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I believe those George Tomek's are one and the same. George went to the University of Tulsa, and played baseball there, I think. He was at Channel 4 in Oklahoma City on a couple of occasions, and was more recently on KOCO Channel 5 before being another victim of the youth movement. He has been serving as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Trucking Association and is doing commercials for Hearing Aids and Burial Plots. One of the new Economy Hearing Aid Spots is with former OU football coach Gary Gibbs!

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I checked back in the old TV listings from 1961. In 6's column, it listed Noon News with G. Tomek. Friday September 29, 1961. I still hope that's George Tomek.

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I watched a hearing aid commercial (this is not ClearTone with Bob Hower) that featured spokesman George Tomek. On the page containing the old Tulsa TV listings, it showed a TV listing dating back to 1961 which listed daytime programming. On channel 6's column, it listed the noon news with George Tomek. The print was partially readable, though the 'm' in Tomek was not clear due to a wrinkle. Tomek, as I remembered, anchored the news on KTVY 4. He is now doing the forementioned hearing aid commercial, opposite Bob Hower's ClearTone. If I'm correct, I didn't know Tomek did anchoring on 6 before anchoring on 4.

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The Beth Rengel car spot video still on this page - I have NEVER seen a wardrobe "crossplug" in a car spot - it's like the virtual spots on ESPN! Duh!

Is the clothier a car dealer subsidiary????

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Wasn't Georgia Jones a reporter at 6 and Noon News anchor in the late 60's?

Wasn't she also Jenkin Lloyd Jones' daughter? Always thought this was neat if so. Is she still in Tulsa?

Still trying to see if anyone can confirm that the back half of the KOTV parking lot WAS the old Tulsa Police Station - thought Buddy Allison had told me that once.

Definitely of the Jones family...and I think you're right, daughter. Now known as Georgia Snoke, and former columnist at the now-defunct Tulsa Tribune. (p.s., if you scroll down, you can see a Beth Rengel pic captured from the ether)

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Gailard & Sherman were interviewed on KMOD 4 or 5 years ago. I'll have to go thru my tapes to be more exact. If you want I will send you a copy via snail mail. Thanks for the great web site. I think it is a good example of the Spirit of Tulsa.

Yes, a copy of the tape would be fantastic...and thanks for the complimentary words about the site.

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The new WB affiliate in Wichita has been assigned the call letters KWCV. It's transmitter is located in the heart of the city of Wichita, KWBT's transmitter is located in northeast Okmulgee county, roughly between Beggs and Haskell. All of this info, including transmitter maps, can be found on Oklahoma Radio and TV Online. You get there by visiting TTM's links page! Okay Mr. Ransom, where's my 10 bucks? ;-)

$$$$$$$$$$;-)

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Ho Ho the Clown show didn't go off the air because of any illness to Bill Howard, the man who played Pokey the Puppet. Mike Bruchas was correct in his assesment of the management of KOCO being responsible for its demise. Kids and adults loved Ho Ho and he was the king of kiddie birthday parties. He must have done about a million of them. But Ho Ho did have one disturbing quirk. He was the biggest food moocher I have ever seen. In the old studios on NW 63rd St., we had a break room in the middle of the station, and anytime someone was eating, Ho Ho would suddenly appear.

I must ashamedly admit I threatened to put a fork into his hand one day when he went after my sandwich. People still put memorials in the newspaper on the anniversary of Ho Ho's death. Pokey the Puppet's Bill Howard was studio manager at KOCO and then went to OETA. He has now retired from that job as well.

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More Wichita WB info.....

WICHITA TO LAND WB AFFILIATE STATION CITY'S FIRST MINORITY-OWNED STATION SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH SEPT. 1.

PASADENA, Calif. -Wichita's first minority-owned television station is scheduled to launch Sept. 1 as an affiliate for the WB network.

The station, listed only as Channel 33 with no call letters at the moment, is owned by Marcia Turner of Winnetka, Ill., according to Kenneth D. Werner, executive vice president of distribution for The WB, a network that debuted nationally in January 1995.

