Some Tulsa TV News
men and women
of the past
On to the 2nd News page
(from Guestbook 7)
John Hillis (John is a former KOTV news
producer...see his Dewar's-style profile
or read about his Nelson's Buffeteria chicken-fried
steak addiction.)
Since I'm here..about the Moose.
The hearty big-guy look and voice and the propensity to malaprop from scripts
(some of 'em mine, I confess) that perhaps weren't the best written I think
led the King/Woody to the "Moose" nickname.
Bill was a warm, likeable guy off-camera as well
as on, and was, like his brothers Bob Gregory and Jim Pitcock, quite a newsman.
Bill was trained in a CBS program at Columbia in the early-mid 60s.
I met Bob only once, but spent a fair amount of time with Jim in my work
here.
Down in the basement, I also have a 3/4 tape of Bill dissolving in laughter
after calling the Hong Kong Flu the "King Kong Flu." All Irv Johnson could
do was roll the break...but it was a long, long three second pre-roll. (This
footage was seen on the KOTV 50th anniversary special, 10/29/99!
Here is a still of it. And here's an audio clip:
) |
(from Guestbook 7) Mike Bruchas said:
I'm not sure if it was on John
Hillis' watch or Jan Berry's - that we were told to never, never write, "Good
Evening, I'm Bill Pitcock"
on the first page of Pitcock's newscopy or promptercopy.
Because if the writer did - Bill would do his live top of show opening of
show greeting, "Good Evening, I'm Bill Pitcock" -- then go to read the prompter
copy. Which might make him say the same thing again! I remember folks talking
about this happening and rolling on the floor. - LOL - It still is one of
my favorite "Moose" stories....
(Mike is a former KTUL cameraman/director, and a prolific contributor
to this site; see the Origin page for more about
him.) |
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(Rest your cursor on the picture to see names)
Guy
Atchley anchors at KGUN in Tucson.
Margaret Radford was Healthwatch reporter at NBC's San Diego affiliate.
2/16/07 update:
she
left KNSD to pursue opportunities in L.A.
Doug
Dodd is a Tulsa attorney, past Chairman of the American Diabetes
Association, served on the Tulsa School Board, and ran for Oklahoma's First
District Congressional seat.
Jeff Rosser is
a VP at Raycom Media.
Chris Lincoln is Executive VP at
Winnercomm and is back as Sports
Director at KTUL. |
(via email to webmaster,
9/2002) Margaret Radford
said:
Thank you so much for sharing your site with me. It was great fun to read
about what everyone is doing.
I'm still working in San Diego. General Assignment reporter at the NBC O&O.
I've been in San Diego since I left Channel 8 in Tulsa. I came out to do
General Assignment reporting at the NBC station which six months later switched
to ABC. (how often does that happen?) After 14 years, I went over the the
CBS affiliate as Weekend Co-Anchor. A year later, they made me morning Co-Anchor.
Inside of six months we dominated the mornings. Two years later, and many
bleary-eyed mornings later, I left for the NBC affiliate in San Diego to
do a three-way Anchor early evening newscast. Six months later, I found myself
doing three shows a day. For the first time in the history of the station
we won at 11pm.
Now I've gone full circle, back pounding the pavement covering all the news
that's fit to air. (and some that isn't)
I lost my loving husband, Joseph McMahan to a brain tumor four years ago.
I have a beautiful daughter, Danielle Treco. She's an Entertainment Attorney.
And a cute little Scottish Terror, ah Terrier, named Tulsa.
Take care and thanks for remembering me.
Sincerely,
Margaret Radford
Mike Miller and Jeff Rosser
working on a
6 p.m. broadcast. |
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(from Guestbook 9) Bob Brown (of
ABC's "20/20") said:
I happened across the site on a friend's recommendation and was impressed
by the range of knowledge Mike Bruchas displayed. I would like to correct
one thing. I was drafted into the Army in 1968 and served two years, working
in army information, but did not serve in
Vietnam, although I helped write and produce Vietnam-related
material. Vietnam was a whole other level of service, and the ones who were
sent or volunteered to go deserve special recognition for their time in the
army...which I do not deserve.
I had worked at KOTV from 1964-68 while I put myself through the University
of Tulsa. I returned there in 1970 after my army service, and left late in
1973 to anchor at KHOU-TV in Houston, which was owned by Corinthian Broadcasting
(no longer with us) the same company that owned KOTV. I was at WFAA-TV in
Dallas from 1975-77, and have been at ABC since
1977. Mike's right about
my having worked at KRMG. I started there in 1960, when it was owned by the
Meredith Broadcasting Company, and left at the end of 1961 when the station
was sold..to Swanco, I think. By then I was a high school senior, and Dick
Schmitz hired me to work at KAKC. That's where Scooter Segraves started calling
me 'Baby Bobby Brown,' after which I used the nickname on the air.
