FORMER OZARKS JUBILEE USA & JAZZ MUSICIAN CHARLIE HADEN DEAD

This is from KYTV's website. It features a story KYTV's Steve Grant did about Charlie Haden in 2010.

TRIVIA FACT: Charlie Haden was the father-in-law of actor Jack Black.

British comedian Rik Mayall dies at 56

British comedian Rik Mayall dies at 56

SIDE NOTE: I didn't always have a blog. I started off commenting on Missouri Radio Message Board and Ron Davis' Chatter blog, where I made numerous enemies. During this time, I swiped one of Rik Mayall's catchphrases from The Young Ones.

On The Young Ones, the character of Rick, frequently would say, "Please don't make fun of the woman I love!" if the punker, Vivian, made a disparaging remark about a female celebrity (usually British TV star Felicity Kendall).He also got upset if people made fun of singer Cliff Richard.

There was an anonymous commenter on the Chatter blog, who hated former KYTV reporter/anchor Cara Connolly (above). Anytime this jerk slammed Cara Connolly, I would reply with "Please don't make fun of Cara, she is the woman I love!"

From what I understand, my comments and old blog used to cause someone at KSGF to have violent fits like Vivian on The Young Ones.       

LOOKING BACK AT KYTV's CHILDREN'S HOUR

If you grew up in the Ozarks between the 50s and 80s, you will remember The Children's Hour. The longest host was "Aunt" Norma Champion. Here is a great video KYTV's Ed Filmer made for the 60th anniversary of KYTV Channel 3. The link below will take you to it.
Remembering KY3's Aunt Norma and The Children's Hour

BEST OF DESDINOVA: DESDINOVA PICKS THE 60 BEST SUMMER SONGS

The New Adventures of Desdinova the Super Villain of the Ozarks: DESDINOVA PICKS THE 60 BEST SUMMER SONGS

I probably should have reposted this earlier in the summer, but it is still summer. 

FORMER KY3/KBUG CO-OWNER LARRY DIXON DIES

Larry Dixon is the one in the middle.

Former KY3 personality Larry Dixon dies

I realize people outside the Springfield/Ozarks area will not see the point in this post, but I wanted to mention the passing of Larry Dixon. Larry was a pioneer broadcaster here in Springfield, MO. He was one of the first anchormen on KYTV, was co-owner of KBUG radio in Springfield in the 70s and early 80s, worked in publishing and advertising too. The good thing about Larry was he was a media person, who had a working knowledge of each medium's strengths and weaknesses. He was not an interloper from another business that hated the media and blamed the media for everything that was wrong, but felt he had a right to be apart of it to get some sort of revenge or satisfy something in his ego. I believe Larry was in media because he loved it and wanted to promote it, not promote himself.

The other good thing about Larry Dixon was he was always upbeat and optimistic. I linked to the story by KYTV's Steve Grant and in it Larry is described as "cheerful." That sums Larry up very well.

I wanted to repost a fun magazine ad from an 1980 Springfield magazine for KBUG, the radio station Larry co-owned. Larry may have came up with the idea for this ad, which was aimed at advertisers. It portrays a microcosm of the Springfield radio market in 1980. The news format came after their short-lived disco format. You have to give credit to Larry Dixon for taking chances.



Click to enlarge




BEST OF DESDINOVA: ANDY OF MAYBERRY FANS IN THE OZARKS CELEBRATE THE RETURN OF THE B&W EPISODES

KYTV's Facebook site announced that the black and white episodes of The Andy Griffith Show will return next week. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is, but Ozarkers freak out about the color episodes of The Andy Griffith Show like it is a gang of skunks running through the neighborhood or a flesh-eating pandemic.

This post on the old blog on this very subject is from two years ago. Enjoy!

REMEMBER KY 3's "NIGHT DIARY" SPECIAL

On Halloween 1990, KYTV aired a great TV special called "Night Diary." It was hosted by the late Fred Schweitzer. For those who don't remember Fred Schweitzer, he was a commercial producer at KYTV. He also was an actor and writer. Many remember his portrayal of Wild Bill Hickok on the Park Central Square. His other famous character was a vampire named Robert Barlow. It was this persona that he used when hosting "Night Diary." Sadly, Schweitzer died suddenly in 1996. "Night Diary" was a collection of spooky legends and ghost stories from the Ozarks. It was apparently quite popular, because KY 3 rerun the special in October of 1993 and October of 1995. According to this website, there was a "Night Diary 2" that aired on Halloween 1994. I wish KYTV would either rerun these TV specials or post them on You Tube. It would be great if another generation could see these superb local productions.

PS: For those of you who don't remember Fred Schweitzer, there is a photo of him and his oddly decorated office on the KY3 Website.