TWIN CITIES TELEVISION MILESTONES

The following information, and especially the dates, are not represented to be 100 percent accurate or complete.  Many different sources were used, including peoples' memories, and conflicts can arise.  Additions or corrections are always welcome - just contact us.  Many thanks to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting, located at 3515 Raleigh Avenue in St. Louis Park, for providing access to their archives - especially their large-yet-incomplete collection of TV magazines.  The Museum will be posting a more complete timeline to its website in the coming weeks.  Another valuable source is J.R. Lonto, the absolute authority on Twin Cities TV.

The history of television can go back as far as 1884, when Paul Nipkow invented a mechanical television that used a perforated spinning disc.  Many more inventions would follow by many different inventors, making it difficult to name just one person who invented TV.  Let's concern ourselves with what went on here in the Twin Cities. 

1930

On Monday, September 29, 1930, the week-long ninth annual Northwest Radio and Electrical Show opened in the Minneapolis Auditorium. One of the main attractions was the first demonstration of television in the upper Midwest. Joseph Lukacs, a television engineer from New York, installed the portable transmitter and receiving equipment. In the auditorium, Lukacs supervised the construction of a projection room where the programs originated, a receiving room where the signal was fed, and a small theater where the crowds could see the results. The first night's demonstration of television included a shot of Minneapolis mayor William F. Kunze shaking hands with a young Clellan Card.  (from Julian West, author of What a Card, the biography of Clellan Card)

1933

In June 1933, Dr. George A. Young, who had operated his own radio station for over a decade, obtained a construction permit to operate experimental TV station W9XAT. The station could transmit a TV signal with a visual power of 500 watts, with the accompanying audio sent out over his radio station. Young’s system used a mechanical disk scanner – the performer stood in the dark, and dots of light were transmitted by the camera. The upcoming electronic ionoscope system overtook it. Other broadcasts included local puppeteer Bob Longfield, local radio star “Slim Jim” Iverson, and a black and white bulldog belonging to a staff person. The FCC saw no future in mechanical broadcasts, however.  Dr. Young gave up his television license in 1936, and station W9XAT closed down in 1938.

1935

Germany broadcast regularly scheduled TV in 1935.

1938

Stanley Hubbard, owner of KSTP radio, bought the first television camera commercially available from RCA in 1938. He began experimenting with closed-circuit television.

1939

The first national commercial television broadcast occurred at the 1939 New York World's Fair, in the RCA pavilion (which was shaped like a giant radio tube). Televisions had become electronic, and in the late 1930’s there were about 20,000 sets around the country.

The first demonstration of electronic television in Minnesota was by Stanley E. Hubbard of KSTP. It was a closed circuit telecast of an American Legion parade playing to six TV sets in the Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. KSTP was to have a great many "firsts" in the following years.

1941

Commercial television was authorized in May 1941, and the first commercially-produced program was broadcast on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on July 1, 1941.

1946

During World War II, television was put on hold, but started its comeback in 1946. That year, televisions cost as much as $400, but about 43,000 were sold that year. [Another source says that there were 6,000 TVs in 1946, and 39.5 million in 1956.]

1947

On April 19, 1947, Joe Beck opened the Twin City Television Lab, designed to train personnel in the skills needed in the new television industry. Located in the Lyceum Theatre Building at 85 Eleventh Street So. in Minneapolis, the complex occupied over 11,000 square feet of studios, classrooms, and offices. Mel Jass played a major role in designing and managing the Lab.
 

Unfortunately, the Lab closed in the fall of 1950.  One reason was an FCC freeze on new stations that lasted three and a half years. Beck Studios, Inc. had submitted an application to broadcast a commercial station on Channel 7, but it was denied. Another reason was that young men - potential broadcasters - were being drafted for the Korean War. The worst reason was that Joe Beck was in a horrific traffic accident on May 27, 1949 that killed his wife and put him in the hospital for five months. Joe Beck tells of his experiences in an article called "Pioneering in Television in the Twin Cities," published in the Fall 1979 issue of Minnesota History (the journal of the Minnesota Historical Society.

On December 7, 1947, Jack Horner was the first person to appear live on TV in the Twin Cities when he hosted a special program on KSTP, Channel 5. The show lasted 25 minutes as Jack introduced film highlights of the Army-Navy football game, did commentary on the latest Gopher-Wisconsin game, and showed a kinescope of the marriage ceremony between Prince Philip and the future Queen of England, Elizabeth.

