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The Sounds
of Monitor
So what did
Monitor sound like? Like nothing ever heard before, or since, on network
radio.
Each weekend
the program featured a kaleidoscope of news, music, comedy, sports,
variety, remotes, live interviews and taped snippets.
During its
nearly 20-year run, Monitor was on the air for 20,000 hours.
Below is a
sampling of what you might have heard on a typical weekend on the
Monitor Beacon.
Our
latest
"NBC
Monitor" audio offerings
(Summer
2008)
Monitor
fans, get set for some absolutely unforgettable listening!
We have
just added SIX "new" hours of Monitor audio, below --
the ENTIRE "last Saturday" of Monitor on NBC Radio on
January 25, 1975.
Each new
hour is designated by an * in front of its link. Each was recorded
directly off the network line, so the audio quality is outstanding!
In order,
the new hours are:
John Bartholomew
Tucker hosts Monitor '75 -- 9 to 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25.
JBT hosts
Monitor '75 -- 10 to 11 a.m. that same day.
JBT hosts
Monitor '75 -- 11 a.m. to noon, that same day.
Big Wilson
hosts Monitor '75 -- noon to 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Biggie
hosts Monitor '75 -- 1 to 2 p.m. that same day.
Biggie
hosts Monitor '75 -- 2 to 3 p.m. that same day.
With these
new additions, we are pleased to now have ALL 12 hours of Monitor's
last weekend on this site (including the previously added 6 hours
from the program's last day, Sunday, Jan. 26, 1975.)
We now
have about 40 hours of Monitor available on this site -- a mere
pittance compared to the program's 20,000 hours on the air from
1955 to 1975 -- but still the single biggest collection of Monitor
audio in available to you anywhere.
Enjoy,
Monitor fans!
--Dennis
Time:
about 40 minutes
On Friday,
April 1, 1955, Sylvester L. "Pat" Weaver
-- NBC's president -- went on his radio network's closed-circuit
line to announce to affiliates that a radically new program concept
would soon debut on NBC Radio. That, of course, was "Monitor"
-- and this is rare audio of the announcement about the program
that would become network radio's greatest endeavor. (Courtesy
of Gene Garnes Sr.)
Monitor Beacon
(in Real Audio format)
Time: 31 seconds
The "Beacon"
was Monitor's audio symbol for the program's entire 20-year run.
It was used to cue stations to join the network or cut away for
local commercials.
Monitor
Beacon (in MP3 format)
Time: 50 seconds
Here's the Beacon
in MP3 format (courtesy of Steve Rood, formerly of KNBR in San
Francisco)
Monitor
Themes
Here you go, Monitor
fans -- virtually every theme the program used, over its many years
on the air!
Time:
about 20 minutes
Here it
is -- the first moments, ever, of what would turn out to be network
radio's greatest program, on Sunday, June 12th, 1955, at
4 p.m. ET. The first hour of the program was simulcast
on NBC-TV. This first broadcast lasted 8 hours -- until midnight.
Starting the next Saturday, Monitor would air 40 consecutive hours
each weekend, from 8 a.m. Saturday to midnight Sunday. (The
first voice ever heard on Monitor -- Morgan Beatty's.)
(Courtesy of Louis Castaing; copyright National Broadcasting Company;
used with permission)
Dave Garroway -- the
first host of the "Today" Show on NBC-TV -- also hosted
Sunday night Monitor from 1955 until '61. Here isa short piece
from Sunday night, June 17, 1956 -- a first-anniversary salute hosted
by Dave.
Time:
one hour
Yes, Monitor
fans, this is the Monty Hall of "Let's Make
a Deal" fame. But that would come later. Here are
Bob Wilson & Hall, sitting in for Frank Blair
and Don Russell, on Saturday morning, June 6th, 1959, from 11 a.m.
to noon ET. Features sports reports,Ernie Kovacs, Miss Monitor,
Bob & Ray and more. (Courtesy of Gary Dibble)
Time: one hour
Hugh Downs &
Peter Roberts hosted Saturday afternoon Monitor from the
start -- from
1955 to '59. Here
they are, on Saturday, June 6, 1959, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET.
Features a Paul Mason report, Ernie Kovacs, Doug Storer and more.
