wcia 3 champaign, wicd 15 champaign, wand 17 decatur, wics 20 Springfield, week 25 peoria, whoi 19 peoria, wmbd 31 peoria, wyyz 43 Bloomington, wbln, wtvh, wirl, wrau, wtvp, wdan, classic tv, central Illinois tv, radio, automation,
Welcome to Central Illinois' On-Line Broadcast Museum. This website documents in detail the history of each of the viewable TV stations, past and present, across mid-Illinois in text, photos, and videos, as well as each station's current status. This site also includes local radio history and automated analog formats, again told in pictures, videos, and text.
Note that this website displays best on a full-size monitor, desktop, or laptop computer. If you're watching on your mobile phone, the mobile phone view has been replaced by the desktop view throughout this site. You can zoom in on the page if needed. Also, you may have to sign in to YouTube to view some videos. Some browsers do not allow some embedded videos to play, so click on the "YouTube" logo on the video to view it from YouTube.
Doug as WCCU, FOX/Illinois anchor in 2021
Doug Quick
Radio/TV Broadcaster/Historian, Author, Webmaster
complete bio available here.
TV Time Capsule
The TV Time Capsule is taking the summer off. It will return in the Fall.
Featured Videos
It now seems that with every 2-week post of Featured Videos, I have to dedicate one or two videos to people who have left us over the previous weeks.
This week, we dedicate two videos to the memory of Bobby Sherman (1943-2025). One will include a promo from a TV series he co-starred in called "Here Come the Brides." Then, after the series was canceled, he starred in another series, "Getting Together," also for ABC. He also guest-starred in several ABC series, from "Honey West" to "The Brady Bunch." He then hosted his own ABC special, "The Bobby Sherman Special," which aired in June 1971. I also feature a slightly edited version of that special below.
I've tried several times to compile a collection of television videos from the same network that aired during primetime on the same night. It's been, at least so far, impossible. This week, I've come close! Picking Sunday, December 6, 1959, I've found two videos that aired on NBC that night at 6 pm (CT) and 7 pm. But the shows airing later weren't available. I did, though, find videos of the following two shows scheduled for the same night of the week, on Sunday, January 10, 1960, just a few weeks later. The shows aired from 8 pm to 9 pm (CT).
I also include a video "aircheck" from WICD from 1984, which features two popular sitcoms of the era, along with local commercials and NBC network promos.
The Classic Radio sections feature two airchecks: one from an overnight, nationally syndicated program that aired on WDNL in the early 1980s and another from WHBF-FM in 1975.
One Night, Two Dates
The Spotlight on NBC
This was the station lineup that was featured from 1959-60.
Newspaper clippings are from the Bloomington Pantagraph
(Left) The listings from 6pm to 8pm on Sunday, December 6, 1959 showing the shows featured below.
(Above) The listings from 8pm to 9:30 pm on Sunday January 10, 1959 with the shows featured below.
Riverboat (1959) NBC
6:00 pm, Sunday, Dec 10, 1959
Burt Reynolds (left) with Darren McGavin on "Riverboat"
(YouTube screen grab)
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
"Riverboat" was an adventure series produced at Universal Studios that premiered on September 13, 1959, and concluded with its final episode broadcast on January 16, 1961. The series starred Darren McGavin (later in the Christmas Film Classic "Christmas Story") as Captain Grey Holden, the owner of "The Enterprise" (a river boat, not the starship). He won the riverboat in a poker game, deciding to operate it for adventure and profit. His boat pilot was Ben Frazer, played by Burt Reynolds.
Later in the series' run, a much-publicized feud developed between the two stars, with the Frazer character being written out, along with another minor character, Travis, played by William D. Gordon.
This episode aired at 6 pm (CT) on December 6, 1959, and was seen across Mid-Illinois on WICS, WCHU, WEEK, WGEM-TV, and KSD-TV.
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
Sunday Showcase (1959) NBC Jimmy Durante
7:00 pm, Sunday Dec 10, 1959
"Give My Regards to Broadway-with Jimmy Durante" was one installment in the "Sunday Showcase" series airing from September 20, 1959, through May 1, 1960. It was an anthology series that included live dramatic programs featuring top stars of the time, including George C. Scott, Geraldine Page, Jason Robards Jr., as well as comedy stars such as Milton Berle and, in this case, Jimmy Durante.