1948

KSTP was the first TV station in Minnesota to broadcast regularly scheduled programs, signing on the air on April 27, 1948 from the Prom Ballroom. There were about 2,500 TV sets in the metropolitan area at the time. KSTP was the first NBC affiliate not owned by the network. In its early days, the local news was broadcast only once a week: The “KSTP Tele-Foto News” was broadcast on Mondays at 7:52 pm. It was the first local TV newscast, narrated by Paul Cunningham. That day was also the premiere of the “Sunset Valley Barn Dance” with David Stone, and the first movie, “Knight of the Plains” starring Fred Scott. The next day Jimmy Valentine conducted the first interview program, asking people about their hobbies. Valentine was an immediate staple on Channel 5, hosting many kiddie and other shows over his long career.

On October 1, 1948, the FCC put a freeze on new TV station applications that lasted until April 1952.  The action was pending solutions to a number of technical problems, including interference and opening new channels.  The next new station in the Twin Cities was Channel 11, which debuted in 1953.

In April 1948, there were approximately 12,500 TV sets in the Twin Cities.  (Another source says 6,000.)

Thirty-two television stations in the U.S. were scheduled to use RCA transmitters, including 2 in Minnesota: WTCN and KSTP.

Channel 1 was deleted and assigned to land mobile use.

1949

WTCN-TV began broadcasting on Channel 4 on July 1, 1949. In addition to live local programming, WTCN carried network programming via kinescope films. Its primary affiliation was with ABC, but also broadcast shows from CBS and DuMont.

Pianist Toby Prin hosted many local shows over the years, starting almost immediately after WTCN went on the air.

In October 1949, 18,000 Twin Cities households had a television set. Six months later, the number was 44,300, an increase of almost 250 percent. One could also rent a TV for a special event. Comparative statistics:  It would take 26 years for a quarter of the nation’s population to own a TV. It only took 16 years for the personal computer.

1950

In April 1950, there were 44,300 TV sets in the Twin Cities. By July, there were an approximately 100,00 TV sets in the Twin Cities, ranking 14th in the country. Arcade Appliance on Joppa Ave. increased their store size to get ready for the onslaught of TV buyers.

In May, the first national television listings were published as the TV Times.

Coaxial cable and radio relay came to the Twin Cities on September 30, 1950.  KSTP became part of the NBC network station engineer John McMahon pulled the switch at 12:45 pm.  The first network program was a football game.  WTCN became connected to ABC, CBS, and Dumont programming.  WTCN's changeover was accompanied by a ceremony where the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul pulled a prop switch.  The actual switch was pulled at 1:30 by two station employees, one of which was Charles Olson, 1816 Maryland, St. Louis Park. 

On October 3, 1950, KSTP was the first in the U.S. with a regularly scheduled daily newscast at 10 pm.
 

1951

In February 1951 there were approximately 216,800 TV in the Twin Cities. In June 1951 there were about 260,500 TV sets.

Mel Jass hosted many TV shows during his 30+ year career.  Although he may have appeared earlier, he first shows up in the TV magazines in December 1951 when he hosted “Show People” on Channel 4. In September 1952  he followed with the first “Mel Jass Show,” also on Channel 4. In 1957, Mel hosted "Popeye's Clubhouse," complete with sailor hat.  Then came Mel's Almanac, a new Mel Jass Show, and on and on.  Many people remember him as the host of Channel 11's 1:00 Matinee Movie, which ran until 1979.

In 1951, a strike closed Minneapolis schools, leaving 30,000 kids idle. In the breach, WTCN (Channel 4) aired two-hour “Video School” programs.

1952

On August 15, WTCN-TV's parent company bought WCCO Radio from CBS and divested itself from WTCN Radio.  Two days later, on August 17, Channel 4 call letters changed to WCCO-TV.  The station was primarily affiliated with CBS, although it also carried programs from ABC and DuMont.

On September 5, 1952, the TV Times (see 1950) became the TV Forecast. And on April 3, 1953, the Forecast became the TV Guide.

1953

On September 1, 1953, WTCN was reborn as Channel 11, an ABC affiliate.  At first the channel was shared by WMIN.  The two stations had two different studios:  WTCN was located on the third and part of the second floor of the Calhoun Beach Hotel, while WMIN was in the Hamm Building in St. Paul.  The two stations switched off every two hours or so. 

One of the first shows aired by WTCN was "Jack's Drug Store," hosted by DJ Jack Thayer.  He had a drug store set, and he played records and interviewed teenage guests.  Notable shows on WMIN featured "Captain" Jim Lange, later of the "Dating Game," and "Wrangler" Steve Cannon.  Roger Awsum as Casey Jones also made his debut on WMIN as "Noon Time Express."

Daryl Laub was a kiddie show fixture on Channel 11.  In 1953 he played "Skipper Daryl" and "J.P. Patches" back to back.  His shows benefited from the release of Warner Brothers cartoon to TV for the first time.  

