RE: Re: Fwd: Re: First Sunday In June

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyross.com>]

On 2 Jun 2003 at 22:18, Brian Vita wrote:

> How do you pronounce Haverhill?
> 
> Hay Vrill not Haver Hill.

And, incidentally, after listening to this week's LTAR, I might point out that Amherst (at least 
the one in Massachusetts) is pronounced AMerst.  The H is silent.

On another LTAR topic, Bob and Donna were wondering just what it was that ABC was 
celebrating the 50th anniversary of, since ABC came into existence in 1943, and ABC-TV 
got going in 1948.  ABC is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the merger with Paramount 
Theaters, which was mostly a takeover.  Paramount's Leonard Goldenson became head of 
the merged corporation, which was called American Broadcasting -- Paramount Theaters for 
a time, and then re-named American Broadcasting Companies (note the plural).

Prior to that merger, ABC didn't really have the financial resources to compete very well with 
NBC and CBS.  Although it existed and had some important programs before 1953, it was 
after the merger that ABC finally had the resources to grow into a national network.  The 
Paramount merger also probably helped in the Hollywood connections that brought program 
material from Warner Brothers (many Westerns) and Disney (Disneyland, Zorro, and Mickey 
Mouse Club), which was a major staple of the network's programming in the late 50s and 
early 60s.

I know, it's not really ABC's 50th anniversary.  But I guess it's similar to the way WBCN 
insists that it started in 1969, when the Progressive Rock format started, rather than 1958, 
when the station, with those call letters and dial position, first signed on.

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
 15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@attorneyross.com
Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         http://www.attorneyross.com