewsChannel 15 in Champaign.
The website
was established in 2001 and has grown considerably from it's early
beginnings. I felt it was important to establish a “brand” for
my name and provide another creative outlet for me, as my radio
career was winding down and my local TV career was progressing. By
giving my website a purpose, it gave people a reason to click in. It's
been a labor of love, but a long involved process which I would
hope would lead to a book about The First 25 Years of Central Illinois
TV
History.
Many
contributors have sent me material, stories
about their experience and I've even heard from from the descendants
of many of the central Illinois TV Stars which may have crossed your
TV screen over the last 57 years, and even several of the Stars
themselves. Contributors have included former chief engineers, sales
managers, operation managers, studio crew members, anchors, weather
anchors and others.
What I'm
asking for is help. I don't
want to miss any thing. I need help to reach people who have their
own experience with central Illinois local TV. This would include
the many young people, at the time, who may have participated in one
or more of the children shows which featured a panel of local kids. I'm
looking for behind the scene pictures parents could have taken of
their kids in the studio or during the actual live broadcast. I'm
looking for anyone who has any TV station pictures in their
possession, or kinescopes (films) or video tape of any actual
broadcast of a local TV station from 1953 to 1978. Perhaps someone
could prepare a short written narrative of an experience they have at
a local TV station which I can supplement with a picture, former
staff members as well as viewers. Of course any contribution used would
be noted in the book.
I'm looking
for help in identifying those in pictures on this website who are not
presently named. Any help you can give would be appreciated and
you would be listed as a contributor.
I'm hoping
to reach an end of
my research this Fall, so work can begin on the final writing of the
book. Any publicity you could provide to help me document this
important part of central Illinois history would be appreciated.
To the
Media: I would be available for interviews by
appointment and would love to do them. Please send all inquiries to my
e-mail address listed above.
Thanks.....and enjoy the History of Central Illinois Television!
Doug
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