There were only about 200 TV stations in the entire country, but it is estimated that over 50 percent of Americans owned TV sets.

The first color broadcast in the Twin Cities was the "Dragnet" Christmas episode, which ran on KSTP on December 10.

1954

KSTP broadcast the Tournament of Roses parade in color on January 1.

CASEY AND ROUNDHOUSE

Noon Time Express, starring Roger Awsumb as Casey Jones, signed on May 14, 1954 on WMIN (which was a station that shared airtime with WTCN Channel 11 until they merged in 1955.)   The description in the TV Guide was "Rog Awsumb as Casey Jones." 
 

When Casey’s original sidekick left in 1959, Lynn Dwyer was hired to play Roundhouse Rodney. Dwyer had an education degree from Macalester College and had been a professional skater with the Ice Capades. He had been a floor director at the station before being “discovered.”

ABC took over WTCN’s daytime schedule and Casey was dropped, but in response to irate letters, the show was revised to be broadcast after school from Grandma Lumpit’s Boarding House – with Dwyer as Grandma. In 1961 the station lost its ABC affiliation, the station went independent, and they were back in business, now titled “Lunch With Casey.” The afternoon show stayed on, as did a new morning show, “Wake up with Casey and Roundhouse.” Casey had a one-hour Saturday show in the early 1960s, followed by a separate Roundhouse Rodney show at 1:00.

By the early 1970s, live TV kiddie shows were on their way out; partly because fewer kids were coming home for lunch, and partly because of efforts of the Action for Children's Television to prevent hosts from doing commercials. The last Lunch With Casey was presented on December 29, 1972.

Dwyer continued on with his own “Roundhouse Show” on public television in 1974. On September 3, 1976, at age 48, he had a fatal heart attack while jogging in Brainerd.

AXEL AND HIS DOG
 

Also in 1954, Axel and his Dog made its debut on August 12 on WCCO Channel 4.  TV Guide said:  "Thursdays at 5:00 pm, gives old favorite Clellan Card a chance to trot out his inimitable Scandinavian accent.  Built around animated cartoons, the show features Axel, his faithful dog Towser, who can almost talk, and a host of animal friends." Towser was played by Don Stolz, owner of the Old Log Theater, until spring 1962. The show originally alternated with shows like "Terry and the Pirates,"  "Superman," and the "Cisco Kid."  On October 8, 1954, Axel was the first live local show broadcast in color. Clellan Card had played Axel on his radio show since 1937. He passed away on April 13, 1966, just weeks after his final program. Carmen the Nurse, played by Mary Davies, had joined the show with Axel and continued it until March 25, 1977.

WCCO produced the show Country Holiday, which was the first locally produced color broadcast to originate in the Twin Cities.  The Show starred Clellan Card and Mary Davies.

Despite the introduction of color in 1954, only about 1,000 color sets were sold nationwide. But sales jumped to 20,000 in 1955.

1955

On January 9, 1955, locally-owned  KEYD went on the air broadcasting on Channel 9.  It was affiliated with the DuMont Network.  The station would eventually become KMSP.  DuMont was out of business by the end of the year, and KEYD became an independent station until 1961.

At the end of April 1955, WTCN and WMIN, which had been sharing a frequency, merged under new ownership as WTCN. WTCN was an affiliate of ABC.

In 1955, RCA started selling color TVs in earnest, and KSTP was the first to broadcast its NBC network programs in color.  Other local stations ran to catch up, with the result that the Twin Cities had a head start on other cities. 

The first Minnesota community to get cable television was Lanesboro.

1956

On May 3, 1956, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought a share in the company that owned KEYD.  The station was renamed KMGM on May 23.

There were 39.5 million TVs in the U.S.

1957
 

On April 4, 1957, Mr. Earl R. Mohr of St. Louis Park won a Garry Moore lookalike contest.  That year also saw the first TV commercial made with video tape - for Kellogg's Cornflakes.

"American Bandstand" premiered in the Twin Cities on August 5, 1957 on Channel 11. The first song played was "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis. In the early days, it could be seen daily at 4pm. From October through December 1957, there was also a prime time version, airing on Mondays at 6:30. From February 1958 to September 1960, the prime time Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show aired with the same format as Bandstand. Bandstand started as a local show in Philadelphia in 1952. Dick Clark began hosting in 1956. On September 7, 1963 it went to once a week on Saturdays. In 1964 it moved to Los Angeles. It ran until 1989. Also see "TV Dance Shows" on the Twin City Music Highlights page.

