Mike Seidel, Ari Sarsalari Join FOX Weather

FOX Weather, FOX News Media’s free ad-supported streaming television “FAST” weather service, has signed Mike Seidel as a meteorologist and storm specialist, announced its president, Sharri Berg. Seidel, who was most recently at The Weather Channel, made his FOX Weather debut over the weekend in Florida covering the start of now Hurricane Debby and continued live coverage through the overnight hours when it made landfall. 

Additionally, Ari Sarsalari has departed The Weather Channel App to join the FOX Weather team effective today.

In making the announcement, Berg said, “We are thrilled to add Mike to our outstanding lineup of meteorologists at FOX Weather as we move into the peak of hurricane season. His decades of experience will prove to be invaluable as we continue to grow our best-in-class weather network.”

Mike Seidel

Seidel added, “I'm looking forward to continuing my passion for storm coverage on FOX Weather, especially with the forecast of a very busy hurricane season.”

Seidel joins FOX Weather after spending more than 30 years at The Weather Channel. Logging over 25,000 live shots throughout his career, he has covered every major weather event of the past three decades, including Hurricanes Katrina, Ian, Harvey, Irma, and Irene, among others as well as 100 tropical storms, numerous snow and ice storms, tornado outbreaks and nor’easters across the country throughout his illustrious career. He has also covered weather from several sporting events including the World Series, the Indianapolis 500, the MLB All-Star Game, The PGA Tour events and multiple NFL football games.

Ari Sarsalari

He got his start in the business at his hometown station WMDT-TV (ABC) in Salisbury, Maryland, before moving on to NBC’s WYFF-TV in Greenville, South Carolina. He returned to Salisbury as a meteorologist for CBS affiliate WBOC-TV until he left to join The Weather Channel in 1992. Seidel holds a master’s degree in meteorology from Penn State University.

Sarsalari most recently served as a meteorologist at The Weather Channel App for nearly a decade. Prior to his tenure there, he worked as a meteorologist at ABC’s WAAY-TV in Huntsville, Alabama, and CBS affiliate WOWK-TV in West Virginia.

FOX Weather is a 24/7 free ad-supported television service (FAST) operated by FOX News Media. The service builds upon FOX News Channel’s expansive news gathering units & FOX Television Stations’ (FTS) added resources with a combined 120 meteorologists for a comprehensive suite of weather products featuring local, regional, and national reporting, in addition to live programming.

Report: Harris Has Tight Relationship With ABC Net Executive

ABC Exec Dana Walden, Kamala Harris

Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are at odds over where and when the pair will debate, with Trump rejecting a debate he had previously scheduled with President Joe Biden on September 10, hosted by ABC News. Instead, Trump says he will only debate Harris on September 4 in a debate hosted by Fox News: “I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Harris has accused Trump of “playing games” and is keen to stick with the ABC debate. Trump has given two reasons as to why the ABC debate is no longer on the table for him. First, he agreed to that debate with Biden, not Harris. Second, he is in active litigation against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos (or, as Trump calls him, “Slopadopoulos”). The defamation lawsuit cites Stephanopoulos wrongly claiming that the former president was found liable for raping E. Jean Carroll; a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape.

According to The Spectator, there is a third legitimate reason why the candidates should not meet at ABC News. Vice President Harris has an extremely close relationship with a top executive at Disney, which oversees ABC News. Dana Walden, a co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, and Harris have been friends for three decades.

Walden and Harris have been friends since 1994, according to Vanity Fair. When Harris ran for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, Walden and her husband hosted a fundraiser for her campaign. Harris’s Hollywood friends are credited with helping Harris raise enough money to become California attorney general in 2010 and with giving her a “glimmer of hope” during her failed run for the Democratic nomination in 2019. The Waldens helped Harris raise money as recently as 2022: “The Waldens hosted a fundraiser with Harris in 2022 at their Brentwood house, one of several boosts they’ve given Kamala,” Puck News reported.

Philly Radio: Mike Missanelli The Linchpin to The Fanatic's Branding

Program Director Scott Masteller said he's been envisioning Mike Missanelli as the midday host at 97.5 The Fanatic (WPEN-FM) since becoming the station's program director at the start of the year.

In March, Masteller decided to move Andrew Salciunas to work with morning show host John Kincade. Then, earlier this week, the station signed former Phillies closer Ricky Bottalico to a multiyear contract extension to continue co-hosting with Tyrone Johnson in Missanelli's old afternoon drive slot.

