Schieffer semi-masqueraded as a cop till the FBI threw him out after learning that he was a reporter. It was his first scoop of a lifetime of them...

However, Bob Gregory, (my former boss at KTUL-Radio prior to the switch to KELi,) and I spent most of the next few days covering events in Dallas by phone for the network. Bob who was working at Channel 8 used a lot of creativity to jump ahead of many national news outlets. Basically we recorded numerous JFK-related sound bites which I then fed to the network. I don’t recall whether Bob fed some to ABC News. But I know he got some excellent pieces that were used on the radio network. These included interviewing Federal Judge Sara Hughes who administered the oath of office to LBJ before departing Love Field. He had her paged at the terminal following the brief ceremony aboard Air Force One. I’m sure Gregory remembers many others.

It was a very sad time, but we kept busy and made a few bucks. And we felt more involved in covering the story…even from Tulsa.

One of the greatest cameramen of all time, Pat O’Dell, and I were in Vandevers Department Store, possibly Christmas shopping. A store clerk mentioned she’d heard the president had been shot. We thought that it was sort of amusing that a clerk would be giving two hotshot news guys such an important morsel, until we got into the station wagon parked out in the alley and turned on the radio.

In a flash, we were back at the station and Cronkite was in fifth gear. (On NBC, Frank McGee, another Oklahoman, was reporting. I have no memory of ABC, although Jack Morris at Channel 8 was still a player. If ABC wasn’t on, Jack probably was. Despite NBC News affiliation, Channel 2 was the weak sister in Tulsa in those days.) Our concern at KOTV was how to handle the story locally. Pat and I considered heading down to Dallas, but figured the network could take care of that end without our help.

In those days the networks communicated with their affiliates by telex, a little teleprinter similar to a wire machine. (Do younger people know what I am talking about?) CBS advised us by telex they were staying on the air without commercials until further notice. Not only were Pat and I useless in Dallas, we seemed useless in Tulsa, too.

The station manager, George Stevens, program director Art Elliot, sales manager Dale Hart, and I conferred every hour or so, invariably deciding to stick with the CBS coverage.

As the afternoon rolled on, Pat and I did many downtown “man-on-the-street” interviews with Tulsans, and resurrected some recent film of JFK in Oklahoma. (He’d been to Sen. Robert Kerr’s funeral in Oklahoma City the previous January.) And we waited.

And waited. We were spring-loaded to go anytime the network broke but Cronkite and company went on and on. I think we got on the air sometime that night with an abbreviated newscast. If anything else happened that day in Tulsa it’s lost to TV history.

Patrick O’Dell, by the way, left Tulsa about the same time I did, shortly after the assassination, and went to work for CBS News, and is still shooting for the network based in Dallas. His partner down there is Ron Hagler, also a great shooter formerly of KOTV, but now turned soundman for CBS News.

(At left, Ron Hagler with Bob Brown at KOTV.)

Yes, I remember the Telex machine; you could punch a paper tape to feed through and send a text message over the phone line. I used one to type in FORTRAN source programs for a mini-computer in 1968. The FAX machine made the Telex obsolete by the mid-80s, except in some third world countries.

Sad to read that Tom Gordon went to the Big Radio Station in the sky. I'll never forget the afternoon he stormed out of the control room and hurled a cart across the room because the spot had expired overnight. My job to take them out of there...so it was I whose backside received the chewing as only Tom could. As fate would have it, I've just moved back home to Louisiana...tuned into KXKC one day and there was Scooter Seagraves! Jim Peters, that was a moving tribute to Thomas Guerdat. Thanks for sharing your memories.

It had pinball, jukebox, and pretty good shakes and burgers.

http://www.pww.on.ca/shoppe.htm

I didn't care much for the venue, but the show was great. It was the first Al show I haven't been able to take my still camera into.

Cheap and unusual flavors like black cherry soda.

Semi-related is the Pop Bottles page on this site.

Perhaps Fred, (an effective politician,) was shaking too many hands and his strength gave out the day Frank was saying hello.

The simple act is actually very important in communicating with voters. In the late ‘70s I worked in Arkansas politics for Ed Bethune who was running for 2nd District Congressman. At first, Ed was a little shy in public and I remember old-timer U.S. Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt taking me aside to advise Bethune to make sure he tried to shake everybody’s hand at each public appearance. It must have worked for JPH; he kept getting reelected in Northwest Arkansas.

In politics it’s probably a good idea to shake (while never biting) the hand that feeds you. But for us voters, it’s always wise to keep the other hand on your wallet!

The handshake was soft, not even a squeeze, much like the traditional Arab handshake. After being surprised, I later learned that the candidates have to do that because their hands just wouldn't last if they continually squeezed.

The most surprising phenomenon was that both men looked totally exhausted, with eyes that were glazed over. And yet, when they started to speak, their faces brightened, their minds seemed sharp, and their voices rang with conviction. (Of course, they probably could have delivered these well-rehearsed and oft-repeated speeches in their sleep.)