Jimmy Durante from Dec 10, 1959, and
"Give My Regards to Broadway"
(YouTube screen grab)
The series was broadcast live in color (in the Eastern and Central Time Zones) and recorded by Kinescope to be broadcast at a later date for the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones. Overall, the series wasn't very successful, as it went up against "The Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS while ABC aired the second half-hour of "Maverick." This particular show was seen on December 6, 1959 (following "Riverboat" above) and broadcast on WICS, WCHU, WEEK, WGEM-TV, and KSD-TV.
Like the "Riverboat" video above, "Give My Regards to Broadway" was broadcast on December 6, 1959 at 7 pm (CT).
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1960) NBC
8:00 pm, Sunday, Jan 10, 1959
In attempting to complete the NBC primetime schedule for December 9, 1959, I achieved a 50 percent success rate. I did, though, assemble a complete program schedule for that date. NBC's primetime schedule in December 1959 and January 1960 included all the shows mentioned above. I found the following two shows on the schedule that aired on the same night, Sunday, January 10, 1960.
This colorcast of "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show" aired live and was recorded on videotape for later broadcast in the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones, giving it a "live" look for all viewers across the country. Dinah Shore, for those not familiar with the Big Band singer and recording star of the 1940s, also hosted a musical variety series on radio. However, she truly excelled on television, sponsored by Chevrolet, during the 1950s and early 1960s. She also hosted a syndicated talk show for years during the 1970s. One other note: Carl Reiner was a co-writer of this installment.
Guest Stars: Howard Duff and Ida Lupino
from "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show" broadcast on January 10, 1960
(YouTube screen grab)
Although this show aired in the 8 pm (CT) NBC time slot, I was unable to locate the exact episode that aired on December 6, 1959, as it was not available. Most of what is available was discovered in the personal collection of Dinah Shore after she died in 1994. There were also several color 2-inch videotapes of her show as part of her collection. The nearest I could find to our target date was one from January 10, 1960, just a month later.
This episode features guests Howard Duff and Ida Lupino, along with Ella Fitzgerald. The recordings of these shows, dating back to the early 1950s through the early 1960s, are priceless, but those dubbed from the original NBC videotapes are especially valuable and rare. I had to settle for sharing a 9-year-old dub (at 380 lines resolution) on YouTube before HD was available.
This show would have been broadcast across mid-Illinois on WICS, WCHU, WEEK-TV, WGEM-TV and KSD-TV.
Dinah Shore from the "Dinah Shore Chevy Show," January 10, 1960
(YouTube screen grab)
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
The Loretta Young Show (1959) NBC
9:00 pm, Sunday, Jan 10, 1960
"The Loretta Young Show" was a long-running anthology series, predominantly starring film star Loretta Young in various roles, with a different story each week.
The half-hour series aired from September 20, 1953, through September 10, 1961. Once again, I was unable to locate the episode from December 6, 1959, so I settled on this video, which was broadcast initially just a few weeks later, on January 10, 1960, the same date as the video above for "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show!"
Loretta Young hosted "The Loretta Young Show" from January 10, 1960.
(YouTube screen grab)
This episode, titled "Little Mister Tall Tales," features Loretta Young as Donna Landon, Charles Herbert as 12-year-old Jeff, Clement Brace as Bill Landon, Madeleine Holmes as Betsy Hale, and Nancy Millard. The YouTube description has more about the stars and the sad future life of Charles Herbert.
It was broadcast over Mid-Illinois on WICS, WCHU, WEEK-TV, WGEM-TV, and KSD-TV.
For those of you who are TV geeks like me, you probably noticed that this was a half-hour show airing at 9 pm (CT). So, what aired at 9:30? The answer is that the network turned that back into the local stations to program, as part payback for airing "The Tonight Show," which eliminated much of the affiliates' local ad revenue. By giving them back some prime time, they were at least getting a chance to recoup some of that lost revenue. Check out the newspaper listing above for what aired on WICS and KSD-TV at 9:30 pm.
Here Comes the Brides-Open (1968) ABC Co-Star Bobby Sherman
This video is the open/closing titles for "Here Come the Brides" as produced by Screen Gems in 1968. This series starred Robert Brown as Jason Bolt, Bobby Sherman as Jeremy Bolt, and David Soul as Joshua Bolt, three brothers who owned timberland and a sawmill near Seattle, Washington. Their sawmill employed many men, but there were no marriageable women there. Those sawmill workers were going to leave Seattle if they couldn't find wives. Arrangements were made to import some single females to the area. That's where the story begins.
Bobby Sherman and David Soul, both became recording artists during and after the run of "Here Come the Brides." This is from the opening credits and the video above.
