January 09 2010 at 13:53:17 Name:
Jim Ruddle Topic: Congratulations
Comments: As usual, I'm running behind the pack on obligations
to our esteemed webmaster. At this stage, I'm almost afraid to check in for
fear of reading of the demise of another contemporary, but, as a friend in
Tulsa told me on the phone a couple of weeks ago regarding obits: If you
don't see your own name, you're good to go.
This has been a remarkable effort and I shudder to think of the problems
that Mike has encountered trying to keep us all informed. What was that Greek
server, anyway?
As for George Tomek's comments, he should have stayed in the Chicago area
for more of that exhilarating weather. When I moved there at the insistance
of WGN, I left Tampa sans overcoat and with nothing but tropic weight suits.
I got off the plane at O'Hare and it was 2 degrees, 2 above, to be sure,
so I knew things would be all right.
And George, there are some there who could also say they remember me. Without
fondness. Some are now out of jail.
Permit me another word: Many of you are people I have not met except through
this website, yet we all overlap in some ways, we've all shared some Tulsa
experiences, and we all know about the Coney
Island. What more do we need? Besides, the webmaster, that is.
January 08 2010 at 12:24:29 Name: Tulsa Area Music Archives Topic: Happy Birthday Elvis! Email: info at preservemusic dot
org Comments: In honor of The King's 75th birthday, TAMA has put
together a little tribute for your listening pleasure...included are some
Tulsans, Okies and other notables, including the King himself! Enjoy and
TCB!!! Happy Birthday E!!!!
1. I Was The One - Elvis
2. I Want You, I Need You, I Lov...e You - Elvis
3. What Do You Think About Jesus - Leon & Mary Russell (live)
4. The Elvis Thing - The Tractors
5. He Was The King - Neil Young
6. Elvis Loved His Mama - Red Dirt Rangers
7. Elvis & Marilyn - Leon Russell
8. Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis
9. If I Can Dream - Elvis
10. Can't Help Falling In Love With You - Elvis
11. Elvis Live Outro...
Hey, if you like what you hear go out and buy the CDs and support these
artists!
January 07 2010 at 21:21:59 Name:
Mike Miller Topic: Congratulations! Comments: Mike, this website is the best I've ever seen.
Not just the best of its type. But simply the best! Keep up the good work.
January 07 2010 at 20:50:31 Name:
George
Tomek Topic: TTM Anniversary Email: mranchor@cox.net Comments: Mike:
May I add my heartiest of congratulations on the fine job you've done with
this outstanding website over the years. The subject came up again while
I was in Chicagoland over the holidays with my family. They don't have memories
of me in TV news in my hometown, but they certainly remember Jim Ruddle.
Again, congrats......and many more to come no doubt!
January 07 2010 at 19:03:54 Name: Lazzaro Topic: TTM Anniversary
Comments: Congratulations and happy anniversary.
Thanks for keeping the Tulsa that was accessible.
January 07 2010 at 01:25:12 Name: Arm Topic: Fox 23 News
Comments: I was a bit disappointed to learn that Fox 23 was adding
a 10:00 newscast, and bumping Seinfeld to 10:30. Now admittedly, I like to
swim in the shallow end of the pool, but I've found that I much prefer old,
wacky Larry David comedy to keeping in touch with what's going on in my city.
With practically every local newscast I watch, I come away thinking "We're
all screwed!" I drift off to sleep much easier after an old Seinfeld episode,
much like the cast members themselves who lost out in "The Contest."
January 07 2010 at 00:53:32 Name: John K. Young Topic: Re: Fox News at 9 AND 10 Email:
johnk662561atyahoodotcom Comments: My condolences to the good folks of Tulsa who will
now get to experience the "brilliant idea" that Fox is putting into action.
We have that already here in Phoenix. If it runs like it does here, the 10pm
newscast will be a near verbatim repeat of the 9pm newscast but with a different
set of anchors.