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Always loved Lee & Lionel myself. If you didn't hear Gailard and Sherman Oaks on KMOD's interview during Phil & Brent's Morning Zoo, you missed the show of the decade. Nothing but straight adlib full-frontal comedy. I wish they would give these guys a show and take off Sat. Nite Live. SNL is really getting stale. Yes Tulsa has had some great talent from Comedy to serious Newscasters.

Was Beau Velvet and the Desert Snakes Busey's first audition for a Buddy Holly Story ?
Did Coach Chuck marry my High School English teacher?
Did Ruby the Crusher secretly have Sherman Oaks's Love Child?

Just more unsolved Tulsa trivia. Keep an eye out for the Tabloids.

When was that interview on KMOD, Phillip?

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I used to watch Mazeppa a lot with all the homemade Greer's Stereo commercials. I don't remember all that much except that the movies were dumb and boring, but everyone watched to see Mazeppa, Sherman Oaks, Teddie Jack Eddie and all the other crazies. The one commercial that has stuck in my brain went like this:

Hoss Chopright was blabbing away about Greer's when all of a sudden his big old choppers go flying right out of his mouth. He mumbles something like "OH DARN, WAIT JUST A MINUTE" or something like that. Next, you see a shot of the teeth sitting in the bottom of a toilet. A hand reaches in from off camera and grabs the teeth. Next, you see Hoss wearing a long sleeve shirt wet to the elbow stick his teeth back in and go on as if nothing happened. Classic. Stupid. I loved it.

My only other real recollection (which is pretty fuzzy) is of the time Mazeppa showed everyone how he did the stunt where he always slammed the door open into his head. The camera did a close-up of his foot as he slowly opened the door. The door hits his foot, his head snaps back, but of course, Mazeppa is unhurt. Then he proceeds to repeat the stunt at speed about 10 times in a row until he really does knock himself out or at least you are supposed to believe it. Later, in another segment, somehow he goes flying thru the air horizontally, head first into the door. Maybe I was only a kid, but I really do believe he had to hurt himself on that one.

Hi, Darrell...Good Chopwright story. The "flying" story sounds like one of those old Laurel & Hardy movies. I admit, I watched the show to see Mazeppa, but I'm glad he introduced us to those old movies, too.

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I was a little tough on OKC's HoHo and Count Gregor. HoHo was for little kids and I am sure they loved him. He came across very gentle. Count Gregor showed imagination but it is hard to measure up to UFF&CM! My wife loved 3D Danny (I missed him except as Danny Williams).

I saw Sam Jones in his yard about 2 weeks ago and he said he was "looking into some things" or something along those lines.

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In defense of OKC TV...ahem...

You mentioned several great shows, but you forgot DDD Danny, which was actually to be syndicated by NBC at some point. HoHo and Pokey were an OKC TV institution for many years, until the man playing Pokey became ill in the late 80's. I remember growing up, it was HoHo followed by American Bandstand...some combo. In recent years, the afternoon kids shows were big. Arlo at KAUT, Travis at KOCB (he hosts a show on Nickelodeon now), and Ranger Roger on KOKH, who is allegedly the most popular local kids host on any Fox affiliate. Granted, we didn't have a Mazeppa, and Count Gregor kind of lost his punch after he started showing up in hair loss commercials, but these folks were awesome, and we loved 'em.

Regarding Sam Jones...he DID appear on 25 after KOTV axed his show there. In fact, Gary Shore did the weather on that show for a short time. I figure it lasted a couple of months at best with Sam as host, then he suddenly disappeared, and some bearded guy with a headset mike did a simlar format for a few weeks. Now, 25 is an affiliate of "The Box" a music video network.

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Coming in soon over the airwaves to No. OK west of Tulsey and No. of OKC is a new WB station in Wichita, WB33 or KWCV-TV. It may be readily seen in Stillwater & Ponca City. It is supposed to launch in August but from all the jobs listed in an ad in this week's Broadcasting & Cable magazine - it looks like they have no staff yet.