September 15, KTCA Channel 2 held a two-hour kickoff event at the St. Paul Town and Country Club.  On September 16, America’s 26th public TV station, Channel 2 went on the air at 1:30 pm.  The station took the concept of  educational TV seriously, airing programs on how to play the piano, etc.
 

WTCN was bought by Time, Inc. Mel Jass was hired to anchor the 10 PM news, with Stu Lindman doing the weather and Frank Buetel on sports.

For five days starting on July 22, 1957, the game show "Truth or Consequences," emceed by Bob Barker, was telecast from the new Southdale Center.  5,000 people turned up on the first day, including Mayor Peterson.  The show was broadcast on Channel 5.

On December 4, 1957, the show "End of the Rainbow" was telecast from Minneapolis.  It was a Ralph Edwards production hosted by Art Baker.  The show had tricked Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Eskew into a trip to Chicago so they could remake their house and corner store.  They spent $20,000 redoing 4600 Chicago Ave.; work included the doubling and restocking of the store.  The Eskews, who had taken in 16 Catholic orphans in addition to their own children, were initially thrilled, but the deal went south when they could afford to keep it up.  They also faced resentment among their friends and customers.  The landlord raised the rent and the Eskews had to move out, initially to St. Louis Park.  By 1961 they were back in Minneapolis with a new store.  The show "End of the Rainbow" ended itself after a few more shows. 

1958

"Queen for a Day" was telecast from the St. Paul Civic Auditorium in January on Channel 5.

Loews sold its interest in KMGM on March 1, 1958. The station was renamed KMSP some time between March 1 and March 24, 1958.  It may have gone dark for a period that March.

KMSP featured "Minneapolis Wrestling," starring Verne Gagne. The show originated from studios in the Foshay Tower.  In 1961 it would move to WTCN, studios in the Calhoun Beach Hotel.  Gagne won a Big Ten wrestling championship in 1944. After two years in the Marines, he was a defensive end for the Gophers – and “perhaps the greatest wrestler in school history.” He turned professional in 1950. In 1960, he began producing All Star Wrestling, a one-hour program for the newly formed American Wrestling Association. Thanks to his promotional and business expertise, the show became wildly popular, as evidenced by the local hit song "The Crusher" bellowed out by the Novas (from Edina ) in 1965. It was eventually carried by 120 stations nationwide, nationally syndicated for 30 years, and even picked up by ESPN.
 

1959

Commodore Cappy, starring John Gallos, debuted on Channel 4 in fall 1959.  The show morphed into "Clancy the Keystone Cop," and on September 3, 1963, it was "Clancy the Cop." Clancy had a sidekick detective, Willie Ketchum (Allen Lotsberg). Gallos had been with WCCO since 1950.  The show aired until March 25, 1977.

Bill Carlson, who began his broadcasting career producing on-air programs at WCCO Radio, started working part-time on-air at WCCO-TV in 1959.

WCCO-TV became the first station in the Northwest to be equipped with the Ampex Videotape Recorder. This machine could record and play TV shows on magnetic tape, prompting CBS to feed news film to WCCO-TV during non-network hours. The machine cost $50,000 and a part-time employee was hired just to operate it. This videotape capability changed the industry and had a profound effect on the newsroom.

Soupy Sales also debuted on Twin Cities TV in 1959.  Kids and adults alike watched him on Channel 11 on Saturdays at noon.

1960

In June 1960, the second iteration of the TV Times began publication.  Unknown when it stopped.

At the height of the live kiddie shows, fueled by the onslaught of boomer children, we find that Axel went up against Casey in the late afternoon. 

August 4,1960 WTCN Channel 11 offered to switch channels with Channel 2 but was rebuffed. Channel 11 wanted the better technical signal of Channel 2. KTCA rejected deal even though WTCN offered cash as incentive

1961

On April 18 (16), 1961, KMSP became the area’s ABC affiliate, an arrangement that would last until 1979.  WTCN became an independent station.

KSTP became the country’s first all-color station.

WTCN bought the broadcast rights for the new Minnesota Twins baseball team.

WTCN Channel 11 ran the "Lucky 11 Dance Time" hosted by Brad Johnson.

1962

On July 23, 1962, WCCO participated in the first live international TV broadcast via the Telstar satellite. WCCO-TV’s mobile units provided the feed for all three networks, ABC, CBS, and Dumont, for a special program from the Black Hills showing Mount Rushmore to the world.

In August 1962, the name KSTP, Inc. was officially changed to Hubbard Broadcasting; Stanley E. Hubbard was President and General Manager.