(Courtesy of Gary Dibble)
Time:
a half-hour
Morgan
Beatty's was the first voice ever heard on Monitor on Sunday,
June 12, 1955. He was still hosting the program in 1959, and on
this Saturday night, June 6, from 11 to 11:30 p.m. ET, his co-host
was Ted Bond. Features the Modernaires & the
Jonah Jones Quartet performing live. (Courtesy of Gary Di
Time:
one hour
Frank McGee hosted
Sunday night Monitor from 1961 to 1964, succeeding Dave
Garroway. This is from New Year's Eve 1961 -- 7 to 8
p.m. ET, recorded off WRC Radio in Washington, DC (the NBC O-and-O
in DC). Features Ben Grauer, a news summary, Ray Scherer,
Leon Pearson & a New Year's report from London. (Courtesy
of Louis Castaing)
Time:
a half-hour
Mel Allen
-- yes, the "Voice of the Yankees" -- hosted Saturday
morning Monitor from 1961 to 1963. Here's a half-hour
from March 3, 1962, from 9:30 to 10 a.m. ET. Features
a "Ring Around the World" and a report by Gene Garnes
Sr. on pipe organs. (Courtesy of Gene Garnes Sr.)
Time:
about 29 minutes
In
the early '60s, Monitor did occasional salutes to big-name stars
who were celebrating birthdays. Here's one of them --
a salute to Jimmy Durante -- from Saturday
night, Feb. 9, 1963, hosted by Jim Lowe. This
is the first half-hour of the salute -- just click on the link
directly below for the second half-hour
Here's
the "rest" of Jim Lowe's Monitor salute to Jimmy
Durante.
Time: about
an hour
Here's another Monitor
salute -- this one to Groucho Marx -- from
Saturday night, Oct. 5, 1963, hosted by Jim Lowe.
Note, at the end, the announcement about the next day's World
Series game between the Yankees and the Dodgers.
Time:
about 24 minutes
Here's
a birthday salute to Frank Sinatra, hosted
by Barry Nelson on Saturday afternoon, Dec.
14, 1963. Take special note of Barry's introduction to
the salute, which aired just days after Sinatra's son, Frank
Jr., had been kidnapped, then released about 54 hours
later. Nine years after this, Frank Jr.
would host Saturday night Monitor for several weeks, while he
was performing in New York City. This is the first half-hour
of the salute -- just click on the link directly below for the
second half-hour.
Time: about 23
minutes
Here's the "rest"
of Barry Nelson's Monitor salute to Frank
Sinatra.
Time:
about an hour
Here's
another birthday salute -- this one to George Burns,
hosted by Gene Rayburn on Saturday night, Jan.
18, 1964. The first part of the audio is dicey, but hang
in there -- it will clear up. (By 1964, Gene had taken
over the Saturday night slot from Jim Lowe -- and would keep
it until he moved to Saturday morning Monitor in 1966.)
Barry
Nelson hosts Monitor '64
Time: one hour
Actor Barry
Nelson -- a star on TV and the Broadway stage for decades
starting in the 1940s -- hosted Monitor for several years in
the 1960s, first the Saturday afternoon segment and later on
Sunday afternoons. While he was on Monitor, Barry also starred
on Broadway with Lauren Bacall in "Cactus Flower."
Here is an hour from a Saturday Barry hosted on September 26,
1964, from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. Features a John Cannon report,
reports from the vice-presidential campaign trail, "Monitor
Tips," Al Capp, a sports report, Nichols & May, and
Robert Vaughn. This is really an oustanding hour -- an
example of Monitor's scope and variety in the prime of the program's
life. (Courtesy of Louis Castaing)
Time:
about 14 minutes
So why
have we put up this snippet of Frank Blair hosting
Sunday night Monitor on Valentine's Day in 1965? Well, because
we like Frank a lot -- because it's a delightful snippet (that
starts in the middle of an interview with Martha Scott) -- and
because, at the end, an NBC announcer gives the call letters of
one of the network's affiliate stations (as the announcers did,
on the half-hour, on Monitor, for years). And that affiliate
is KMJ Radio in Fresno, California -- the station where I listened
to Monitor for years, as I was growing up and older -- and the
station at which I work, 30-plus years after Monitor ended.