That left middays as the final piece of the puzzle, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

After months of negotiations, which sometimes became public, parent company Beasley Media Group announced Friday that Missanelli, the Fanatic's biggest star for more than a decade, is back on board two years after an acrimonious split. And Masteller believes the move can help the station better compete with rival SportsRadio 94 WIP.

“Tyrone and Ricky have grown their own following, and it's improving,” Masteller said. “With John and Andrew, we've seen already a pretty good response to their presentation. We've done some research, which validates all of that. So the opportunity was when [previous midday host] Anthony Gargano left, we had an opening in middays and we played it out. We did our strategy, we were smart about it, and now we have Mike Missanelli.”

Mike Missanelli

Masteller had been a consultant to the station since last August and became program director in January. He said conversations between Beasley and Missanelli and his representatives were ongoing for months. He ultimately had some talks of his own with Missanelli, whom he has known since his time as program director for ESPN Radio and senior director of content at the ESPN Radio Network more than a decade ago.

“I had a lot of respect for him as on-air talent,” Masteller said. “So, like many of these things, it comes down to timing and the timing appeared to be right.”

While Missanelli will be the focal point of the show, he will be joined by relative newcomer Bill Colarulo, who has been working part-time in the midday time slot for the past several months with Bob Cooney. Cooney had been hosting there for several months after a shakeup in the station’s lineup but was let go earlier this week to make way for Missanelli's return.

Like Missanelli, Colarulo is a lawyer-turned-sports-talker. They will be joined by producer Ray Dunne, who is also a part-time host at the station.

SanFran Radio: KOSF-FM Rebrands As Classic Hits

iHeartMedia San Francisco has announced KOSF-FM has become “Classic Hits 103.7, The Bay’s Greatest Hits of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s” reflecting the station’s success in becoming the Bay area’s number one destination for popular pop hits across multiple decades.  

Formerly known as “80s + @ 103.7,” the station will continue to feature top on-air talent including Christie James (Mornings), original VJ Martha Quinn (Middays), Ron Michaels (Afternoons), and Clarence Barnes (Evenings); and include a mix of favorite pop music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. 

“KOSF has broadened in era depth over the years and “Classic Hits” truly defines our music recipe,” said Don Parker, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia San Francisco. “We’re confident ‘Classic Hits 103.7’ will resonate with an even wider audience throughout the Bay Area and position the station for future growth.”

KOSF Program Director, Ricci Filiar added, “Classic Hits really reflects what the station is all about. The music is timeless and the soundtrack of so many people’s lives.”

SLC Radio: KNRS Launches New Afternoon Show

iHeadrtMedia's Talk Radio 105.9 KNRS, Salt Lake City announced today the debut of the new Rod and Greg Show.  The Rod Arquette Show will conclude its 14-year run with the last show airing Friday, August 2nd. Beginning today, August 5th, a new era of talk radio begins in Utah as Arquette’s Wingman Wednesday co-host, “Citizen” Greg Hughes, joins him for the inaugural flight of the Rod and Greg Show.

With a distinguished career in TV and radio, Arquette has been in front of the camera and behind the microphone, leading the market’s top stations in news production, reporting, anchoring, hosting, programming and in senior executive roles. The former Utah state lawmaker, Speaker of the Utah House and one time candidate for Governor, has been a frequent contributor, guest host and weekly co-host on the Rod Arquette show since 2018.

“I am beyond grateful and excited to join 105.9 KNRS and the iHeartRadio family.  I am especially excited, to partner with Rod every day to inform and entertain the greatest listening audience in Utah,” said Hughes.  “We are living in uncertain, but historic times. There is a real need for thought leaders today who can reach out and dialogue with public servants, business, and community leaders but most importantly, with everyday Utahns. The Rod and Greg Show will be the place where that happens.. and then some. I’m ready to go!”

Apple Investors Urged to Remain Calm

To some, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s gutting of its Apple Inc. stake could be interpreted as a lack of conviction in the iPhone maker’s growth story. But many on Wall Street are urging investors to look past the news and stay calm.

Bloomberg reports the Warren Buffett-led conglomerate revealed Saturday that it sold almost half of its position in the tech giant during the second quarter. Its stake now stands at roughly $84 billion, down from about $140 billion at the end of March. The selling took place during a torrid run in the stock market that sent Apple shares 23% higher and pushed the S&P 500 from one record to the next.