How this may impact the far Northern/Central OK along the KS line audience for the new WB 19 KWBT - which is targeted to launch about the same time - remains to be seen. Maybe 19 will do the 8 thing and garner NE Arkansas viewers.

Who needs cable? Or it will provide an alternative to small towns that are cable-less.

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OKC TV - I worked with Foreman Scotty long after he was on 4 or was it 9? He was nice but all business and I think took a hit in the wallet when it ended. I think he was selling real estate and did some free-lance talent work at 34 for a brief period.

Ho Ho the Clown - the late Ed Birchall - was the father confessor/in-house chaplain to the staff at 5. He won a couple of awards for kids programming (with NO budget) but was treated badly by stupid management. He had a loyal staff following and made a lot of friends. 5 "buried" his show at different times all too often. He used to pull funny stories off ABC DEF (the newsfeed from ABC) for kids and had the usual cop/fireman guests. He was a special person at 5 for so many and will be missed. Contributor Tony Sellars can also vouch for the love we all had of Ho Ho. Pokey the Puppet - Bill Howard the studio manager - I heard was still working at OETA either after his retirement or forced departure from 5.

Don't forget the often mentioned Danny D. Dynamo aka Danny Williams from 4 - he was John Chick's OKC version and talent on so many shows. Wish I still had a video copy of a chunky brown haired Mary Hart as Danny's sidekick on Danny's Day before she "went Hollywood" on Entertainment tonight! What was the name of his organist for studio music on that show??

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In defense of Sam Jones, if he would have left the political commentaries out of his show, it would have been pretty good local TV. In defense of Uncle Zeb, I thought he was the worst, gruffest kid's show host ever but the kids did like him and he really liked the kids. In one interview he said parents didn't like him but he thought the kids did. When I spoke with him personally a few times, I thought he was a great guy.

One comment on OKC TV. I never saw the Foreman Scotty Show but have heard it was great. I did see Ho Ho the Clown (kid's show) and Count Gregor (late show). Tulsa local TV blows those attempts at entertainment out of the water.

I think Zeb was supposed to be a gruff, '49er-type miner, so he was just staying in character. I hear that he is a great guy, too.

Here is a comment by "KRC" in the ok.general newsgroup re Sam Jones:

Sam moved over to Channel 25 after he left 6. Unfortunately, it seems that Channel 25 only comes in within 100 yards of the transmitter. I used to get it at times when I lived off I-44 and Memorial - back then it was "The Box" a PPV music channel. Supposedly, 25 was switching to a public access sort of format and Sam was to be their flagship enterprise. I messed about trying to get 25 to come in after it was announced Sam was moving, but all I ever saw was a shopping channel when I could get it to come in. I don't know if Sam ever went on the air there or not. Knowing him, he's probably out fishing somewhere - you might try contacting Ike Walker, who was his producer at 6 and was doing the "Tulsapalooza" show for 2. I don't know if he's still with 2 or if he's moved on - but he's the best lead on Sam I know of.

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Tulsa has a rich history of memorable characters most of whom are documented on this web page. Lionel was a mainstay when I was a kid and I still think I would rather watch than all the Doppler mania nowadays. Lee is still around and works on Memorial selling Cadillacs from what I understand. Then there's the infamous episode of Mr. Zing and Tuffy where John Chick goes over to the little kid who's laughing and giggling in the mini bleachers and asks him what's so funny to which the kid honestly replies "Arthur cut a fart" on live TV. But my favorite has to be a tie between Mack Creager flipping all of Tulsa the finger in the middle of the Mannix show while I and my little sister are watching TV with my mom and dad, or the daily afternoon humor in watching the little kids go across the bridge at the end of the Uncle Zeb show who as they began to say "I want to say hello to mom and........" only to be cut off in midsentence as he shoved them in the back to push them off of his cardboard bridge. Your web page is great. Tons of stuff I completely forgot about. Keep it up!!!