I'm all for being "well informed" but I don't get Fox's seeming obssession
with repeating the same news twice in 2 hours. Is the news supposed to sound
BETTER the second time around? Or am I just being Johnny McCrankypants?
January 06 2010 at 15:02:59 Name:
King Lionel Topic: Aye Patch Email: CastleMoatDotCom Comments: AARRRRRRRR !!!
January 05 2010 at 22:48:26 Name:
Lee
Woodward Topic: Case Night in The City Email: AnonDotCom Comments: Sounds as though some old Corinthian broadcast folks
have matriculated into the Fox Headquarters with some good advice about the
best time for news. I was just remembering how those New York brains decided
that because the news did so well there at 11:00 o'clock, why... let's move
KOTV news to 11:00 o'clock. They did that. You can imagine the ratings.
That was right up there with the consultant's idea for Clayton to wear an
eye patch. (The Hathaway shirt ad)
It's infected cable, too.
My wife Gaye said that the eye patch idea might have worked for Lionel.
January 05 2010 at 18:24:01 Name: Erick Topic: Fox 23 at 10 Comments: The 10 pm newscast will have the same anchors,
but will likely be styled more like a typical half-hour nightly newscast,
which will be a departure from the 9 pm show.
I've never been a big Seinfeld fan, so I can't share your pain there.
January 05 2010 at 09:30:36 Name: DolfanBob Topic: Fox 23 news Email: DolfanBob@lycos.com Comments: My work runs ads with Fox 23 and I heard about the
new 10 P.M. news mid last month. I asked our sales rep what was happening
and she said that it is a whole new show with a whole new energy and she
could not say but maybe new anchors also.
My question is. Does Tulsa have enough news to fill 1 & 1/2 hour broadcast.
Have you ever watched news 2 Saturday morning. Hashed and rehashed stories
from the previous hour.
New feel or not, it's gonna be a stretch. And my Seinfeld now starts at 10:30.
That's just "kooky" talk.
January 05 2010 at 08:15:26 Name: Erick Topic: Fox 23 Comments: The promo I saw last night said that Fox 23
News at 10 will begin on January 18th after the 9 pm newscast. It's in addition
to the 9 pm news.
As a friend who works at the Fox station in OKC has told me, Fox "highly
enourages" its affiliates to have a 9 pm newscast even though the affiliates
could technically do whatever they want to with that time block.
In fact, Fox has threatened (in a mellow way) to pull its affiliation from
stations who refuse to air a 9 pm newscast. Fox 23 is trying to hold on to
viewers who switch to either 2, 6, or 8 at 10 pm.
January 04 2010 at 19:05:55 Name: Jim Porter Topic: Rasslin Email: jimininola at yahoo
dahtcom Comments: In reading the Rasslin' Page,
I saw the name of my old Bell Jr. High football coach mentioned, Oni Wiki
Wiki.
Oni's real name was
Wallace Lam Ho.
I went to school with his son Lee.
I heard recently that Oni had passed away. He was a great coach and
friend.
January 04 2010 at 09:24:18 Name: Tulsarick Topic: Fox 23 Email: clarkrick@yahoo.com Comments: I caught a short promo on Fox 23 teasing about a
10 pm newscast. Anyone know if it's replacing the 9 pm or details?
January 03 2010 at 16:11:27 Name: Whitney Temple Topic: Uncle Tytomo's
Comments: I was googling my dad's old restaurant, Uncle Tytomo's,
and saw that on your GroupBlog 291 there
was a woman named Amanda asking if there was a restaurant called Uncle Tytomo's.
My dad is Tom of Tytomo's and just thought it was really neat that she remembered
the restaurant!
A restaurant called Buns and Roses
is at that location (the Manhattan Building, aka the "Secure Agent" Building)
today.
