The courtship of NBC by the Herald-Traveler

[Kevin Vahey]

Here is a perfect example of why you can not trust Wikipedia

One website said that Capt Bob took over Ruff and Reddy in Septermber
of 1962. Incorrect that is when NBC brought the show back in reruns.

WHDH took over production of the show in June of 1959 and the reason I
am positive about this is the following February (February 13, 1960)
my Dad took me down to Morrisey Blvd for the show and then took me to
my first Bruins game. I remember meeting Bob and his sidekick Andy
Bator.

Nine years later Andy Bator was my boss at WXPO-TV and later at WSMW
when we both fled from channel 50. Ironically Bob Cottle thanks to
Andy had brought his set that he had used at channel 5 to tape a pilot
show and the set got destroyed when water pipes burst at the WXPO
Lowell studio. Bator finally walked away from TV and like Gary Francis
opened a very succesful ice cream shop on Beacon Hill.

TV Party would lead you to believe Cottle took over in 1962 (but they
can't even spell his name right) and Wikipedia uses them as a source.
Yes the show came back via tape in 62 and this time it didn't run in
Boston because of Boomtown and 5 by then was CBS

Harold Clancy who ran WHDH was a little nuts but do you think for one
second after getting CBS he would enrage William Paley by pre-empting
Captain Kangaroo for Ruff and Reddy on NBC???  The H-T may have wanted
NBC but CBS was fine. Sure 5 cleared The Tonight Show but CBS was
feeding a WCBS test pattern at 11:30 until Merv Griffin later in the
60's.

My memory isn't perfect after nearly 50 years as Att Ross corrected me
on Howdy Doody but Feb 13, 1960 I am certain of.

http://www.tvparty.com/lostboston2.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ruff_&_Reddy_Show

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cottle

http://www.toontracker.com/ruffredd/ruffredd.htm