Since 2016, when Warren Buffett first disclosed its stake in Apple, its shares have soared almost 900% as the company cemented its grip on the industry, delivering Berkshire billions of dollars worth of unrealized profits along the way.

“Buffett’s reduction of his Apple stake is merely about risk management,” said Joe Gilbert, senior portfolio manager at Integrity Asset Management. “If there were any concerns about the longer-term viability of Apple, Buffett would have exited the entire position. Similar to Berkshire’s other stock position reductions, Buffett has meaningful unrealized gains.”

Paris TV Ratings Soar

NBCUniversal’s presentation of the second Saturday of Paris Olympics competition on NBC, Peacock, and across key NBCU platforms posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 34.6 million viewers, according to custom fast national data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics – more than doubling the audience for the comparable Saturday of competition for the Tokyo Olympics (16.4 million across all platforms).

Beginning with Friday’s Opening Ceremony, NBCUniversal has a posted a nine-day Total Audience Delivery average of 32.6 million viewers across the combined live Paris Prime (2-5 p.m. ET) and U.S. primetime (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) time periods – up 77% from Tokyo (18.4 million).

From the opening Saturday of competition through Thursday (most recent competitive data available), USA Network has ranked as the most-watched sports/entertainment cable network in Total Day average viewership (6 a.m.-6 a.m. ET). The three most-watched Team USA team sports events on USA Network: 4.3 million TAD for Men’s Basketball vs. South Sudan (July 31), 4.2 million TAD for Women’s Soccer vs. Germany (July 28), and 3.0 million TAD for Women’s Soccer vs. Japan (August 3).

Saturday’s competition was headlined by Simone Biles and Jade Carey winning respective gold and bronze medals in the vault, Katie Ledecky winning the 800m freestyle for a fourth consecutive Summer Olympics, Ryan Crouser winning a gold medal in the shot put for the third consecutive Summer Olympics, and Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson winning silver and bronze in the women’s 100m.

Live afternoon coverage of the U.S. Men’s basketball team’s victory over Puerto Rico (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET) – which was outside of the 2-5 p.m. ET live “Paris Prime” window – averaged 9.4 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. An additional 3.5 million viewers watched the 6 p.m. ET encore presentation on USA Network and Peacock.

Saturday’s coverage was streamed by 4.4 million viewers on Peacock and NBCU Digital platforms.

With a one-two punch of major events on Saturday – the Paris Olympics and WWE SummerSlam – Peacock continued its hot streak with its third best usage day of all-time, behind only the Peacock AFC Wild Card Exclusive last January and last Sunday’s Olympics coverage.

Total Audience Delivery is based upon live-plus-same day custom fast national figures from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Live viewership from 2-5 p.m. ET (Paris Prime) is inclusive of NBC, Peacock, USA Network, E!, CNBC, Paris Extra 1, Paris Extra 2, and additional NBCU digital platforms. Primetime viewership includes NBC, Peacock, USA Network, Paris Extra 1 and Paris Extra 2.

For the latest comprehensive NBCUniversal Paris Olympics schedule information, please visit https://www.nbcolympics.com/schedule.

Paris Olympics Proving To Be At-Work Disruptor

NBCUniversal’s strategy of making all Paris Summer Olympics events available live is paying off with unexpectedly high daytime viewing, according to NextTV.

While that’s good news for the Comcast-owned broadcaster, it might not be great for other businesses. That’s because office productivity is down among Olympic viewers.

During a Thursday press briefing, NBCU said Tuesday’s early-afternoon coverage of women’s gymnastics averaged nearly 13 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, while Sunday’s 11:15 a.m. U.S.-Serbia men’s basketball game attracted 11 million viewers.

“I think where we’re pleasantly surprised that daytime viewership has been as high as it has been particularly on the weekdays,“ NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said. “It’s a point of work from home or summer. But that’s something that I don’t think has really happened in the past. 

“It’s great to see in the afternoon, Paris Prime, as we’ve called it, where we’ve seen enormous numbers,” he added. “Our strategy of making everything available live in the afternoon with fully produced, prime-time quality productions across our widest platforms, the biggest events, it’s something we’ve never done before.”

NBCU did some research and found that one in four Olympics viewers said their work productivity declined during the Olympics, said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production.