But the impression I came away with was that the campaigning schedule is insane. It takes a terrific physical and probably emotional toll on the candidate.

Due to Friday's storms, the Weird Al concert has been postponed to TONIGHT. Doesn't help me, I still won't be able to go.

Speaking of the storms, I was without power until late Saturday afternoon. Thank goodness we were able to get rid of the 100 degree temps. Mike Bruchas mentioned storm video near Mohawk Park. The golf course there is shut down until further notice due to tons of tree damage and flooding. 60+ year old trees snapped during the height of the storm. Too bad, that was such a beautiful public course compared to others (LaFortune, especially).

Caught the new "Beef Baloney" show on tape at midnight Saturday. It had some good laughs...I think we may have a wiener! It will be replayed several times this week (see the BB site for details), so look for it.

Here’s what I remember about network shows that were either delayed or not shown on Tulsa television:

- KTUL was one of only a few affiliates to delay SOAP. If I remember correctly, both SOAP and FAMILY seemed to be delayed by a week, because we always seemed to be a week behind in the TV GUIDE descriptions.

- If I remember correctly, KJRH did not play the second season of MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN. Ironically, when KOKI (or was it 41?) reran MARY HARTMAN in the 1980s, I don’t think they got through the first season before it was taken off for JOAN RIVERS or something like that. I’ve never seen the last season of the series. Did FERNWOOD TONIGHT ever play here in its original run?

- SANFORD & SON aired on NBC on Fridays at 7 PM, but at some point (perhaps from the beginning, but at least somewhere between 1972 & 1974) it was moved by KTEW to Sunday nights in the 9:30 slot (which is actually a better time to watch SANFORD & SON anyway). I think it may have been swapped with NIGHT GALLERY (which I seem to remember watching on Friday nights) in September of 1972, when NIGHT GALLERY was cut down to a half-hour. In the 1973 season there was no NBC programming on Sundays at 9:30 (presumably for public service or syndicated programming). In 1974 it was definitely replaced by POP GOES THE COUNTRY and ran at 9:30. In 1975 NBC bumped the Sunday Mystery Movie up a half-hour and filled the 9:30 spot.

The reason I remember POP GOES THE COUNTRY in 1974 is because the TV version of PLANET OF THE APES ran on CBS (KOTV) that season at 7 PM Fridays, and S&S was not on, so I usually watched the first half-hour of APES (which was bloody awful) and flipped it over to CHICO & THE MAN at 7:30.

- I think a few episodes of HOT L BALTIMORE (which aired JAN- JUNE 1975) eventually played on KTUL, but if I remember correctly I never saw it because it played in the 9:30 PM Sunday slot, opposite of SANFORD & SON. My memory is a little hazy on that period because KTUL delayed their primetime ABC Sunday Night Movie to 10:30 or 11 PM for at least one season. I can’t remember the KTUL schedule for Sunday Primetime in 1975. There’s also a possibility the show was delayed to Sunday night, after the news (and probably HAWAII 5-0 or STAR TREK). I can’t find a listing for when it aired on ABC, but Friday at 9:30 PM seems like a good guess (the web master on www.jumptheshark.com notes that it was on after THE NIGHT STALKER, which was on Fridays).

- I don’t believe the first episode of the 1977 NBC RICHARD PRYOR SHOW (even with all the editing) ever played on KJRH.

- OETA played a Monty Python episode with a topless woman in it two or three times when the episodes first aired uncensored, then finally placed a bar over the breasts in all successive airings.

- OETA also played the six-part BBC mini-series THE GLITTERING PRIZES based on the Frederic Raphael book, which had some nudity in it (about the same amount as I CLAUDIUS). OETA never censored it, but when it re-ran it played in the evening and on Saturday morning. After a couple of weeks they replaced the Saturday morning repeat with a different show.

-I also remember the Bob Dylan concert HARD RAIN, which was suppose to play at 9 pm on 9/14/76 (which was a Wednesday,) was delayed until that Saturday after the last news. In its place KJRH broadcast an award ceremony for Speaker Carl Albert (it may have been his retirement). Once again, wouldn’t you rather watch a concert on a Saturday night?

- Did KTUL show POLITICALLY INCORRECT until the end?

- KOTV seemed to play everything when it aired, even ALL IN THE FAMILY and MAUDE.

Not airing “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy” is a mistake, citing its production values just compounds the issue (I’ve seen some pretty raw programming on KJRH and all the other stations,) and the argument that network television viewers are going to turn off FRIENDS and start watching BRAVO is insane. However, with the exception of HOT L BALTIMORE (which I never saw) and this recent incident, I can’t really think of any shows being kept off of Tulsa television for homosexual content (I think they wanted to get rid of Letterman because his show was “weird”). The first time I saw MIDNIGHT COWBOY was on KJRH.

By the way, I’ve seen the BEEF BALONEY pilot tape and it’s brilliant! Record it!