I added the following image to GB 291 as well:
Back cover of the May 1983 'Tulsa Time' magazine, courtesy Roy
Payton
January 01 2010 at 22:26:15 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: Phil Atkinson
Comments: Got this from ex-KTUL supersalesman, Jim Hill. It arrived
Thursday but I have been off-line till tonight:
"Pat Atkinson called me early this evening to tell me that she found Phil
dead in his West Tulsa apartment yesterday morning. Phil was a favorite and
loved by many of us. He was in production at Channel 8 in the 1960s. I don't
know the early part of his story but when I came to the station in 1963 he
was a director. I was a booth announcer and He and I regularly worked evening
shifts together. Like many others, I learned so very much from Phil.
"Phil specified that no service be held. However, we will get together and
and share our memories of Phil Atkinson and say our goodbyes."
-----
I knew of Phil thru the late Wayne "Tuffy" Johnson, who had been one of his
friends. Both had been at 8 and Tuffy held great reverence for Phil's work.
Phil had also thrown film work to Tuffy when he was between jobs at 8 and
6.
If Phil was doing a job at 8 as a film-maker/producer when I was cutting
my teeth there as a lowly projectionist, a lot of folks would come by the
booth to say howdy!
This is sad news for the Tulsa TV community. Here is a photo of Wayne
and Phil at the Captain Ben reunion at McNellie's, and a
photoset
of that event in 2006.
Phil worked on-camera with Bob Jernigan on the "Captain
Ben" show in 1962.
January 01 2010 at 07:03:50 Name: John Boydston Topic: Ned Hockman Comments: I've been away from the site for a while and
just saw the passing of OU Film Professor Ned
Hockman posted here.
I had the privilege of working as an assistant to Ned as a Graduate Student
at OU for about a year, and had the highest respect and admiration for him
as a creative professional and teacher/mentor that he was. His mantra was
'know the mechanics but do what you want to do, not what others expect you
to do.' I took that to heart. What a great guy. Very sorry to hear of his
passing.
Thanks to Lionel for posting.
January 01 2010 at 01:47:18 Name: Arm Topic: KAKC Contact, David Stanford
Comments: One night David had an auto mechanic on the show and
they were taking calls about various car problems. Stealing a line from Johnny
Carson's "Art Fern" character, I called in and mentioned that I had gone
in to a service station on E. 11th for a grease and lube job, and was so
pleased with that, that I went home and got my car and brought it in!
That was followed by ten seconds of awkward silence, and "Line 4, you're
on Nightline."
I've still got that on tape somewhere.
Har, har!
January 01 2010 at 01:38:06 Name: Arm Topic: KAKC Contact, David Stanford
Comments: Thanks to Si Hawk for his KAKC Contact
info. While I remembered the show, I had no idea David Stanford was the
host! Some friends and I used to occasionally call David's "Nightline" show
on KRMG in the late 70's.
December 31 2009 at 22:53:22 Name: Tulsa Area Music Archives Topic: Happy New Year Email: info at preservemusic dot
org Comments: Happy New Year to all our friends, fans and supporters.
Here's a little something to help you celebrate the New Year - a variety
of "Happy New Year" themed songs, from Abba to Spike Jones, with some B.B.
King, Lightnin' Hopkins and others thrown in for good measure.
1. Happy New Year - ABBA
2. Happy New Year - Lightnin' Hopkins
3. Bring In A Brand New Year - B.B. King
4. Happy New Year - Oldies But Goodies Holiday Players
5. Happy New Year - Spike Jones & The City Slickers
6. Auld Lang Syne - Studio Group
7. Auld Lange Syne - The Lonesome Travelers
8. Auld Lang Syne - Barenaked Ladies
9. Auld Lang Syne - The Brothers Figaro Orchestra
Happy New Year and enjoy!
December 30 2009 at 22:53:35 Name: Dave Topic: Local TV future Comments: John Hillis is right to predict that this web
site may be a resource for future historians interested in what local TV
was like in this era. The catch is we might not have to wait long for the
historians to start reviewing the bygone era.
An AP article,
"Broadcasters'
woes could spell trouble for free TV", tells how the business model for
TV is shifting in a way that could result in networks going all-cable and
abandoning local affiliates, which would leave the local stations with a
lot less income and programming.