1962 saw the premiere of "Popeye and Pete," featuring puppeteer Dave Lee.  Lee had started on Channel 9 in 1959. The Channel 11 show featured cartoons, goodie bags of candy to the kids, and puppets Pete the Penguin (who liked to pull ponitails) and Omar the Alligator. The crew liked to staple Omar's mouth shut as a joke on Dave. Last we heard, someone stole Omar and it broke Dave's heart.  The show was broadcast on Channel 11 at 4pm.

Dave Moore hosted and performed on "The Bedtime Nooz," a late Saturday night satirical review of the day’s news. The show is still remembered by many as a forerunner to “Saturday Night Live.”

In April 1962, a Minneapolis newspaper strike led to a nightly show on KTCA Channel 2 featuring the newspaper’s staff and management of the station reading news, comics, sports scores etc.

1964

WTCN was purchased by Chris-Craft Industries on October 2, 1964.  The station still had no network affiliation.

 

"A Date With Dino" was a local rock 'n' roll show on Channel 9 starring Dino Day and a teenage Nancy Nelson. It started twice weekly in December 1964, and on January 25, 1965, the show went daily at 4pm. It ran the school year to June 7, 1965, then came back on in October of '65 as "Upbeat."

The ad on the right reads "Dino Day hosts television's swingest (sic) Dance Show...'live' from Channel 9 Studios... exciting top record stars perform their hit records... keep informed with Teen News International and Sports All-American." (Dino couldn't have been that "swingest:"  that's a Ray Conniff record behind him.)

1965

In 1965, KTCI (Channel 17) received its license on May 3, 1965 and went on the air on May 4.  It was a sister station to KTCA, the area's second educational station and the first UHF station. It was originally assigned to the Tedesco Brothers in the early 1950s as commercial station WCOW-TV, to be affiliated with the DuMont network, but [WCOW-TV] never made it on the air.

1966

In November 1966, WCCO went to all color.

1967

In January 1967, KMSP went to all color

On April 11, 1967, KTCA and KTCI were the first educational stations in the country to broadcast in color.

In 1967, two local TV magazines were started.  The TV Digest ran until at least 1973.  And the third iteration of the TV Times came out in April 1967.  This third Times was a bit questionable; it had almost no content, and for some unfathomable reason, most of the advertisers were naughty massage parlors.  Was it primarily distributed in motels??

Channel 11 aired North Stars Hockey games.

1970

In 1970, WTCN went to all color.

To save money, KTCI goes off the air for the summer on May 19.

1971

WTCN was bought by Metromedia.

1973

The Children's Television Act, which banned principal actors from making commercials, took effect on January 1, 1973, effectively putting Casey and Roundhouse and other kiddie shows out of business.

1972

Metromedia Inc. bought WTCN for $18 million. 

Starting in 1972, WTCN aired the Jerry Lewis Telethon, for more than 20 years.

1974

WTCN moved from the Calhoun Beach Hotel to a new $6 million facility in Golden Valley.  The grand opening was on September 16, with guests Merv Griffin and Governor Wendell Anderson.

1975

The Betamax home VCR was introduced by Sony in 1975.   VHS was introduced by JVC the following year.  VHS won, but it was a long battle. 

1976

Timothy D. Kehr began hosting late night movie shows, appearing on WCCO-TV, KSTP-TV, KMSP, and KTMA-TV. 

1978

On August 29, 1978, ABC announced that it would move its affiliation from KMSP to KSTP.  The switch was effective on March 5, 1979.

The "Today Show" broadcast live from the IDS Center during the week of March 5.

Don Shelby joined WCCO-TV as weekend newscast anchor and investigative reporter. He later became anchor of WCCO 4 News at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
 
1979

A huge realignment of network affiliations took place on March 5, 1979.  KSTP became an ABC affiliate, WTCN became an NBC affiliate, and KMSP went independent. 

Cable TV came to St. Louis Park on September 14, 1979, after two unsuccessful attempts. The first community to get cable in Minnesota was Lanesboro, in 1955. Bloomington, Fridley, and Apple Valley were wired in 1974. Northern Cablevision was the provider - in 1980-81 it was located at 3516 Beltline Blvd. 20 new channels were available at first, available in stages by section of the city. Monthly charge: $7.95.



TV MAGAZINES

TV Times (I) started in May 1950 and ended on August 30, 1952.

TV Forecast took over from TV Times and was published between September 6, 1952 and March 28, 1953.

TV Guide took over from TV Forecast.  Its first issue was April 3, 1953, with Lucille Ball on the cover.

TV Digest started some time in 1967 and published until some time after August 1973.

TV Times (II) began publication in June 1960, and published until at least the end of 1964.

TV Times (III) started publication in April 1967 and continued until at least January 1981.
 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.