(YouTube screen grab)
Both Bobby Sherman and David Soul were on the verge of becoming top recording artists, so having both in the cast was a plus for the show's popularity. While Sherman was a cast singer on "Shindig" a few years before, he recorded several songs that became hits beginning in 1969. David Soul, however, left the series without a hit record, but he did marry one of the "brides" on the series, Karen Carlson. After the "Brides" cancellation, he would later co-star in "Starsky and Hutch" when David Soul released a song that became a hit in 1977.
"Here Come the Brides" was listed as a comedy-adventure series, and that's precisely what it was! The superb cast also included Joan Blondell as Lottie Hatfield, Mark Lenard, Bo Svenson, Henry Beckman, and the women in the cast, including Bridget Hanley, Susan Tolsky, and Mitzi Hoag.
The theme song, "Seattle," was a top 40 hit record for singer Perry Como in 1969.
A complete episode would have been preferable, but copyright restrictions for the show's rights holder don't allow for YouTube posting of full episodes. This video is 13 years old, so I'm not sure if the DVD offer is still available, but I recommend it. By the way, I receive no monetary reward for this endorsement.
The series aired from September 25, 1968, through September 18, 1970.
"Here Come the Brides" was from ABC, one of the "youth" programs that made ABC the number one network by the mid to late 1970s, and was broadcast over mid-Illinois on WAND, WJJY, WIRL, and KTVI.
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
Bobby Sherman Special (1971) ABC
I post the video above and the ABC "Bobby Sherman Special" as a tribute to him following his passing on June 24, 2025. I have a complete recording of this ABC special on DVD, but to avoid any copyright claims, I present to you this edited YouTube Video posted by another contributor.
It was broadcast on June 4, 1971, and featured Bobby Sherman in some of the wildest costumes and sets ever seen on television, even for the early 1970s! The special also includes The Fifth Dimension (one of my favorite soft pop groups of the era) and comedian Rip Taylor. Dr. Pepper sponsored the broadcast.
Bobby Sherman in one of his incredible costumes, which he wore in the "Bobby Sherman Special" from 1971.
(YouTube screen grab)
Even though the show had a live studio audience, you'll see that segments have been recorded multiple times for "jump-cutting" some scenes together with rearranged sets and cast placements. The music was lip-synched.
"The Bobby Sherman Special" was broadcast over mid-Illinois on WAND, WJJY, WIRL-TV and KTVI.
Click on either image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
Bosom Buddies/Mama's Family Intros (1984) ABC/NBC
This video doesn't include the original episodes but consists of the openings and closings to both sitcoms. "Bosom Buddies" was originally broadcast on ABC from November 27, 1980, through June 1982. NBC then picked it up in reruns during the summer of 1984.
"Mama's Family" aired on NBC from January 22, 1983, to August 17, 1985, and then in first-run syndication from September 1986 to September 1990.
Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks from the opening credits of "Bosom Buddies" from 1980.
(YouTube screen grab)
The regular cast of "Mama's Family" together in one scene.
(YouTube screen grab)
"Bosom Buddies" was the breakout series for several of the actors, but none reached the level achieved by Tom Hanks (as Kip/Buffy Wilson), especially in theatrical films to this day. Peter Scolari (as Henry/Hildegarde Desmond) went on to co-star in "Newhart." Wendy Jo Sperber (as Amy Cassidy) also moved on to films like "1941," which also co-starred Dan Akroyd, who later married "Buddies" co-star Donna Dickson (as Sonny Lumet). Others in the cast included Telma Hopkins (who previously was with the pop act Tony Orlando and Dawn). Holland Taylor would co-star and win an Emmy Award for her role in "The Practice" and co-star in "Two and a Half Men."
The show's theme song was replaced when "Bosom Buddies" moved to off-network syndication. This video features the version of the opening theme, written by Billy Joel, "My Life," but performed by Gary Bennett. The initial ABC airing of the series featured the song sung by Billy Joel. A rather generic-sounding music track replaced the song for later syndication.
"Mama's Family" was developed as a sketch from "The Carol Burnett Show." Ms. Burnett was also an occasional guest, playing the role of Eunice, Mama's sister. Mama was played by long-time cast member of "The Carol Burnett Show," Vicki Lawrence. Others in the cast included Ken Berry ("F-Troop" and "Mayberry RFD") as Vint. His second wife was Naomi, played by Dorothy Lyman. Even Harvey Korman introduced the series in the early years as Alistair Quince (1983-1985), as he does in the video, but also occasionally took the role of the husband of Eunice (Carol Burnett).