And we thought local newspapers around the nation were all that were
teetering.
December 30 2009 at 20:44:19 Name:
John Hillis Topic: 11th Birthday Comments: Has it been only 11 years? It seems TTM has
been part of my regular online routine like, forever. The depth and breadth
of the recollections here continue to amaze. No question is too deep or too
obscure that one of the denizens of this site won't have an answer, or know
somebody who does.
I think I've said before that this site has vastly aided some future historian
who will be looking back at that 50-year or so window where television was
the dominant medium and trying to puzzle out what "local" was really all
about. I've seen single station histories, and skim-the-surface things elsewhere
on the net, but TTM is unique. In those hundreds of GBs is a story untold
elsewhere, in the first person, voices that would otherwise be lost and
uncollected as we first and second generation broadcasters get old and forget,
or worse.
Besides, I take my hat off to anyone (and Mrs. Anyone, for that matter) who
has an attention span long enough to nurture and put up with anything for
11 years, with only the sense of accomplishment and the potential gratitude
of future generations as recompense.
May TTM and Mister R. have many anniversaries and GBs ahead.
December 30 2009 at 09:34:34 Name: Sonny Hollingshead Topic: RE: KRMG Talk Early 80s
Comments: I think Chuck is right. Neil Thruston took over after
David Stanford left KRMG. The sports block was handled by Bill Land and J.V.
Haney.
December 30 2009 at 02:30:40 Name: Wilhelm Murg Topic: Tulsa TV Memories Email: wilhelmurg at yahoo dot
com Comments: Thanks for the compliment, but I think I missed
the first year or two of the site. I remember being bored at the Infinity
Press office one night and I typed "Mazeppa" into my browser (probably Netscape
at that time) and I was shocked to see three pages on the TTM website, so
I started exploring the site. I was amazed at how much information was already
up on the site, but with my borderline OCD memory, I knew there were plenty
of subjects that could be fleshed out.
In the process I got to meet many of my heroes from local television, including
Gailard Sartain, Jim Millaway, Lee & Lionel, and the late Carl Bartholomew.
This weird, local television humor was as big an influence on me as network
shows like SNL, Laugh-In, or Fridays. I think we're all very lucky to have
come of age in a culture that allowed such free-form television. A puppet
lion giving political commentary during the Vietnam war...indeed!
Looks like I first talked with you on 5/15/2001, according to GB 79. Then
your first entry was in GB 90 on September 5, 2001 at 6:44 pm, though several
of your Infinity Press articles had made it onto the site already.
December 29 2009 at 23:45:54 Name: Chuck Fullhart Topic: Tulsa Gal's blog
Comments: This is what I get for staying up late. Meant to say
that I wish that there were more postings on Nancy's blog, Tulsa Gal. It
probably takes quite a bit of time to put these together, and just cruising
through the Beryl Ford online collection of photos is enough to justify putting
off meals and other essentials. Good work and thank you to both Mike and
Nancy on their blogs.
December 29 2009 at 23:40:09 Name: Chuck Fullhart Topic: Congrats to the webmaster
Comments: Congrats to Mike for a great piece of work over the
years. If he had not started this corner of the web for those of us who toil
or have toiled at the site of the Golden Transmitter, a lot of these memories
would have just been lost over time.
Also, I want to second Mike's kudos to Nancy for her history blog. Just wish
there were postings on it.
December 29 2009 at 23:35:31 Name: Chuck Fullhart Topic: Neil Thruston/ David Stanford/KRMG Comments: Didn't Thruston replace Stanford on the late
night talk experiment on KRMG? Seems like the format was Sportsline following
the 5-6 newsblock, then talk from 6-8, up until Johnny retired, then the
whole 6-10 block became talk.
December 29 2009 at 22:19:28 Name: John K. Young Topic: Congratulations, TTM!! Email:
johnk662561atyahoodotcom Comments: Congratulations Webmaster Mike and TTM on a fantastic
11 years! :)
December 29 2009 at 18:13:31 Name: J LeMoine Topic: A Toast to TTM
Comments: Happy Anniversary TTM!
