RARE FIND! 1956 WLWC (WCMH) Sign-Off -- Avco Broadcasting Corporation

Here is a rare audio clip courtesy of tv-signoffs.com. It's the WLW-C (now WCMH) sign-off sequence from 1956. The audio is original, but the slides have been added to give you a visual. WLWC was a part of the legendary Crosley Broadcasting and Avco Broadcasting network which included WLW Radio in Cincinnati, WLWT in Cincinnati, WLWD (now WDTN) in Dayton and WLWI (now WTHR) in Indianapolis.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• wlwc
• wlw
• wlwt
• wlwd
• wlwa
• wcmh
• wdtn
• wlwi
• wthr
• wjar
• sign-off
• columbus
• crosley
• broadcasting
• avco
• outlet
• television
• tv
• nbc
• wlwttv
• wlwt-tv
• cincinnati
• weathercast
• historic
• program
• WCMH
• WCMH-TV
• WFLA
• WFLA-TV
• Outlet Communications
• Columbus
• Television
• TV
• WLW-C
• WLWC
• WLWT
• WLW-T
• WLWD
• WLW-D
• WDTN
• WLWI
• WLW-I
• WTHR
• NBC
• Outlet Broadcasting
• Avco Broadcasting
• Crosley Broadcasting
• Media General
• MediaGeneral
• NBC4
• NewsWatch 4
• NewsChannel 4

[videohollic2008a]

Good job on this!! I remember that "4" logo with the 4's going in all 4 directions...WLWC was still= using this when I first moved to Columbus in late 1968!!

[columbusmediatalk]

Coming from you, that's quite a compliment! Thank you!

[wmbrown6]

I suppose the test pattern was from the earliest days of the station. Pray tell, did they later adopt the "Crosley/AVCO" test pattern design that WLW-D in Dayton (now WDTN) and, of course, WLW-I (now WTHR) are known to have used?

[columbusmediatalk]

I just found a book on the "History of Cincinnati Television" at the Pickerington Barnes & Noble. A WLWT test pattern was included in the book and it looked exactly the same.

[wmbrown6]

As what? The WLWC test pattern at the end of this clip, or the design I mentioned that was used by WLWD and WLWI?

[columbusmediatalk]

The WLWC "Ch. 3" test pattern at the end of this clip is the same as the WLWT "Ch. 4" test pattern in the book I mentioned. I've seen the WLWI test pattern design you are talking about (Google Images: wlwi test pattern) but I don't know that I've ever seen the WLWC version of it, which I'm sure exists.

[fixman88]

Wow, megacycles!

[NOWhammies91983]

This song was eventually used in 1962 as the theme for an ABC game show called Seven Keys, hosted by Jack Narz. I think the song is called "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

[EdWatts]

♫"WLWC, channel four,

invites you to watch for more

news and sports -- color TV --

the best in viewing

you'll agree.

WLWC -- channel four!"♫

Who remembers that jingle from the early 1960's?

[leftygeezer]

@EdWatts shortwave stations still use that lingo!

[leftygeezer]

My dad's family lived on a farm that is now the site of WCMH and Union cemetery..  Remember Hugh DeMoss?

[vividwatch47]

Yes, the same Crosley who made radios and automobiles.

[thecaiogato]

NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[EdWatts]

@WestWash97

"Kilocycles" and "megacycles" were, at the time, the standard terminology for frequency, the "per second" part being understood by the listener from the context. Frequency was not commonly denoted in "Hertz" until the 1970's.

[tvdirectortom]

When I was a student at Ohio University, I worked at WLWC in the summer of 1968 and then on weekends as a live booth announcer. The stations still used much of the same sign -- off copy on this clip. I remember reading it, especially the, "You'll be seeing us." The quad 4 logo was used at that time. I worked with people who were Columbus "legends" at that time like Hugh DeMoss, Jimmy Crum, Jerry Rasor, Dave Collins and Nick Clooney -- George's father. I was a director here from 1969 to 74

[WestWash97]

What's a "megacycle" when the announcer states the 66-72 MHz frequency?

[BrentAudi]

Fantastic!