Ken Helms, technician and tape editor non pareil at both Jefferson Productions and WBTV. At JP, he ran Epic II, the second computerized editing facility, after breaking in Epic I.

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Star Trek (Reruns)

There was a time when hosted TV reruns was a thing, and announcements of any new local entertainment show made the papers. WBT's Don Russell was about to kick off a late night run of Star Trek repeats and the Observer ran this story.

To infinity...and beyond!

Whistle Stop: The Inside Story

In the early '70s at WBTV, Dennis Phillips created, produced, wrote and performed in a terrific kid's show called Whistle Stop. Here he tells how it all came about, who was in the cast (real and unreal), and how the award-winning series was one of the great experiences of his career.

Go inside Whistle Stop »

Gunsmoke

Not the TV series, the CBS radio series. Every week for nine years over WBT, William Conrad, as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal, uttered these unforgettable words: "It's a chancy job, that makes a man watchful... and a little lonely." Here's a story with photos and audio of one of the cast's free-wheeling rehearsals in 1956.

Read, look & listen »

WBTV's 20th Anniversary Show

script This month (July 2009) was the 60th anniversary of WBTV, and many of you saw the one-hour special that WBTV ran to commemorate the event. It reminded us that, in our files, was the script of the show produced in July 1969 for our 20th anniversary. The videotape, if one still exists, has probably turned to dust, so the script is the best we can offer. The PDF file begins with a nice memo from Tom Cookerly, the general manager.

And here are some notes on the production and editing of the show. Can you say "primitive"?

Midnight Dancing Party

How did that story go? Did a WBT DJ really cause a famous bandleader to come out of retirement? And what was the song behind it all? Read the story and hear the song.

Those Were The Years

In the mid-70s Mike McKay hosted this Friday night hour-and-a-half of comic antics and old episodes from network series like "Have Gun Will Travel" and "Love That Bob." Here's a Charlotte News article about the show and its creators.

News article »

Aunt Sally

What happened on Aunt Sally's program that fateful Saturday in 1941? What planets aligned to connect a sweet, gentle story-teller and a mysterious and violent purveyor of frontier justice? The answer may be as near as your breadbox.

The Birthday Party »

Tom Landen handled still photography for WBTV's Creative Services. Sometimes, when needed, he delved into motion picture work. Here he's on an African trip with Dick Taylor for a documentary.