Mr. Ransom, this site is a Tulsa Treasure - hats off to you!
December 29 2009 at 16:45:04 Name: David Bagsby Topic: Happy Birthday TTM Comments: For all the work you do here, Mike, an impromptu
celebration:
December 29 2009 at 15:58:43 Name: TulsaGal Topic: TTM Anniversary Email: tulsahistory@aol.com Comments: Congrats and thanks to you and your many contributors
for providing such a wonderful and entertaining website. As a Tulsa history
researcher, yours is one of the first places I visit when looking for specific
Tulsa info and I'm never disappointed. Cheers to 2010!
Thanks, Nancy.
Your TulsaGal's Blog was
a welcome addition to the world of online Tulsa lore this year.
December 29 2009 at 14:17:12 Name: Rose Bowl Bunker Commander Topic: TTM Anniversary
Comments: Congrats on 11th anniversary STOP Muchest thanks to
Webmeister and unindicted co-conspirator, T Town's fav realtor,
Gaye Brown STOP Keep it coming STOP
December 29 2009 at 13:40:58 Name:
Gary Chew Topic: 2010 and Looking Back Comments: Strong follow up on the professionalism comment
about Mike Ransom. Hear, hear! Good site, this TTM.
Reading Mr. Peas comments on old KOTV video, reminded me about a novel I'm
reading now called A Given Day by Dennis Lehane. I believe it's his
latest book. And with it, he's stretched himself into being an historical
novelist other than just a great crime story author: Gone Baby Gone,
Mystic River and Shutter Island (a
new movie for 2010) being just three of his creations.
A Given Day is about a young Boston policeman, whose father is a honcho
on the BPD, and a young black man from Ohio who comes to Boston during all
the political upheaval going on with the social classes just as the First
World War is coming to a close. But the young black is on the lam from Tulsa
where he had been mixed up in some nefarious dealings in the bubbling black
economy of Greenwood.
The black man lives in Tulsa with his young pregnant wife in a house at Archer
and Elwood. Lots of Tulsa locations mentioned in the beginning of the book,
which I still have nearly 450 pages to go. There are even moments in the
book when Babe Ruth makes appearances---not in Tulsa but further east.
So far, I'm having trouble putting down A Given Day by Dennis Lehane.
Delmeaux de Gillete du Coffeyville (real not virtual)
December 29 2009 at 13:03:51 Name: Whirled Peas Topic: Police Union: Confiscate Cameras
Comments: After the widely publicized videotape of the beating
of Rodney King in March 1991 aired, the Tulsa FOP quietly sent out a memo
to police officers instructing them to confiscate the cameras of civilians
they observed videotaping police or an arrest, in hopes of avoiding a similarly
embarrassing situation from happening here.
Someone with a conscience leaked the memo to KOTV, who did an investigative
piece on it.
It's currently rumored that the Oklahoma Trooper's Association issued a similar
back-room directive after the videotaped road-rage incident involving OHP
Trooper Daniel Martin became the second most watched video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCw0XjHNzZ4
So, did any of you old-timers save a copy of the KOTV report about the Tulsa
FOP memo, or remember seeing it?
December 29 2009 at 11:13:50 Name: Si Hawk Topic: Radio show "Contact" Email:
sihawk@hawkshometown.com Comments: Beverly,
David Stanford hosted the 'Contact' show on KAKC up until late '72 or early
'73 I believe. He then came to work at KCNW as our News Director (as I recall).
KCNW had some great talent in the news department: Kitty Roberts of American
Theatre Company, Sam Stewart formerly an anchor for KTUL and Mark Boyce who
is better known today as a rock musician. I know I've left some folks out
some if anyone remembers others please let me know.