On top of that two in three people said the Olympics provide an escape, and half said they’ve changed their daily routine to to watch the Games.

“America is captivated and there’s a lack of productivity in a lot of workplaces and we’re here, ready for it,” Solomon said. “We set the goal early on to make sure that America is unproductive all day long.”

The daytime viewing doesn’t appear to be hurting primetime, where NBC is averaging 34 million viewers across all platforms, up 79% from Tokyo. 

SiriusXM Presents SmartLess Live With Howard Stern

SiriusXM has announced that the top-ranking podcast SmartLess will make its debut on SiriusXM with a live event featuring Howard Stern as their special guest at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY.

The live podcast taping in front of an audience of fans and SiriusXM subscribers will feature SmartLess hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes sitting down with Howard Stern for a rare wide-ranging interview.

The episode will be released exclusively to subscribers on September 9, airing first on SiriusXM and then available on demand in the SiriusXM app and to SiriusXM Podcasts+ subscribers in Apple Podcasts. It will be released widely on September 16 wherever podcasts are available.

In a joint statement, hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes said: "It's a Sirius honour for us three jesters to interview the King Of All Media."

Howard Stern

"We're thrilled that SmartLess will make its SiriusXM debut with a special live event featuring none other than Howard Stern as their guest," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer at SiriusXM. "This live taping at the intimate Stephen Talkhouse promises an unforgettable experience for our SiriusXM subscribers, as hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes showcase their knack for captivating and entertaining conversations. We're excited to kick off this next chapter for SiriusXM and SmartLess, and can't think of a better way to do that than with SiriusXM's biggest star Howard Stern. This is just the beginning of what we know will be an exciting collaboration."

The award-winning "SmartLess" podcast was launched in July 2020 and is consistently among the top 5 most listened-to podcasts monthly. Guests have included Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Don Cheadle, Steve Martin & Martin Short, Larry David, Greta Gerwig, Idris Elba, Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, Presidents Biden, Obama and Clinton, and many more. "SmartLess" is produced by Michael Grant Terry, Bennett Barbakow, and Rob Amjärv.

Howard Stern, best known for his deep, wide-ranging long-form discussions with legendary figures across music, comedy, entertainment and beyond, will be taking a rare seat in the guest chair. Howard's legendary interview, comedy and entertainment radio show, The Howard Stern Show, airs exclusively on SiriusXM, where Howard has produced two channels of new and classic shows since 2006. Howard is also a recent best-seller with his 2019 book "Howard Stern Comes Again."

Eligible customers can get their first four months of SiriusXM for free. Go to siriusxm.ca/GetSiriusXM4mos to sign up and experience all that SiriusXM has to offer. See Offer Details.

Report: Media Mogul Byron Allen Could Still Be After Paramount

Media mogul Byron Allen is considering putting together a topping bid for Paramount, people familiar with the matter said, a move that would reopen a blockbuster takeover battle that captivated Hollywood and Wall Street this spring.

According to Semfor, Allen was canvassing private investors as recently as this week, the people said, testing whether to try and top Paramount’s pending sale to independent studio Skydance. That deal, struck last month, gives Paramount until Aug. 21 to field competing bids.

Byron Allen

Allen in January offered to buy Paramount, which is controlled by the Redstone family but also has public shareholders, for $14.3 billion. But his bid, along with early interest from Warner Bros. Discovery and late nibbles from Barry Diller and Seagram’s heir Edgar Bronfman, Jr., were edged out by deeper pockets. Skydance, backed by billions from CEO David Ellison’s father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and investment firm RedBird Capital, ultimately beat out a joint bid from Sony and private-equity firm Apollo.

A spokesman for Allen disputed this report Friday afternoon, without adding details.

Allen told an interviewer in May that his bid offered regulatory certainty: “This deal will live or die at the FCC. My advice would be to walk into the FCC with someone who is FCC approved, who owns and operates television stations.” It’s unclear if Allen will finalize a bid.

Axios reported this week that Bronfman is also talking to bankers about a revived bid for National Amusements, the Redstone family vehicle that controls Paramount.

Taylor Swift Back On Top

Taylor Swift‘s “The Tortured Poets Department” has returned to the top spot on the Billboard 200 (dated Aug. 10), making this the album’s 13th nonconsecutive week at No. 1. (The number 13 is coincidentally the pop star’s lucky number.)