That 'Arthur' or 'Luther' story...did you see that first-hand? I have heard it in different guises, even for OKC, and am beginning to wonder if it is an urban legend.

Hi, Pat! Mannix' ratings probably improved as a result.

5/10/2005: Gary Chew just told the full finger story here!

Mack Creager passed away in 2001.

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The talented Mr. Zing and Tuffy were so popular! I think I still have the article from the Christmas parade from when I was high school. It gave an account of how our band, the Tulsa McLain Scots, had to break ranks to get through the crowds after they mobbed Zing and Tuffy who were walking in front of us. Great times!

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Ah the Stilwell Strawberry Fest! Which usually meant scads of ads for Stilwell Strawberries on 8! Always wondered if Griffin Grocercy was tied to this event...

8 used to make as big a thing about the Porter Peach Festival but the staff always changed the name around to the Peter Porch Festival or something best not mentioned here...Never seemed like there WAS much in Porter back in the 70's...

Probably more than in Bokchito.

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Here is some more information for your website. I joined KTUL in 1961 as a cameraman and was promoted to director in 1963. I did the "Mr. Zing and Tuffy" show for it's entire 7-year run. I was later promoted to KTUL's production manager. I directed many specials for the station, including half hour programs on the Dallas Cowboys and James Brown. In 1968, I received an award of merit for a half-hour traffic safety film, "Learn to Live", sponsored by the Oklahoma Highway Department. I also worked with the ABC Network on two "Wide World of Sports" programs.

Hey, Wayne, good to hear from you again. Did you see the new picture of Tuffy and Shaggy in Stilwell? I added your comments to the Mr. Zing & Tuffy page.

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Check out the 2nd Mazeppa page for a new RealAudio sound clip of the original Uncola commercial with Geoffrey Holder, heard many times on the Mazeppa show.

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Ah, Kitty Clover Potato Chips. As a child growing up in Kansas City, I remember a kid's auction show on one of the TV stations there sponsored by Kitty Clover. I stored my empty potato chip sacks in our basement, trying to accumulate enough to get on the show and buy something someday. One evening when my mom was in the basement doing laundry she saw a mouse scurrying around in my stack of sacks. That was the end of my sacks, the end of my big chance to be on TV, and the end of my dream of getting a free bicycle!

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Does anyone remember Bob Demers, or Gloria Strickland from the late 1970s?

Rick

Sure do...one of these days, we'll get some pictures of them out here! Thanks for writing in, Rick.

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Did KOTV have a big 50th anniversary party? And *I* wasn't invited?!?! How rude.

I totally expected them to have a big hour-long type special on their anniversary, but really only saw little snippets during the news, and commercials featuring old footage of Cy Tuma.

I believe I saw in KOTV's forum that a special is still to come in October.

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Do any of our readers have pictures from last year's KTUL "reunion" party hosted by one of the Leake daughters?

How about from KOTV's big blow-out of 50 years of being on air?

It would be great to see what some faces look like now!

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I think we need to contract to the Townsend Top Shop for some t-shirts for this site! It makes sense but what do we do for designs????

They are a part of Tulsa advertising/successful business history, too!

Yeah, we'll have to think about that.

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Mike McMahon! Hadn't heard that name in 20 years! Where else did Mike work before TPS??

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I enjoy reading you guys who worked in TV. My experience was in the Tulsa Public Schools, 1975. We transmitted over cable but three of our shows were live each week and we pre-recorded others. Mike McMahon always wanted to "do it like the big boys" (you guys), and we really did have some pretty ambitious projects so I got a taste of `real' TV.

I remember Brewster's Toy Store show and there was also a kids' show where you saved up potato chip wrappers and then bid on items on live Sat. TV. I was on it once and am quite sure it was Ch.2. We did bid high enough to win a Rick-a-Shinny (street hockey game). The other kids were waiting to bid on the bikes and big stuff.

