Greetings TV Garth readers! Since I've been pretty horrible about updates, I'll take a quick moment to blog about recent TV happenings!
- I've been enjoying Buffalo's WNED lately (17-1, RF43) and recently caught their original documentary
Don't Touch That Dial: Great Moments In Local Broadcasting. The special provides a nice look back at TV & Radio in Buffalo, complete with interviews and historical footage. (The vintage news promos were a hoot - funny, quirky and like mini sitcoms compared to the staid promos of today.) Even the pledge drive that interrupted the show was a surreal delight, with legendary Doris Jones being vivacious and bubbly, and hilariously dismissive of current TV trends! While helping pitch WNED's pledge drive, she talked about how much TV had changed and said "Reality TV...just horrible" with a big smile. The one thing that was curiously left unmentioned was the history of WBUF as the first UHF station to hit Buffalo. (WBUF operated on Channel 17 as an NBC affiliate for a brief period in the 1950s before shutting down and donating their license to - wait for it - WNED, which became Buffalo's PBS station!) Maybe they couldn't squeeze that in. Also loved the occasional appeals for Southern Ontario viewers to donate too, as they noted that we've watched quite a bit of Buffalo TV over the years.
Don't Touch That Dial airs again on December 11 at 5pm.
- Also on WNED, I caught
In The Life, an LGBT show that usually pops up once or twice a month on the station. It was a sad, but powerful episode showcasing the documentary
Gen Silent. The film showcases the struggle of a transgendered woman - KrysAnne Hembrough - who battles cancer while trying to reconcile with her unaccepting family. It was tough to watch at times, but KrysAnne's spirit is triumphant. Visit the
In The Life website for full episodes of the series.
- Sad news about a Toronto icon. City TV's Mark Dailey passed away earlier this week after being the station's voice (and one of their major reporters) for decades. He will be missed and City (both the station and Toronto) will never be the same. Check out tributes by
Bill Brioux and
James Bawden.
- I've discovered some great new TV blogs written by some wonderful talents. Bill Brioux's
TV Feeds My Family,
James Bawden, and Alan Pergament's
Still Talkin' TV. Both Brioux and Bawden are longtime Toronto TV columnists, and Pergament was a longtime Buffalo News TV reporter. Some great reading material, and I especially enjoy the ratings reports. (Pergament gives plenty of dish about the Western New York morning show battles, while Brioux rounds up the scoop on what Canadians are tuning into.)
- Tropo TV reception is essentially sleeping for the Winter now, as the last great burst of long distance TV happened near mid-November. Both October and November were surprisingly good for Cleveland, OH reception, and the mid-November blast was a smorgasbord of everything! Will try to get some pics Flickered soon!
- Speaking of Flickr, I've put up a set that covers my recent road trip to Rochester, NY on Nov. 20-21, 2010.
Click here for the full set of pics! I travelled with some dear pals, and we visited TWO TV stations (WHEC & WROC) and met a few personalities from both channels. We also hit up Tilt nightclub and saw a drag brunch at Edible's Restaurant hosted by Kasha Davis & Poison Waters with special guest Pandora Boxx. (My friends and I even got to meet and take pics with the fabulous Ms. Boxx! Pandora totally Roxx, I must say!) We also shopped at Waterloo Outlet Mall, and visited the Jell-O Museum in LeRoy, NY! A FABULOUS weekend, and a proper recap will appear shortly!
Stay tuned to TV Garth for more TV related fun!
