Re: WBZ-TV and the Bradford

[KEVIN VAHEY <kvahey@dnsmain.vw.org>]

On Fri, 11 Jul 1997, Donna Halper wrote:

> Regarding the story someone wrote about the rabbi, it was quite a tragedy--
> Westinghouse had hired a minister, a priest, and a rabbi to bless the new
> enterprise.  Suddenly, in the midst of giving the invocation, the Rabbi
> keeled over-- heart attack, if I recall.  His name was Rabbi Joshua Loth
> Liebmann, and he had been very respected in Boston media-- he had done lots
> of radio and had written several self-help books in the 1940s... nobody


  To clear up the confusion on this story.....Rabbi Liebmann was indeed on
the very first telecast of Channel 4 but the clergy had been filmed some 2
weeks earlier. (the priest BTW was one Richard Cushing)... Rabbi Liebman
who was only 41, died some 3 hours before the telecast of a heart attack,
and his death was the major story in the June 10th papers.

  Channel 4 stopped the film as the Rabbi was about to speak to announce
his tragic death, and the station then went back to the film.

 The other major highlight of the evening was a live interview from
Washington with Senator Leverett Saltonstall which according to the papers
was transmitted with Channel 4's new link with WNBT in New York. The
station then had to scramble for local filler when NBC's main programming
of the evening, a prize fight from New Jersey was postponed for 24 hours.

 On a side note, in looking up the old news accounts I took a quick look
at the beginning of WHDH-TV in November of 1957. The Sunday Herald had a
"full color" supplement about 2 weeks prior to going on the air, and has
some great photos of Channel 5's on air staff. The station itself
litteraly went on the air with no fanfare whatever, as they were waiting
for the go ahead from the FCC. According to the next days Herald when the
telegram arrived from Washington around 4 PM they decided to go on the air
that night. 

------------------------------