Central Illinois On-Line Broadcast Museum
Pictures on the Prairie:
The First Ten Years of Mid-Illinois Television
$19.99 plus tax
Book Signing/
Lecture Update:
Would you like an autographed copy of "Pictures on the Prairie: The First Ten Years of Mid-Illinois Television?"
If you already have a book:
E-mail me (at dougquick @ dougquick.com) with the fact that you have a book and would like it signed. Include the exact name of the person(s) to be named with the signing. Make sure the name(s) is spelled correctly. Make sure you include your mailing address where your book is to be sent with your initial e-mail.
I’ll return an e-mail to you with the mailing address of where you should mail the book. When you mail it make sure you use a USPS envelope for priority mail. It will cost you around $8.50. When you send me your book include either cash of $8.50 or a personal check for $8.50 to cover the postage so I can get the book back to you.
If you would like to purchase a book and have it signed:
E-mail me (at dougquick @ dougquick.com) with your request for a book and to have it signed. Include the exact name of the person(s) to be named with the signing. Make sure the names(s) are spelled correctly. Make sure you include your mailing address where the book is be sent with your initial e-mail.
I’ll return an e-mail to you with the mailing address of where you should send either cash or a personal check of $28.50 to cover the cost of the book and postage back to you.
I have a limited number of books, and this offer will end when I run out, so don’t delay!
If you miss this opportunity, I hope to resume book signings later in 2021. Keep checking back to this website for updates.
Classic TV, Illinois, TV History, Central Illinois, Doug Quick, WCIA, WICD, WICS, WAND, WTVP, WCCU, WRSP, WEEK, WTVH, WRAU, WIRL, WHOI, WMBD, WCIX, KSD-TV, KSD, KTVI, WTVI, KPLR, KMOX, KMOV, WBLN, WTWO, WTHI, KHQA, WGEM, WDBR, WLRW, WTIM, WDNL, WDAN, Jerry Slabe, Paul Davis, Judy Fraser, Mr. Roberts,
Local Television Today
Looking to "cut the cable?"
Find out what's available to you "off the air" with the use of an antenna. Some times an indoor antenna is all you need, but most of the time an attic, rooftop or tower mounted antenna will be necessary. Find out what is available absolutely free once your investment in an antenna is made.
No matter where you are in mid-Illinois, Peoria, Terre Haute, St. Louis or Chicago areas you'll see what available to you with no monthly subscription fees.
CHECK OUT THE NEW "CUTTING THE CABLE" PAGE by clicking on the link here or from the drop-down menu above under TV Today.
You can also click on the Yahoo link for a program grid of the current "over-the-air" channels in your area.
CLICK ON THE DROP DOWN MENU ABOVE TO VISIT THE PAGES OF HISTORY OF THE LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS
Examine the history of each of the mid-Illinois TV stations along with stations in Peoria and St. Louis
Each station has a unique history, with ownership diversity and a different path to success. Some achieved success and are now some of the oldest businesses in their respective cities of license. Others fell by the wayside.
Follow their paths from the very beginning in "Pictures on the Prairie: The First Ten Years of Mid-Illinois Television" then catch up with the histories of each station from the early 1960s to the present on Central Illinois On-Line Broadcast Museum.
CLICK ON THE DROP DOWN MENU ABOVE TO VISIT THE PAGES OF HISTORY OF SOME OF THE RADIO STATIONS THAT INFLUENCED ME IN MY EARLY CAREER.
I spotlight stations that became very special in my radio career. WTIM/WTIM-FM in my hometown and WDAN/WDNL at which I spent most of 25 years.
The select area radio stations all have something in common, in that they were all automated and I worked at two of the stations highlighted.
Legendary radio stations include in my opinion the greatest radio stations heard in mid-Illinois during the era
CLICK ON THE DROP DOWN MENU ABOVE TO VISIT THE PAGES OF HISTORY OF AUTOMATED RADIO AND ITS PROGRAM PROVIDERS
Automated Radio formats include those program syndicators as well as the equipment used by stations to establish many FM stations during the AM radio era.
There's the audio from the companies represented of demos of many of the formats. You'll also see which local stations subscribed to each format.
See photos of many automation systems used by many radio stations from around the country as well as local stations.
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Industrial audio/video training
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Industrial video narration
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Infomercials
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TV commercials
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Public Service announcements
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Radio commercials
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Powerpoint presentations
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Telephone on-hold messages
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In-store announcements for music services
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TV Station news/promo image voice
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Website Audio narration/training
Videos of the Week
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1968) Complete Show
Note: Just click on the arrow, then "Watch this video on YouTube" to see the video.
