Victor Best

[Peter Q. George]

If recall, Victor Best eventually wound up on Boston Catholic's WIHS-TV Channel 38 (now WSBK-TV) in around 1965 doing "Victor Best and The News".  He was basically doing copy with no film or whatever.  He was reading the copy sitting at a desk with a placard in front of him that said "Victor Best".  The background was wood paneling.  It was obviously a one-camera shot.  One time I remember he was on the air with his arm in a sling for a few days. (Must have hurt himself at the time.) I vaguely recall it was only a 10-15 minute newscast, right before "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis".

In 1964, Channel 38 was Boston's first UHF'er since the demise of WTAO-TV Channel 56 back in 1956.  During the day the station was airing instructional programs to schools in the Archdiocese.  After 4, the station went to a (what we would call today) general entertainment Independent.  Eventually the station was sold to Storer Broadcasting in 1966.  Proceeds for the sale of the station probably went to the cost of getting Boston Catholic's ITFS (Instructional Television Fixed Service) system up and running from the Pru. 

More than likely, Victor's short stay at Channel 38 was probably during the time he was "between jobs".  It brought him a paycheck.  But also it more than likely, it gave WIHS-TV a little more credibility for the people who actually had UHF TV's at the time.  Apparently, people did notice it and watched it, just before the 6:00 Newscasts on Channels 4, 5 and 7.     

Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts
"Scanning the bands since 1967"

radiojunkie3@yahoo.com
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--- On Wed, 12/30/09, Cdsull502@aol.com <Cdsull502@aol.com> wrote:

> From: Cdsull502@aol.com <Cdsull502@aol.com>
> Subject: Victor Best
> To: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
> Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 11:02 PM
> Didn't Victor Best jump from WBZ-TV
> to WNAC-TV and engender some  bad 
> feelings by announcing his departure to WNAC on his
> (obviously) last  broadcast 
> on channel 4? I'm sure Donna can fill us in on that.
>  
> Chris  Sullivan
> CdSull502@aol.com
>