Henry Morgan appeared
as a commentator on Monitor's first broadcast in 1955, then appeared
frequently over the years. He was the Sunday afternoon Monitor
host from the mid-'60s to the early-'70s. Here is Henry hosting
a half-hour of Saturday afternoon Monitor '66 on March 19th, from
5:30 to 6 p.m. ET. Features "Monitor on Stage"
and a Joe Garagiola sports report on the Drysdale-Koufax LA Dodgers
holdout. (Courtesy of Louis Castaing)
Time:
about 35 minutes
Frank
Blair hosted Monitor from the beginning -- as the Saturday
morning communicator with Don Russell from
1955 until about '59 -- then as Sunday night host from '64 to
'67. This wonderful half-hour is from May 22, 1966, from 7:20
to 8 p.m. ET (forget about the time-cue the New Orleans announcer
gives -- that station tape-delayed this hour for later broadcast).
Features Curt Gowdy with "Monitor Outdoors," a Mel
Allen live sports report, Len Probst "On Broadway,"
and a "Ring Around the World." (Courtesy
of Louis Castaing)
Time:
a half-hour
Okay,
we admit we're big fans of Henry Morgan.
So here's a half-hour of Henry hosting Saturday night
Monitor on June 4, 1966, from 10 to 10:30 p.m. ET.
Henry came back to Monitor after being away for several
years -- and this was one of his first "regular"
hosting appearances since his return (he would remain
Saturday night host for the rest of 1966 and then become
Sunday afternoon's host for the rest of the decade).
On this delightful half-hour, Henry's in-studio guest
is legendary WNBC Radio talk-show host Long John Nebel.
(Courtesy of Louis Castaing)
Time:
16 minutes
I
wish we had more than this scoped segment -- but here's
Henry -- this time on Nov. 20, 1966 (the
Sunday night before Thanksgiving), from 9:35 to 10 p.m.
ET -- with some truly moving messages from GI's in Vietnam.
(Courtesy of Louis Castaing)
Ed McMahon
hosts Monitor '67 (scoped)
Time: 2 minutes,
45 seconds
Ed McMahon,
who was Johnny Carson's "2nd banana" on TV's "Tonight
Show," hosted Saturday afternoon Monitor from the mid-
to late-'60s. This is a montage from Monitor '67. (Courtesy
of Jack Burns)
Bert
Parks hosts Monitor '67 (scoped)
Time: 2 minutes,
26 seconds
Longtime "Miss
America" TV host Bert Parks hosted Monitor
off and on for years. Here's a montage from one of his Saturday
afternoon stints in the summer of '67. (Courtesy of W.T.
Koltek)
Time:
a half-hour
Former
big-band leader Ted Steele took over Saturday
night Monitor from Henry Morgan
in 1967.
Here he is, on a Saturday night in November of that year. Features
"Abe Weatherwise," a feature on Wilt Chamberlain &
more.
Time:
a half-hour
Here's
Henry Morgan, hosting Sunday afternoon Monitor
on Dec. 17, 1967. This is scoped, and the audio quality is dicey
-- but we like it because it has Henry, lots of Monitor Christmas
jingles and music -- and that immortal line used so often on Monitor
at Christmastime -- "Every woman alive wants Chanel No. 5."
Merry Christmas! (Courtesy of W.T. Koltek)
Time:
one hour
WNBC
Radio talk-show host Brad Crandall took over
Sunday night Monitor from Frank Blair in 1967.
Here he is, hosting an hour (7:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET) on June 16,
1968, on Monitor's 13th-birthday weekend. Features
a Mel Allen live sports report, "Meet a Millionaire,"
"Sport of Speed" with Chris Economaki & more. (Courtesy
of Joe Pugliesi)
Gene Rayburn was Monitor's longest-running
(from the early-'60s until the early-'70s) and most beloved host.
Most of us remember him as the Saturday morning host -- though he
also hosted every other segment over the years. (And, yes,
Gene was "The Match Game" host on TV.) Here's
Gene hosting a great hour of Monitor on Saturday
morning, Feb. 22, 1969, from 11 a.m.-noon ET. Features an
interview with Mary Higgins Clark, Joe Garagiola sports, "Ring
Around the World," "Monitor Tips" & more.
(Courtesy of Ken Smith)
Time:
one hour
Joe,
the great NBC-TV sportscaster, hosted Saturday afternoon Monitor
for several years in the late-'60s (succeeding Ed McMahon)
-- and also did regular sports features for Monitor for many years.