This is from an era when NBC either destroyed the videos of The Tonight Show or rerecorded over them in order to use the expensive 2-inch videotapes for other temporary uses. The Tonight Show recordings were not archived until 1972. Many are saved at the Paley Center for Media Research within the Museum of Television and Radio in New York. The official website at johnnycarson.com has many clips and shows and handles the licensing of shows.
Every once in a while, a recording will come to light of a classic show once thought to be lost in time. This time it's an installment of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" from June 19, 1968.
Evidently, this particular show was recorded directly off of the NBC network coaxial feed by an NBC affiliate probably using an RCA TR-4 2-inch Video Tape Recorder/Player. The reason is unknown, but my guess it was a test recording after installation of the VTR.
WICD had such a recorder within the walls of the production area when I started there in 1994. Several years later it was dismantled and sold to a collector, so I have to assume it's out there somewhere. See the type of VTR used to record this back in 1968 on the video below.
Another note on this particular show, it aired on June 19th, within a couple of weeks after the assassination of Robert Kennedy which occurred June 5, 1968. I noticed, the pacing of the show was rather subdued, not the "feel" of most Tonight Shows of the era.
This would have been seen throughout mid-Illinois on WICS, WEEK, WICD, WWTO, WGEM, and KSD-TV.
RCA Quad-4 VTR (late 1960s)
How about a little behind-the-scenes video?
This is a video recording of the operation of RCA TR-70C VTR, similar to the one at WICD when I started there in 1994. I only saw it work once, and it only was to check its status as a workable device. After that, it was eventually dismantled as it was huge and probably wouldn't fit out the door of the master control area. It was sold to a collector.
Movies on TV
"Prisoners of the Lost Universe" (1983) Richard Hatch, Kay Lenz and John Saxon
This movie was produced in 1983 and stars Richard Hatch, Kay Lenz, and John Saxon. It has fallen into the public domain.
YouTube Description:
Prisoners of the Lost Universe is a 1983 British fantasy science fiction action film by Terry Marcel and Harry Robertson. Shot in South Africa, three people are transported to a parallel universe when an earthquake occurs just as the scientist is experimenting with his "matter" transmitter. The trio must escape the strange world of Vonya while dealing with a number of villains.
(Source: YouTube and various posters and contributors.
They may be removed without notice)
Classic Radio
WLS Radio (1996) John "Records" Landecker
The response from last week's aircheck of Larry Lujack on WLS drew a large number of hits to Central Illinois On-Line Broadcast Museum. So this week a documentary profile of John "Records" Landecker called "Studio A." It was directed by James (Jim) R Martin in Chicago. It is distributed as an educational documentary and was a Top Ten finalist American Film Festival.
(Source: YouTube and various posters and contributors.
They may be removed without notice)
Historical
Television
Highlights
Click on each Graphic/Title Below to go directly to an in depth story of each with pictures/videos of Television's Past
What's New?
November 21, 2020-The Peoria TV Market continues to disintegrate with the downgrading of Channel 19 from a once heritage TV station to now being an empty shell of junk video and a shopping channel. The lack of viable programming could disqualify it as being a legitimate TV station.
Meanwhile, WAOE has also become a shopping channel. That will disqualify it as being a legitimate TV station as well. Both Channel 19 and the WAOE channels will be delisted soon.
November 22, 2020-TV Today has been completely updated. Since the repack of many of the area TV stations is now complete and the "dust has settled" it was time to complete my pages.
Some changes include those above in the previous update, but also I've added some stations to the listings including WEIU-TV, Channel 50, Charleston, IL. It has been added to the Mid-Illinois listings, but I also added it to the Terre Haute, IN listings as well.
I added two St. Louis stations, low-powered stations, but reach enough population to make them significant. Plus more importantly, the stations list entertainment networks as part of their lineup, despite having religious or shopping channels. Note: Those exclusive religious or shopping channels are excluded from these listings.
January 17, 2021-Two Peoria TV stations have been delisted from the TV Today-Peoria/Bloomington/Normal, IL listings of local TV stations. The two stations have failed to operate within the guidelines of broadcasting as described by the FCC. Neither station broadcasts any kind of viable programming.
"In exchange for obtaining a valuable license to operate a broadcast station using the public airwaves, each radio and television licensee is required by law to operate its station in the “public interest, convenience, and necessity.” Generally, this means it must air programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community of license."
from FCC: The Public and Broadcasting
Central Illinois On-Line Broadcast Museum and dougquick.com supports the work of the St. Louis Media History.
Visit their website at:
