KTLA was there!

[Kevin M.]

The pioneering Los Angeles local TV station is featured in this article in the LA Dog Trainer. It is by no means comprehensive, but there is a history to channel 5, both good and bad, which is with documenting. I worked on the lot a couple times (for tapings of “Challenge of the Child Geniuses” and excruciating tapings of “MADtv”). Aside from the front facade of the main building, there is little to no sense of the history of the facility, but that’s true of most studios. 

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-02-18/ktla-los-angeles-channel-five-75-anniversary?_amp=true&fbclid=IwAR1mStOIHqVqKQcBCd5h8sdObC9B2lwImuRMCYwyAKvc8I9ZX9j7tR7ucLA

--

Kevin M. (RPCV)

[Jim Ellwanger]

One of the photo captions refers to the "KTLA Channel 5 transmission tower." Although that tower had an actual function decades ago, as one of two transmitting towers for radio station KFWB (which today has its transmitters in an area northeast of downtown L.A.), it's now just signage.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKgmY4C86P-UggRMjqjxm%2BAXRqjAEeexunspqy7oa17qqMhM4A%40mail.gmail.com.

[PGage]

The article skips from 1964 to 1979, which is most of the interval of my experience with KTLA (I left LA in 1987, and my memory begins around 1967). For me they were the home of Dick Enberg and the Angels, and old movies to watch occasionally when the three prime time networks failed.

But I can’t believe any history of KTLA, no matter how cursory, can skip over George Putnam (Ted Baxter).  I know he worked at most of the LA independent stations, but for most of my childhood he was Channel 5. We watched a lot of local news in my house, and LA had some pretty high profile anchors in those days. We would never watch Putnam for news, but my mother liked to hate-watch (she never knew that phrase but would have loved it) him for 5-10 minutes a couples of days a week, and we always thought he was a joke.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKgmY4C86P-UggRMjqjxm%2BAXRqjAEeexunspqy7oa17qqMhM4A%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Sent from Gmail Mobile

[Dave Sikula]

I remember Putnam at KTTV and KCOP, but not at KTLA, though I'll happily admit I'm wrong.

L.A.'s independent stations were a mixed bag, at best. KTTV probably had the best film library, but also had Ben Hunter (he who inspired Carson's Tea-Time Movie*) constantly selling you-finish A-frame homes. KHJ took occasional risks (I remember one week they devoted to 50s programming, complete with commercials, playing it straight-faced), and had the Million Dollar Movie and Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, and monster movies on the weekend. KCOP was hopeless, with seemingly no budgets for anything and the worst house-made local commercials. KTLA was somewhere in the middle, with reruns, a good film library (mainly Goldwyn and what movies Paramount hadn't sold to Universal), Tom Hatten, and great news broadcast (I thought Hal Fishman and Stan Chambers were immortal), all subject to the whims of Gene Autry.

(*Watching "Whew!" on Buzzr last week, they're finally up to the "celebrity" episodes and Carol Wayne was one of the guests. I was kind of surprised to see she really was that dim.)

--Dave Sikula

[PGage]

So, this sent me to Wikipedia, which was oddly non specific about the stations Putnam worked at. They do say that he anchored the news for all 4 LA independent stations (KTLA, KHJ, KTTV and KCOP), but they don’t give the years for each station. They do say that he was replaced by Hal Fishman in 1975, without giving the station, but that has to be KTLA, which comes close to my memory.

For my sister and I, as kids, KHJ was for the Million Dollar movie (I remember seeing “The Blob” for the first time, and also “Goldfinger”). KTTV and KCOP were for cartoons and kid shows (I think Wonderama and Jerry Mahoney were on KTTV), and also re-runs (Star Trek I think was on KTTV when I was rushing home to watch it in syndication in the 70s). Also I think Vince and the Dodgers were on KTTV when I was a kid, and Lakers in KHJ.

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/cf8ea36f-3ed9-4147-8765-b81716550d39n%40googlegroups.com.

[Kevin M.]

My childhood memories of the local station were mostly cartoon related. KTLA had the worst of the cartoons (looking at you, Popeye) as well as Tom Hatten hosting the Family Film Festival, which were the films that either didn’t have copyright because they were poorly dubbed international films, i. e. Pippi Longstocking or old and unrestored so copyright had expired, which meant they were free to air. They also had Knight Rider in daytime syndication. KCOP and KTTV had either a Cartoon Carnival or Cartoon Circus, which fluctuated between the Warner cartoons or the Tom & Jerry (and friends). But it was during my childhood that first run syndicated cartoons thrived, which included Transformers and GI Joe. KTTV had Robotech, which was to me a game changer. KTLA burned off Three Stooges. KHJ had Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

When we watched the news, it was usually KABC with Jerry Dunphy and Dr George. I know I watched the Challenger explode on KTLA because I was in Catholic school in West Covina at the time, and for some reason they could only pick up channel 5 at school. The article referenced the Rose Parade, which was only worth watching with Bob and Stephanie doing commentary. 

Honorable mention to KCET for everything from Huell Howser to Monty Python to Square One (and Mathnet) to Simon & Garfunkel’s Concert in Central Park to This Old House to the Frugal Gourmet. Because man cannot live by cartoons alone. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKGtkYJ9g%2BnEUsVqpuPk5R65%2BFWE%3DumEkrAKNZN3F2PXyxX%2BPw%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Kevin M. (RPCV)

[PGage]

I forgot about Elvira on KHJ, we watched that too (I older than you, and watching for more prurient interests no doubt). I know Dunphy moved around too, but for me he is always associated with KNXT (“from the mountains to the sea…” did he say that at KABC too?)

My go to local newscasters were Tom Brokaw and Jess Marlow, and then of course Tom Snyder.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKgmY4C5QOMNtcfzf52aopn6A7jukRvw1AqUMdRsb7WmRefTGQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mark Jeffries]

Of course Jerry Dunphy said it on KABC--and I thought *he* was the model for Ted Baxter.

Mark Jeffries
spotl...@gmail.com

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKGtkYKd3EpdXW9vy0jwjyxEt0Nyc2rSjXpdfn3X0nyCxGRr2A%40mail.gmail.com.

[two...@gmail.com]

From what I remember reading back in the day, the MTM writers said Baxter was based on both Putnam and Dunphy.

On Feb 26, 2022, at 2:43 PM, Mark Jeffries <spotl...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAJ_uKi-miPObMCkeH0pBbMYo%3DKHdg8APm2TgnffOBicDZVnm8A%40mail.gmail.com.

[PGage]

That makes sense, I read somewhere that someone associated with the show had a relative who worked at KNXT News.

But I know that from Day 1, when my family saw Ted Baxter we felt like we were watching Putnam.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/B314A9CC-558D-4587-9121-B6AB236003D4%40gmail.com.

[Dave Sikula]

We were a KNXT family got a long time, but eventually moved over the KNBC for the duration. (My mother -loved- Snyder.)

The things that struck me for the longest time was that anchors and reporters tended to stay in Los Angeles, but moved from station to station (with some exceptions: Colleen Williams was still plugging away at KNBC the last time I was there [I think Paul Moyer was, too] and the talentless and humorless Fred Roggin and Fritz Coleman must have had blackmail material on someone, given their baffling ability to keep their seats).

--Dave Sikula

[Kevin M.]

Fritz “retired” a couple years ago. The only local news veterans remaining agreed to take massive pay cuts. Colleen is still at KNBC, ersatz NBC 4. Moyer is longtime gone. Even Harold Greene is gone. Chuck “Eye on LA” Henry is still there… working for scale, which is more than he deserves. 

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tvornottv+...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/e6bf7338-b3dd-4ea9-a773-80fdc56b1824n%40googlegroups.com.

--

Kevin M. (RPCV)