Here is is, hosting on Saturday, February 22, 1969, from 3 to 4
p.m. ET. Features a live report from Mount Vernon (this was,
after all, Washington's Birthday), a report on President Nixon's
overseas trip, Bing Crosby & more. (Courtesy of Ken
Smith)
Here's Henry, hosting
on Sunday afternoon, February 23, 1969, from 2 to 3 p.m. ET, as
Monitor keeps us up-to-the-minute on President Nixon's arrival in
Brussels, Belgium, for his first overseaas trip. Features
man-on-the-street interviews about the Nixon trip; a Richard Valeriani
report about the trip; Ray Scherer reporting on Nixon's arrival
in Europe; and Dr. Joyce Brothers. (Courtesy of Ken Smith)
Time:
about 80 minutes
This magnificent
piece demonstrates why Gene Rayburn was such a
great, and beloved, Monitor host -- and why Monitor was, simply,
incomparable when it came to "going places and doing things,"
and covering everything important or interesting in the weekend
world. This aired on Saturday morning, March 25, 1969, from
9 to 10:20 a.m. ET -- the day after Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34th
president, died. It features a moving tribute by Bob "On
the Line" Considine; Peter Hackes, reporting live on Ike's
memorial; Kyle Rote, reporting on Ike's athletic achievements; "early"
Monitor News on the Hour, followed by a special live report on Ike's
memorial; plus a couple of Monitor "tips" and Dr. Joyce
Brothers. Gene segues between all of this beautifully, and
his tone and presentation perfectly fit the mood of each of the
program's segments.
Time:
about 20 minutes
You had
to hurry to hear Durward host Monitor -- he was
on only a short time in '69 (and so was his pal, Garry Moore, who
hosted another segment). Here he is on Sept. 21 from 9 to
about 9:20 p.m. ET -- a segment we like because it features our
friend, long-time Monitor engineer Gene Garnes Sr.,
as a reporter! (Courtesy of Gene Garnes Sr.)
Time:
about 70 minutes
This is
delightful holiday listening - Monitor segments from December '69,
with plenty of Monitor Christmas jingles and some
great hosts! (Courtesy of Ken Smith)
Time:
a half-hour
Yes, the
"5th Beatle" -- wildman NYC disc jockey Murray
the K -- settled down in the late-'60s to host Saturday
night Monitor for several years. Here he is, on April 25,
1970, from 10 to 10:30 p.m. ET -- the last half-hour ever of Monitor
in this time slot, since (as Murray will announce), the program's
start time would change the following weekend, and Saturday night
Monitor would henceforth air from 7 to 10 p.m. ET. (Courtesy
of Don Spuhler)
Time:
a half-hour
WNBC and
WNEW disc jockey Ted Brown succeeded Henry
Morgan as Sunday afternoon Monitor host in 1970.
Here he is, on Sunday, Feb. 21, 1971, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. ET, demonstrating
his own brand of energy and humor. Features Gene Shalit with
a movie review, Ted hosting sports, and plenty of ad-libs. (Courtesy
of Jim Willard)
Time:
a half-hour
Bill Cullen --
the "king of TV game shows" -- was the regular Saturday
afternoon Monitor host for several years. Here he is, on a
Sunday afternoon, May 16, 1971, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. ET. Features
Dr. Joyce Brothers, Cullen doing sports & more. (Courtesy
of Jim Willard)
For more information
about Bill, check out The
Bill Cullen Homepage
Time:
one hour
Legendary NYC disc jockey
Jim Lowe was Monitor's 2nd-longest tenured host
-- after Gene Rayburn. First he hosted Saturday
night Monitor -- then (after leaving and returning to WNBC), he
hosted Sunday night Monitor from '69 to '73. Here's Jim on
Sunday night, January 30th, 1972, from 9 to 10 p.m. ET. Features
Dean Mell interviewing Gay Talese, Len Dillon with Monitor sports,
Graham Kerr (the "Galloping Gourmet") & more.
(Courtesy of Don Spuhler)
Time: about 40 minutes
Here's Ted,
again, ad-libbing his way through this memorable Sunday
segment from April 30, 1972. (Courtesy of W.T. Koltek)
Bill
Mazer hosts Monitor '72
Time:
one hour
Bill
Mazer was a great sports talk host on WNBC Radio in NYC.