Swift’s 11th album, released April 19, spent its first 12 weeks atop the albums chart until Eminem’s “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)” unseated “Tortured Poets” in late July. Her album fell to No. 4 for two weeks.

“Tortured Poets” reclaimed the No. 1 spot after earning 71,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 1 (down 3%), according to Luminate. The last album to spend at least 13 weeks at No. 1 was Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time,” Billboard reports, which scored 19 total nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 between March 2023 and March of this year.

NewsNation Makes Pitch For Presidential Debate

Add NewsNation to the growing list of TV-news outlets hoping to telecast a presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, according to Variety.

In letters to sent to each candidate’s campaign staff Sunday that were reviewed by Variety, Nexstar executive Sean Compton, who oversees the NewsNation for parent Nexstar Media Group, proposed that both sides consider the cable outlet after Trump said Saturday he would not take part in an event already scheduled with ABC News for September 10 and instead proposed one with Fox News for September 4.

“I’d like to offer an alternative that would satisfy both candidates — not to mention the American public — a fair, respectful and even-handed debate on NewsNation, co-sponsored by The Hill,” said Compton, referring to the political-news media outlet also owned by Nexstar. He added: “We of course are flexible on the timing, format and location of the debate, although we certainly expect it would be held in a battleground state such as Pennsylvania.”

NewsNation offers one of the smaller audiences among TV-news outlets. A much-anticipated debate between Trump and President Joe Biden that was broadcast in June reached drew 51.27 million viewers across a wide array of networks, with CNN, which moderated the event and let others broadcast it, attracting 9.53 million viewers. Fox News snared 9.28 million viewers and ABC News lured 9.21 million. NewsNation drew some portion of 3.45 million who also watched via Scripps News, Univision, BET, Newsmax and PBS.

R.I.P.: Bob Charger, Veteran Personality Was Last WFIL Boss Jock

Veteran personality Bob Charger died of an apparent heart attack Friday, He had an extensive career and as a Radio/TV personality, including stints at WFIL and 19-years at WOGL in Philadelphia.

Born Carmen Jacovi he was raised in South Philly and began his broadcasting career as a teen on WNJH 1580 AM In Hammonton, NJ. His career included moving from station to station around the Delaware Valley.

Charger was a personality On WCAM 1310 AM - WSNJ 107.7 FM - WTEL 860 AM - WDVL 92.1 FM - WWBZ 1360 AM - WEEZ 1590 AM - WTTM 920 AM - WMID 1340 AM - WIFI 92.5 FM - WAMS 1380 AM.

His career also included extensive work in TV.   He served as an announcer for WIBF-TV Channel 29. After 10-years in the business,  he landed at the legendary “Wibbage” WIBG Radio 990 AM. He also worked at Philly giant 610 WIP When They Were The #1 Music Station. For a short trime Charger became "Bob Carrmen" on WKBO 1230 AM In Harrisburg, PA, Bright 99.5 WJBR-FM. &  WSSJ 1310 AM.

Chargers was the last 'Boss Jock' hired at the legendary Famous 56WFIL.  He also served as host and producer of the highly successful "Brunch with The Beatles Show." distributed by Westwood One. His movie credits include: credits include: “Rocky III,” “Rocky V,” “Mannequin ” “Mannequin on the Move” and “Philadelphia”.

WOGL-FM 98.1 Philadelphia - Bob Charger - December 31, 1996 - Radio Airc... https://t.co/2jri1u8xk6 via @YouTube

— Tom Benson (@Tombenson1) August 4, 2024

Bob also served as Music Director & Program Director For Several Stations, Including 1380 WAMS, In Wilmington, Delaware and Music Director On 1540 WPGR.

R.I.P.: Joe McGranaghan, Central PA General Manager

Longtime Pennsylvania broadcaster and mayor of Shamokin Dam, Joe McGranaghan (right), passed away Saturday morning at the age of 81. 

According to the WKOK website, McGranaghan came to the Susquehanna Valley in 1977 as General Manager of Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation’s radio stations. He was on NewsRadio 1070 WKOK, hosting On the Mark, just two days prior.

The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters named McGranaghan “Broadcaster of the Year” in 1994 and inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2011.

In 2009, McGranaghan became mayor of Shamokin Dam. Prior to that, McGranaghan was a member of the borough council for 20 years and at one time served as president. He also was president of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce and president of the Susquehanna Industrial Development Corp.

