What's on?

From Cleveland TV Memories (1999) by Tom Feran and R.D. Heldenfels:

In 1954, WJW started a five-minute news program called "Today's Top Story" to follow its late-evening "Sohio Reporter." To do commercials for it, they hired a young blonde actor from the Cleveland Play House to make his screen debut - Paul Newman.

Warren Guthrie was the "Sohio Reporter" on Channel 8. A speech professor at Western Reserve University, he was noted for shunning scripts in favor of delivering the news from memory with the aid of index cards.

Jimmy Dudley and Bob Long anchored the "Gray Drug News Parade" at 7 PM weeknights on WXEL.

Captain Penny referred to the Three Stooges by the Italian "Tre Potsie."

Bob Dale was one of Cleveland's first and most popular TV personalities. He lip-synched records and hosted the "Dinner Platter" show on WEWS. Dale also wore a whiskbroom-sized mustache to play kids' host Tim Twitter, a somewhat befuddled Civil War veteran (see above.)

"Bill Finn's Round the World Adventure" on Channel 5 during the late-evening hours takes viewers to exotic locales.

Kids visiting "Uncle Jake's House" the WEWS show hosted by Gene Carroll had to pretend they were descending into the basement on an elevator by bending their knees and dropping out of camera range.

"The Morning Bandwagon" was the WTAM radio show featuring the stations staff orchestra, conducted by Henry Gordon, and telecast on sister station WNBK-TV. Staff announcers Jay Miltner often lends his vibrant baritone as vocalist.

"Jakies" was the derisive term used by news photographers for the kids and bystanders who wave and crowd into shots on the street and in public places.

"Red Goose Merry-Go-Round" was the popular Saturday morning kids' show on Channel 9. It's host was curly-haired Walt "Kousin" Kay, who came from "Kousin Kay's Korner" on WJW radio. Coco the Clown and Merrily, the Lady from Story Land were his sidekicks.

John Fitzgerald sat at a bar delivering sports scores for Channel 8 on the "Carling Sports Final."

(edited)