Tulsa's new comedy TV, BEEF BALONEY, premieres this Saturday night (August 2nd) on FOX23 at midnight. And to kick it off we are throwing a huge block party on Brookside, 34th and Peoria. The party is free for everyone. Live entertainment, alcohol, and prizes.

After that, everybody is invited to the Suede for free food from Jason's Deli and Hideaway Pizza.. And we will all watch the first episode of Beef Baloney on the big screen!! Followed by even more partying with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.

How can we afford to throw this awesome party thats free for everyone? ...We're sponsored by Red Bull!

Hope to see you all there!

The party starts at 7 pm, then heads to Suede at 11 pm. Afterparty VIP passes can be obtained from a "Beef Baloney" representative at the street event. Music provided by Omnichron, Aqueduct, the Ills, and the Matt Edwards Jazz Force (featuring a subset of Jacob Fred).

Later: made it out to the party for awhile. It was very well-organized by Red Bull and well-attended. Aqueduct and the Baloney Boys were good. The frozen T-shirt contest was...good. Sadly, I had to go to work in the late evening, but I'll be watching the show on tape tomorrow.

Too bad, he was a funny guy, although you never saw him smile or laugh. His dry and cynical sense of humor made you laugh as he dished out the latest dirt from The Young and the Restless.

Paul Shushkewitch, 58, was production crew chief for the show and had worked at KOTV for almost 13 years. He was a New York native and also had been a cameraman at Columbia Pictures for many years. He will be missed.

There was a long history of Channel 8 pre-empting ABC shows for commercial reasons, especially the shows that ran Mondays at 7pm right before Monday Night Football/Baseball. There was the Captain & Tennille, the San Pedro Beach Bums, etc. We covered them with syndicated shows like Gunsmoke.

Channel 2 has a history of controversial preemptions. Tom Snyder interviewed Charles Manson for the "Tomorrow" show in 1981, but the interview was not shown in Tulsa. "Saturday Night Live" was not seen here in its first season (1975).

Wilhelm Murg in Guestbook 133: "'Thicke of the Night' ran from 1983-1985, which is when Channel 2 took Letterman off the air...After Thicke was cancelled, Channel 2 experimented with going off the air at midnight, rather than show Letterman, except on Fridays when they showed 'Kung Fu Theatre'. I remember the petitions to bring Letterman back on the air that were circulated at TU when I was a student there."

I learned at the Thicke link above that NBC's Tucson affiliate also replaced Letterman with Thicke...and viewers there were unhappy, too.

Mike Bruchas in Guestbook 6: "KTUL did not carry (1975 sitcom) HOT L BALTIMORE off ABC (it died anyway) because of too many gay characters on it - again did not meet you-know-what. I think at one time SOAP wasn't carried off ABC in its regular time for the same reason - they may have tape delayed it."

I do remember seeing HOT L at some point; maybe it was also a case of tape delay. There were several aspects of the show (a Norman Lear production) that were probably deemed potentially offensive or too sophisticated for prime time Tulsa audiences. I can't think of any similar occurrances with KOTV, though.

More about the "Queer Eye" preemption above.

We were talking about the RIAA going after web music downloaders - he said this is killing the retail music biz. Folks want music but for free - "hey we got it with the computer" - and the ability to create their own personal CD's. Nothing wrong with that in principle but artists and composers need to be paid - whether thru record sales or something like Mac's iTunes. We are so old that we remember when free music was recording garage bands or remembering those idiots who use to smuggle cassette recorders into concerts in Tulsa - trying to make their own "bootleg" recordings...

Click on the link for the '57 Plymouth story, scroll down to the bottom half of the picture, and standing just to the left center, is Abe Lincoln in a top hat wearing sunglasses.

Just exactly what year was it that we buried the Plymouth?

This is a countdown timer for the unburial of the Plymouth. (And photos with text about the time capsule.)

The 1957 time capsule buried at City Plaza was discussed. It's due to be unearthed in 2007 and contains, among other things, a '57 Plymouth with a case of Schlitz in the trunk. We'll see if the big plastic bag has kept rust out of the car; beer cans were made of steel at that time, so the Schlitz could be pretty funky.

Three pieces of music used as themes on Johnny Martin's big band KRMG radio show were identified. We learned that one of Gary Busey's purported multiple personalities is named "Pesky, the Excitable Boy" (I have a hunch that Pesky's peskiness might spill over into some of the other personalities). We saw a Victor Borge handbill from the Brady Theater circa late 40s/early 50s; the cheap seats were $1.22. An oddly-named soft drink of the 50s, "El Wino", was inquired after.

John Russell of the musical group Admiral Twin dropped in with a mention of a bizarre Pink Floyd cut used to promote the Plenty Scary Movie. We heard that KTUL artist Monte Toon (who did the PSM artwork) has written a novel.

Lowell and Susan Burch unveiled their new music CD, which boasts an early Tulsa TV motif. Lowell recorded it digitally on his new computer, and multi-tracked most of the instruments. Who needs a recording label? It's available at their web site, where you can hear samples.

This is only a partial listing of what is yours in Guestbook 142.