This video was recorded on July 28, 1984, from WICD, Channel 15, in Champaign. It also includes segments of local commercials and many NBC program promos. At that time, WICD was a full-service TV station with local news, sports, and weather. That was the situation until 2015, when Sinclair made WICD a translator of WICS, Channel 20, in Springfield. This series was also broadcast to viewers across mid-Illinois on WEEK, WICS, WTWO, WGEM-TV, and KSDK.
Classic Radio
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
Night Time America (1982) WDNL Danville, IL
This aircheck features the nationally syndicated RKO Radio Network show "Night Time America," hosted by Bob Dearborn. Unfortunately, WDNL did not have the proper switching gear to do local ID drop-ins as would have been recommended. At the time, our operator had to manually enter the ID at the top of the hour. Additionally, no local commercials were aired; only network commercials and network public service announcements were shown. The show, however, was undoubtedly a positive addition to D-102's overnight signal during its run from January 1981 through December 31, 1984.
To connect with Bob Dearborn's Night Time America Facebook page, click here.
Bob Dearborn host of RKO Radio Network's "Night Time America."
(Facebook)
Click on the NWS logo above to get the Lincoln, IL site and/or
click on the links below the logo for the latest weather story and current radar view of Mid-Illinois.
Support the National Weather Service! Contact your Congressional Representatives
Latest Updates to the Museum
2025-0606 I finally added some material I've wanted to complete for over 10 years! It takes me a while sometimes...
I added better examples of the Drake-Chenault format samplers that the radio music syndicated company produced and distributed to radio station owners/managers to sell their services to mostly FM stations. The company began in the late 1960s, as more FM stations signed on to the air, but it didn't produce much income to support a full-fledged radio airstaff.
Drake-Chenault offered several popular music formats that would run on automation systems. That would satisfy the FCC's non-simulcast regulations for AM/FM radio facilities.
I rerecorded the format samples from 1974-75 and added the samples from the 1976-77 LP set to the Automated Radio Format page. You'll hear aircheck samples from all their formats from both promotional LP sets sent to radio stations to sell their services.
The LP cover from the 1976-77 box set is shown above. If you start with the introduction, at the end you'll find the link to the next cut on the record set.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
2025-0617. The Automated Radio Formats page has another interesting addition: a long-lost demo of the "Olde Golde" automated format from 1972. Central Illinois had two radio stations airing the format in the early 1970s. Find out what stations were broadcasting the format long-time radio programmer Chuck Blore developed. IGM, a manufacturer of the IGM Automation systems, introduced the format.
2025-0628 The very long time classic rock station, KSHE-95, Chestwood-St. Louis, MO station celebrated its 50th anniversary recently, and will now receive an honor from the Missouri governor. Read more about that, plus many new pictures have been added from the station's early years, thanks to KSHE alum and friend Steve Rosen. Visit the KSHE section on this site by clicking here.
PLease SUBSCRIBE to my
YouTube Channel
Click on the picture above of my Facebook Channel Home Page and click on the Subscribe button like the one below.
Much of the information on the history of TV pages on this site comes directly from my 2016 book "Pictures on the Prairie: The First Ten Years of Mid-Illinois Television." There are many more pictures on this site than in the book as space was limited.
Latest TV
Headlines
An Update on Sinclair's sale of the five TV Midwest TV stations, including WICS, WICD, KHQA, WTVO, and WTVT
2025-0703 As expected, the FCC has approved the sale of the Midwest Sinclair stations WICS, Channel 20, Springfield, IL, WICD, Channel 15, Champaign, KHQA-TV, Channel 7, Hannibal, MO, and KTVO-TV, Channel 3, Kirksville, MO/Ottumwa, IA The group will be owned now by Rincon (Todd Parkin, a former Sinclair executive) and was granted a waiver allowing one owner to exceed the maximum allowable top-four rated stations in the market. It also includes permission to operate WICD, Channel 15, Champaign, as a "satellite" station of WICS, Channel 20, from Springfield.
Now Streaming Nationally
Click on the image above to listen to MeTVFM. It's the popular music companion to MeTV, Memorable Entertainment Television, America’s #1 all classic television network. Launched at 87.7FM in late February, 2015, MeTVFM features a unique mix of timeless and memorable music incorporating a wide variety of classic hits, deep tracks and softer sounds spanning several decades of popular music.