A year or two later David did a call-in show on KRMG. I was thinking Johnny
Martin was still doing his show at the time and David's show was either before
or after Johnny, but I could be mistaken. When I started at KWEN I was doing
nights and spent a lot of time visiting with Johnny Martin, since the KRMG/KWEN
studios were together at Liberty Towers. Golden memories!
December 29 2009 at 05:00:23 Name: Wilhelm Murg Topic: MAZEPPA TAPES Email: WILHELMURG AT YAHOO DOT
COM Comments: I'm hoping to get out of the house today, I've been
snowed in since X-mas eve, but luckily I was given a copy of Volume 4: The
Last Laugh of The Lost Mazeppa Tapes as a gift. Like the first three volumes,
it's endlessly entertaining. There seems to be a little less of Teddy Jackeddy
than in the previous volumes, but when he comes on he's red hot, such as
in the School of Neat Falls.
The whole time I was watching it I was amazed at how something so counterculture
could be so innocent. Though it was obviously ahead of it's time, the show
got this town through some strange days by unifying it through silliness.
You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to explain that this all happened
before SNL was even conceived.
So where are the Unfilmy Can Festival tapes from the KAKC radio show? Everyone
and his dog called into that show (I personally NEVER got through). Are there
tapes of Sherman Oaks and Steve Pickle from The Groovy Movie? If there's
one thing this town needs it's more documentation of Mazeppa & company.
Wilhelm, thanks for your excellent contributions and unique perspective
on Tulsa pop culture over the last 10 years.
December 29 2009 at 01:23:54 Name: Webmaster Topic: TTM's 11th year has passed Comments:
Today is Tulsa TV Memories' 11th anniversary.
I'll be archiving the 'What's new?' page shortly. The volume of updates this
year seems staggering in retrospect. Many of these items were courtesy of
contributors. I want to say thanks once again to all the regular and occasional
readers who are the heart of this enterprise.
Special thanks to Gary Chew, who has done prodigious duty in the movie review
department this year, to Tim and Dick Schmitz, and to the Northern Branch.
My own output slowed somewhat in the latter part of the year, as I became
a student again while working full time. I am now halfway through a cloud
computing curriculum at TCC; I was interviewed about it for this
Sunday
Tulsa World story in August.
But I will be trying to keep up with things here, and I have ideas for the
coming year that may prove to be fun.
Please join me in a toast to 2010; may it be a great year for
both real and virtual Tulsans.
December 28 2009 at 18:06:02 Name: Mitchell Holt Topic: Mazeppa memories Email: fungaloyd at msndotcom Comments: Mike, thanks for your help in the past on locating
items of interest. Thank you for this site and your professional work. May
you have a successful new year!!!
You're welcome, Mitchell, and best wishes for your 2010!
December 25 2009 at 10:36:23 Name: David Bagsby Topic: Blizzard Hazard Comments: A buddy of mine informed me that AAA is out
for most of Oklahoma so is this trip really necessary?
December 25 2009 at 07:58:16 Name: David Bagsby Topic: Xmas Comments: Blizzard hit Kansas City also so everybody
everywhere have a safe everything!
December 24 2009 at 21:23:26 Name: Mike Bruchas Topic: Merry Christmas!
Comments: From the TTM branch office in Downers Grove, IL!
I hear Tulsa is getting a Xmas blizzard tonight.
Stay safe and warm, ya'all!
We sure did have a blizzard, and I got to drive 14 miles in it with attention
at laser-like focus and visibility at near zero. Hope things are better up
there. Good to hear from the northern branch!
December 24 2009 at 21:15:06 Name: Dana LeMoine Topic: Spam carving by Ruby the Crusher with
Sherman Oaks Email: d4wdw@valornet.com Comments: Merry Christmas to all!
December 24 2009 at 18:23:19 Name: Webmaster Topic: Previous GroupBlog link Comments: Archived GroupBlog 305,
where you will find Christmas greetings, among other things.
Jim Ruddle
Mike Miller
King Lionel
Lee
Woodward
John Hillis
Gary Chew
Please join me in a toast to 2010; may it be a great year for
both real and virtual Tulsans.