Yes, Billy Hargis mentioned Brewster's on the "Tulsa TV Memories" segment on KJRH's "Oklahoma Memories". I halfway remember that too...was it a show where they just displayed the latest toys?

That kid's auction sounds tantalizingly familiar as well. Was the potato chip brand Kitty Clover? I will keep an eye out for that show on my trip to the library next week.

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GREAT IDEA, I LOVE ANYTHING ABOUT TULSA HISTORY, I'M A 5TH GENERATION TULSAN AND PART OF THE "TOWNSEND TOP SHOP" FAMILY

Oh, yes, I remember Townsend Tops...I bought a T-shirt there myself. I thought it would be hilarious to have the shirt printed to say "Your Name Here", like a catalog picture. No one ever said a word about it.

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Evershed Power Optics story I got from Lee Woodward.

When 6 did an early morning show in the late 60's they had 1 or 2 cameras on the remote control heads - this was an "economy move" to use less crew.

These were remote tilt/pan/zoom only cameras - unlike those of today that move along a magnetic floorstrip or can truck unattended.

Lee was sitting at the old newsdesk when one of the cameras parked next to the desk to do cross angle shots, lost it's "mind" and started banging up and down on the edge of the news desk uncontrollably. I think he lost it and joked he felt like it was going to attack him!

It's hilarious now but back when 6 had only 2 then very expensive Norelco color cameras for all shows, it could have been disastrous.

When I was a 6 - we used the Evershed head for "supers" and the end of show credit "roll" off the homemade motorized drum with a then high tech low-light Panasonic b&w camera.

One time after a disasterous cast I was so disgusted I asked Andy K. Lee - our manic and maniac night floor guy to "take my name off of credits" - meaning Directed By Mike Bruchas, he peeled my name off and that night the cast was Directed By -BLANK-. It probably fit the tone of the cast....

After switching shows at 8 on 3 different switcher and setting all my own keys and effects at 6 - under the George Jacobs school of thought - directors had to call for the engineers to hot switcher on their switcher for keys and wipes - often with many a mispunch depending on who was engineering/switching air that night. We had 1 audio board in master control 2 but 2 director pillbox edit suites big enough for a director, producer, CG op only.

I can visualize Lionel doing a silent take while this camera is going berserk.

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Mike mentioned all the home-brew stuff KOTV had back when we worked there. I remember that control room looking out the old news set in Studio B (rendered obsolete when the giant Battlestar Corinthian was installed in soundstage-size Studio A) had the first robotic camera installation I had ever seen. By the time I got there, all it was used for was the b&w camera that shot the drum on which the credit roll was loaded, but it was by Evershed Power Optics of England, which actually stayed alive to build some of the early robot cams installed at places like NBC in the 80's.

They also had a home-made tape playback rig for commercials that used 3/4 inch tape players. A tone on one of the two audio channels fired the next player in the sequence, giving a sort of primitive automation for breaks. It also played back news tapes, too, and when there was audio on channel 1, it would stop 'em dead right in the middle of the story.

Chan Allen was the chief engineer who was responsible for maintaining and building after George retired. He was from the baling wire and chewing gum school of engineering, and that was probably a blessing out on the prairie in the days before sending a card back to Sony was the extent of maintenance. I know all of us were good at breaking the stuff.

All the Corinthian stations were run "mean and lean" before that term gained currency in the argot of broadcasting, even the flagship, KHOU, in Houston where Dan Rather launched his television career rescuing heifers in hurricanes.

Here's another long-forgotten name: Jim Duggan, photog extraordinare. When last I heard, Jim was at WCBS in New York, but that was probably 12 or 15 years ago.

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Side bar story - big in Texas.

AH Belo Corp. - owner of KOTV - is in the midst of a civil rights discrimination suit at the Dallas Morning News - which it owns.

Three employees may or may not be truly wronged, but the newspaper management made several boners in how it refered to them and treated them - it was decided through arbitrators.

Funny, the folks on TV side of corporate management never seem to goof up and Belo is one of THE top TV chains to work for!