Thanks for taking the time to visit, Bob. We're honored to hear from you
back here in Tulsa, where many folks remember your Tulsa TV stint fondly.
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"The Boss" with Anthony Mason on CBS Sunday Morning, 5/22/2005. Anthony
reported for Channel 2 in the late 70s.
(from Guestbook 184) Kristi Stewart said:
Nice to see Anthony Mason again! He's done quite well for himself.
I used to work with Anthony at KTEW in the late 70's early 80's. I was the
associate producer of the 6 & 10 p.m. newscasts.
One fond memory I have of Anthony was when he attended my ? birthday party
at my parents' home in Tulsa. And, in a close race with then-reporter Roche
Madden and, I believe "Troubleshooter" Jim
Forbes (Jim, I'm not sure on this one), he won the coveted title
of "BEST LEGS" during the evening's festivities!
YES girls (and guys), Anthony had great gams!
He was also one of the best investigative reporters around.
Go get 'em Anthony!
(from Guestbook 9) Rex Daugherty said:
John Hillis, mentioned the "Chug Hole of the Week." ... Or, "The Chuck Hole
of the Week."
Depending on which side of the
Mississippi you were born on. Let's see, so for John that would be "chuck."
Clayton Vaughn let me do absolutely ANYTHING for a chughole of the week.
Being a big goof, I thought it was great --- a chance to be silly in front
of 100-thousand people every week.
One week I got little toy wind up Godzillas and let them churn around in
a chug hole -- I got some neighborhood girls to stand way down the street
and run around screaming .... it was, how you say, "forced perspective."
I got the idea from my cousin, Pat Daugherty, now a drama teacher in a community
college in OKC. Pat was a Junior at Chelsea High School.
I could have gotten all my techniques by going to one the expensive film
school in California, like Channel 8's Greg Sherrill -- did ... but, hey,
if you can't get learn from a high school kid -- you just can't learn.
Once Clayton let me spend a hundred bucks to haul the KOTV grand piano out
to a street off Admiral and Sheridan ... I hired a TU pianist, rented a tuxedo
and bought "Mendelson's Spring Song" from Saied's music company. However,
first -- and I never told Clayton this ... I wasted half a day seeing I could
figure out how to play the song myself -- finally I called this guy I knew
at TU to come do the deal.
It worked. The piano was kind of cockeyed in the chug - chuck hole ... and
Dave played away. Clayton loved it.
Of course, for me -- the big deal was .."Did Clayton like
it?"
I remember once when Clayton didn't like it -- that was when I was Rocky
Stegman's photographer ... and he had me shoot a bunch of Christmas decorations
at Gilcrease museum ... then he and Susan Bunn got in the recording booth
and sang Christmas songs acapella.
After the story aired, Clayton had this dry look ... He looked at Rocky and
said, "That was the worst thing I've ever seen."
Of course, there was lots worse to come ... when we went to live reports
from reporters in the field -- but that's another day.
And, what am I doing now? ... Business TV at Williams. See ya later -- we'll
talk about Henry Lyle's fake heart attacks and Macho Van Dyke's feet.
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Veteran newscaster Clayton Vaughn, "The Dean of Tulsa Television".
He also hosted an excellent interview show, "A
Conversation With...".
He was a Silver Circle Inductee in 1999 by the Heartland Chapter of the National
Television Academy. Read a
bio
of Clayton at their site.
"Claxton" (as Lionel addressed him) recently retired
as director of the Tulsa Historical
Society, now based in the Travis mansion at 2445 South Peoria.
He was voted a "Tulsa TV Icon" by the Tulsa Press Club, 5/22/2003. |
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Clayton interviews Jenkin L. Jones of the Tulsa Tribune
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"And now, let's do something about Highway 33!"
Dan P. Holmes did his own insurance commercials during the evening TV news
in the 1960s and 70s. He always ended with an angry exhortation to help get
Highway 33 fixed.
He ultimately succeeded: The old OK 33 east of Tulsa is now US 412, with
a slightly different and safer routing. It is designated as the Dan P. Holmes
Memorial Highway.
Highway 33 bumper sticker |
From the webmaster's 1971 Gulf Tourgide Map, kept in his beat-up '64 Chevy
while at OU.
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