John Crosby, was a columnist for The New York Herald Tribune from 1935 to 1941 and, after WWII military service, from 1946 to 1965.
He continued newspaper and novel writing into the mid-seventies, but is remembered best as the Tribune’s chief radio/TV critic during the 1950’s. This line of his about CBS-TV cancelling Edward R. Murrow’s “See It Now,” helps explain why Crosby was so well regarded: “See it Now… is by every criterion television’s most brilliant, most decorated, most imaginative, most courageous and most important program. The fact that CBS cannot afford it but can afford “Beat The Clock,”is shocking.” Another worthy observation of his concerned WNEW’s new, (1958) full-time news department and its “brash young news staff” whose news coverage was “busting out all over.” Read on.
The image above is a recreation of a 1959 John Crosby column as published in the New York Herald Tribune. Thanks to Bill Diehl for finding a copy of the original column. E.B.
April 1964. Marlene Sanders, after two years at WNEW, will leave for ABC (1964-1978) and later CBS (1978-1987) But before departing 1130, she served as Assistant News Director, produced the award-winning News Closeup series and was recognized for distinquished reporting. See What’sNEW#2, below.
Another geyser from Bill Diehl’s deep memoribilia wells. Bill has come up with scores of 1960’s paid pieces WNEW placed in New York newspapers. Background on how the PR pieces were created, later on. Right now, here’s What’sNEW#1 on Martin Luther King Jr.’s March On Washington, Aug. 28, 1963, published a few days later.
The watercolor (above) by Tom Saunders is based on the photo (below) published in Arnie Passman’s book, “The Deejays,”* But, the woman in the painting is not the woman in the photo. Explanation, below.
As WNEW’s first Station Manager, Bernice Judis often dropped in on shows at any time of the day or night. In the photo above, she is seen during an after-midnight visit to “The Milkman’s Matinee” when it was hosted by Art Ford. (1942-1954) In an e-mail to long-time friend, and ‘NEW alum, ABC’s Bill Diehl, Saunders explained: “I read that Bernice Judis was the manager who fired Art Ford for playing too much ‘jazz and international’ music, so I purposely eliminated her and put in a blond groupie instead.” Saunders identified correctly the cause of Ford’s firing, but not his executioner. Judis retired from WNEW in 1954 after 20 years with the station, and about four years before Ford got word while in Europe in April, 1958, that his services were no longer desired.
The CBS-TV “Sunday Morning” feature (1989) about The Make Believe Ballroom has been withdrawn by the provider, Metromedia Radio on Live365 broadcast. www.live365.com/stations/wnewradio1130, which has no connection to this website.
All these entertaining personalities . . .all the best popular music . . .all the up-to-the-minute news . . .in fact everything that makes WNEW New York’s favorite radio station–now on FM too–at 102.7 mc. Now it’s WNEW AM &: FM bringing you the wonderful sound of “Music Round The Clock” . . .the complete coverage of “News Around The Clocks” . . .weather . . .time . . .traffic reports–enjoyable listening, worthwhile listening, 24 hours every day. Hear the Best your radio has to offer — am & pm, AM & FM — THE WNEW SOUND.
On your radio dial at 1130 & 102.7
Klavan & Finch
6-10 am Mon thru Sat
William B. WIlliams Make Believe Ballroom
10 am & 6pm Mon thru Sat
Lonny Starr Starr, Sinatra & Strings
11:35 am Mon thru Fri – 10am Sun The Music Hall 2-4 pm daily
Bob Landers
12 – 2 pm daily
Dick Partridge
4 – 6pm daily
Jack Lazare
8 – 10PM nightly
Al “Jazzbo” Collins
10 – Midnight nightly
Dick Shepard
Milkman’s Matinee
12 Midnight – 6am nightly
Bob Howard
8am & 6pm Sun
(The photo and text above are reproduced from a 1958 newspaper ad. The ID overlays were added by this site’s editor.) Display Ad 60 — No Title New York Times (1857-Current file) Sept 3, 1958; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times pg.68
There was a time when most radio stations, no matter how big, were local and part of neighborhood life. WNEW-AM, where the forms of modern radio were invented and made personal, existed within a community of broadcasters and listeners who shared in life’s events and now, share memories. This blog, exists to collect as many as possible of the bits and pieces of that history. What do you remember? What part of the story can you tell?
John Crosby, was a columnist for The New York Herald Tribune from 1935 to 1941 and, after WWII military service, from 1946 to 1965. 