Previously on Videos of the Week...
If you've missed any of the "Videos of the Week" or "Classic Radio" recordings, you'll find them here. Unfortunately, there's no written narrative to go along with each. You have to visit each week for that.
Radio Classics
WLS 890AM Chicago (1973) Charlie Van Dyke/Fred Winston/JJ Jeffries/John Landecker/Bill Bailey
KPNX-TV, NBC 12 News, Phoenix, Arizona
Bonanza (1960-61) NBC 14 Episodes
All in the Family (1972) CBS "Sammy's Visit"
What's Happening (1977) ABC "Doobie or Not Doobie"
Carol Burnett Show-The Family (1977) CBS "Elephant Story" segment
Classic Radio
WLS-FM (1982) Chicago Steve Dahl and Garry Meier
Starsky and Hutch (1975) ABC First Episode
All-Star Party for Burt Reynolds (1981) CBS
The Twilight Zone: Rod Serlings's Lost Classics (CBS) 1994 Special with James Earl Jones
People Are Funny (1955) NBC Art Linkletter
You Bet Your Life (1955) NBC Groucho Marx
Classic Radio
Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show (1940s) NBC Over 11 hours of shows
The Cara Williams Show (1964) CBS Pilot
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968) CBS
Jackie Gleason Show (1969) CBS
Baretta (1976) ABC Robert Blake
Diff'rent Strokes (1978) NBC Pilot
Classic Radio
KXOK Documentary "The Glory Days of Radio in St. Louis"
The Red Skelton Hour (1965) CBS
The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau: Whales (1968) ABC
CBS News with Walter Cronkite (1970) CBS
Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971) CBS
Classic Radio
WWTO (1973) Drake-Chenault Solid Gold
WLRW (1974) Drake-Chenault Solid Gold
The Ed Sullivan Show (1964) CBS The Beatles
The Hollywood Palace (1965) ABC
The Jack Benny Hour (1966) NBC
The Dick Cavett Show (1971) ABC Guest: John Lennon
Classic Radio
WLS, 890AM, Chicago (1963) Dick Biondi Show
KSHE, 94.7FM, St. Louis (1974)
Johnny Staccato (1959) NBC Pilot Show
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1960) NBC
The Untouchables (1961) ABC "The Loophole"
The Untouchables (1994) Syndicated Pilot Part 1
The Untouchables (1994) Syndicated Pilot Part 2
Danny Kaye Show (1964) Hillbilly Sketch
The Ed Sullivan Show (1964) CBS The Beach Boys
Donna Reed Show (1965) ABC "The Tree"
Classic Radio
See It Now (1954) CBS Edward R. Murrow
See It Now (1954) CBS Reply to Sen Joseph McCarthy
McCarthy (2020) PBS "Have You No Decency?"
Ben Casey (1962) ABC "A Story to be Softly Told"
Fridays (1981) ABC Guest: Andy Kaufman
Fridays (1981) ABC segment with Andy Kaufman Apology
Fridays (1981) ABC Guest: Andy Kaufman with Kathie Sullivan
Classic Radio
Tube Trip (1971) KSHE (FM)/KDNL, TV-30
______________________________________
Sunday nights Nov 1959-Jan 1960
Sunday Showcase (1959) NBC Jimmy Durante
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1960) NBC
The Loretta Young Show (1960) NBC
______________________________________
Here Comes the Brides-Open (1968) ABC Co-Star Bobby Sherman
Bobby Sherman Special (1971) ABC
Bosom Buddies/Mama's Family Intros (1984) ABC/NBC
Classic Radio
Night Time America (1982) WDNL Danville, IL
TM Stereo Rock (1975) WHBF-FM Quad Cities
Next Regular Update July 26
To be announced...
Central Illinois On-Line Broadcast Museum and dougquick.com supports the work of the St. Louis Media History Foundation.
Visit their website at:
Click on the image to watch the video directly from YouTube.
TM Stereo Rock (1975) WHBF-FM, Rock Island, IL
WHBF-FM was part of an AM/FM and TV complex in Rock Island, Illinois. The TV station was the CBS affiliate for the Quad Cities market. This aircheck is from November of 1975 and was recorded in Macomb, IL. It is a good example of TM's "Stereo Rock" automated radio format.
This was one of the few pictures found that contained the TV and radio stations side of WHBF AM/FM/TV. This was from the 1950s. The studios were called the "Telco Building" located in downtown Rock Island, IL.
(from a Postcard)