Radio History: Aug 5

➦In 1914...Parley Edward Baer born (Died from a stroke at age 88 – November 22, 2002). He was an actor in radio and later in television and film.

Parley Baer

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Baer in the 1930s served on radio as director of special events for KSL. His first network show was The Whistler, which was soon followed by appearances on Escape (notably narrating "Wild Jack Rhett" and as the title patriot in an adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet's "A Tooth for Paul Revere"), Suspense, Tales of the Texas Rangers (as various local sheriffs), Dragnet, The CBS Radio Workshop, Lux Radio Theater, The Six Shooter, and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, to name a few.

In 1952, he began playing Chester, the trusty jailhouse assistant to Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, eventually ad-libbing the character's full name, "Chester Wesley Proudfoot" (later changed to "Chester Goode" in the televised version of the series, which featured Dennis Weaver in the role of Chester). Baer's portrayal of Chester was generally considered his finest and most memorable role, and as he often said, the one he found most fulfilling.  Baer also worked as a voice actor on several other radio shows produced by Norman MacDonnell, performing as Pete the Marshal on the situation comedy The Harold Peary Show, as Doc Clemens on Rogers of the Gazette, and as additional characters on Fort Laramie and The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.

Other recurring roles included Eb the farm hand on Granby's Green Acres (the radio predecessor to television's Green Acres), Gramps on The Truitts, and Rene the manservant on the radio version of The Count of Monte Cristo. His later radio work included playing Reginald Duffield and Uncle Joe Finneman on the Focus on the Family series Adventures in Odyssey in the 1980s and 1990s

Harold Arlin

➦In 1921...The first baseball game ever broadcast on radio aired on KDKA Pittsburgh, between Pittsburgh Pirates versus Philadelphia Phillies game and took place at Forbes Field. The Pirates defeated the Phillies 8-5. It was broadcast by KDKA staff announcer Harold Arlin. That year, KDKA and WJZ of Newark broadcast the first World Series on the radio, between the New York Giants and the New York Yankees, with Grantland Rice and Tommy Cowan calling the games for KDKA and WJZ, respectively.

➦In 1935...The radio soap opera 'Backstage Wife' first aired. The show highlighted travails of Mary Noble, a girl from a small town in Iowa who came to New York seeking her future. Vivian Fridell had the title role from 1935 until the early 1940s. It was then taken over by Claire Niesen, who played Mary Noble for 14 years, until the end of the series. Mary's husband, Larry Noble, was portrayed by Ken Griffin, then James Meighan and finally, Guy Sorel. The daily radio drama first aired — on the Mutual Broadcasting System. The show, produced by prolific soap opera creators Frank & Anne Hummert, continued in the usual quarter-hour format on NBC and finally CBS Radio, until January 2, 1959.

➦In 1957..."American Bandstand" debuted nationally on ABC-TV, hosted by Dick Clark.

AB premiered locally in late March 1950 as Bandstand on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV), as a replacement for a weekday movie that had shown predominantly British films. Hosted by Bob Horn as a television adjunct to his radio show of the same name on WFIL radio, Bandstand mainly featured short musical films produced by Snader Telescriptions and Official Films, with occasional studio guests. This incarnation was an early predecessor of sorts of the music video shows that became popular in the 1980s, featuring films that are themselves the ancestors of music videos.

Horn, however, was disenchanted with the program, so he wanted to have the show changed to a dance program, with teenagers dancing along on camera as the records played, based on an idea that came from a radio show on WPEN, The 950 Club, hosted by Joe Grady and Ed Hurst. This more-familiar version of Bandstand debuted on October 7, 1952 in "Studio 'B'," which was located in their just-completed addition to the original 1947 building in West Philadelphia, and was hosted by Horn, with Lee Stewart as co-host until 1955. Stewart was the owner of a TV/Radio business in Philadelphia and even though he was an older gentleman, his advertising account was a large one for WFIL-TV at the time and was put on the program to appease the account.

Dick Clark

On July 9, 1956, Horn was fired after a drunk-driving arrest, as WFIL and dual owner Walter Annenberg's The Philadelphia Inquirer at the time were doing a series on drunken driving. He was also reportedly involved in a prostitution ring and brought up on morals charges. Horn was temporarily replaced by producer Tony Mammarella before the job went to Dick Clark permanently.