In fact Belo taking over KOTV was one of the best things for the station technology-wise - where 20-25 years ago everything was hand-built to save money.

When I was there in '76-'77 - we had wacky handbuilt switchers and audio boards started under the eye of (the then retired) Director of Engineering George Jacobs - once a brilliant engineer in the early days of TV. It was weird going from 8 which had pretty good off the shelf technology - to a station where so much was kit-bashed. As time went by and more enlightened Chief Engineers like Don Stafford moved in, KOTV got some of the best TV tech gear in Tulsa!

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Darrell Neale said in Guestbook 15:

You recently had a reader comment on Scooter B. Segraves, he had to be part of the greatest collection of DJ's ever assembled at a Tulsa radio station.

Scooter B was from 3 til 6 pm, Captain Fantastic from 6 until 10 pm, Denver Foxx, 10 til 2 am, Don Cook, 2 till 6 am, Mike "Morning Mouth" McCarthy, 6 am till 9 am, Gary Ono Stevens, 9 am till noon and Charlie Derick noon till 3 pm.

Don Cook said in response via email:

That was indeed a killer air-staff, and it was a privilege for me to be part of it. I worked there shortly after the demise of Progressive Radio KTBA in Broken Arrow in 1974. Far as I know, Scooter B. was the most talented radio personality in the history of Tulsa Top 40 radio, and he's now doing Country Radio in Louisiana. He was a true media crazy in the 70's, and was known, and respected, by DJ's all across the U.S.

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While at CompUSA today, a colleague of mine saw a white Plymouth Neon with a California tag that said "KVOO-TV". Who the heck could that have been? As we know, KVOO-TV has not existed since 1970.

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Here's just some additions/corrections to some of the early info on KWBT-TV 19.

I think it's licensed to Muskogee/Tulsa, but I'm not really sure if that's a major deal, other than the xmitr will be between there, likely in the Coweta/Oneta area.

According to the OK Radio/TV station listing on metronet.com, a tentative on-air debut is September 9.

See the Links page for a link to the Tulsa Radio/TV Listings that Mr. Church spoke of.

This is now Guestbook 16...the previous discussion has been archived as Guestbook 15. We heard from new visitors Darrell Neale, and Mick Fine, who contributed a number of great new Mazeppa artifacts. We also heard from Mr. Scott "Scooter B." Segraves, legendary KAKC DJ of the 60s/70s. Also, almost anything you want to know about Tulsa TV transmitters and antennae can be found in Guestbook 15, courtesy of the regular contributors to this site.

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Here's what little I heard about Tulsa's newest TV station from here on the East Coast.

Channel 19 was an unused commercial channel in T-Town I never knew was available.

It is owned by an LLP - a group in a limited partnership - supposedly with WB network corporate ties.

The studios and physical plant are over by the old Oil and Gas Journal printing plant by 15th & Sheridan.

Target date for air is "early Fall" - probably to get into the October ratings book - is my guess.

Wow - a new but now established network and a new station in Tulsa! It was neat when 23 went on as just an independent - but this is great. Now I wonder what they will program outside the WB's nightly offerings and Disney afternoon block? In some markets - UPN stations have lost StarTrek's new offerings to the WB.

Who carries StarTrek Voyager, TNG, etc. in Tulsa?

UPN has them both in Tulsa.

Getcha Tulsa TV jobs, right here.

Check out the new Mazeppa posters today.

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WB19 has an ad in this week's Broadcasting & Cable magazine for staff!

If you're on a first name basis with Dawson, Buffy and Felicity we have a great job for you!

We're signing on America's newest WB station and we have openings in the following areas:

Creative Services Director

Art Director

Promotion Producer/Editors

Program Director

Traffic Manager

Account Executives

Send tape/resumes to:

Human Resources
KWBT Broadcast Center
6910 East 14th Street
Tulsa,OK 74112

Fax 918 835-2580 EOE

Hey, a new Tulsa TV station! Definitely out-of-the-box promotion, posting here.