He also occasionally filled in as a Monitor host, as he did here,
on Saturday mornng, Sept. 23, 1972 (sitting in for regular host Gene
Rayburn). In this wonderful hour (9-10 a.m. ET), you will hear
reports by Ed McMahon, Joe Garagiola, Gene Rayburn and Curt Gowdy.
That's right -- ALL of them, in just one hour! Plus, great music
-- a Monitor tip -- and more! Yes, even in 1972, 17 years after
its premiere, Monitor still sounded like the best program, ever, on
network radio. And it was! (Courtesy of Gene Garnes Jr.)
Time:
one hour
Yes, Monitor
fans, Frank Jr. hosted Saturday night Monitor for
three consecutive weekends in 1972, starting with this hour on Dec.
2 from 7 to 8 p.m. ET. He was performing at the Rainbow
Room on top of the RCA Building at the time, so NBC decided to book
him as a Monitor host. Features Ed McMahon, Gene Shalit doing
a "live" movie review, Guy LeBow with a live sports report
& more. (Courtesy of Jack Burns)
Time:
one hour
Art
Ford, a great NYC radio voice, hosted this "big-band
tribute" on Sunday night, April 15, 1973, on Monitor, from
7 to 8 p.m. ET. (Courtesy of Jack
Burns)
Time:
about 34 minutes
Here's
a segment of Saturday morning Monitor hosted by the great Bill
Cullen, on Saturday, July 11, from 11 to about 11:40 a.m.
ET. By this time, long-time Saturday morning host Gene Rayburn
was busy with his "Match Game" revival on CBS-TV
-- so he had to bow out of the Saturday morning slot. Bill
stepped in for a time -- and this snippet showcases his wonderfully
breezy style -- he sounds just like the "guy next door,"
and that's undoubtedly why he was so successful on both radio and
TV during his great career. This piece features Bill at his
best, interviewing Sterling Holloway -- and listen to Bill as he
jokes that he "limped" into a question with Sterling.
If you know details about Bill's life, you'll understand what he's
referring to.
Time: one hour
Yes, we present another
hour hosted by the great Bill Cullen, this time
on Saturday morning, Aug. 11, 1973 -- 9 to 10 a.m. ET. Apart
from Bill's casual and wonderful style, you'll enjoy (we promise!)
reports by Joe Garagiola, travel expert Fran Koltun, and reports
about the overseas movie industry and a unique history author.
Plus, Monitor tips -- and more! (Courtesy of Gene Garnes
Jr.)
Time: one hour
Legendary Los Angeles disc jockey
Robert W. Morgan hosted Saturday night Monitor
during the summer and fall of 1973, alternating weeks with Don Imus
and Wolfman Jack. This was NBC Radio's experiment to try to
induce some of its stations that were no longer airing Monitor to
do so. In this segment -- Saturday night, Nov. 3, from 8 to
9 p.m. ET, Robert W. has the comedy team of Hudson and Landry as
guests.
Note:
below are the full six hours of NBC Monitor's last Saturday on the
air -- January 25, 1975
Features
Dave Garroway interviewing Marilyn Monroe on Monitor's first broadcast
(Sunday, June 12, 1955), John Chancellor, the sound of snapping
turtles, Bob and Ray, and Joe Garagiola interviewing Bob Hope
Features
Marlene Dietrich, "Miss Monitor," Lee Kline interviewing
a walnut grower, Selma Diamond, and a feature on "the twist"
Features
Sammy Cahn's musical tribute to Monitor, Nichols & May, Frank
Blair, Ben Grauer, David Wayne, Al Kelly
Features
Helen Hall's roller-coaster ride, James Daly, Joe Garagiola interviewing
Bob Hope, "Miss Monitor," Bob & Ray, Jim Lowe
Features
Groucho Marx, strange sounds heard on Monitor over the years, Ted
Brown, Johnny Andrews, Jimmy Durante, and a Monitor fan interviewed
live
Features
Roy Silver and a reporter who could not say, "Now back to Monitor
at Radio Central," Doug Storer's bloopers, Peter Roberts,
Jonathan Winters, Art Buchwald, Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara
Note:
below are the full six hours of NBC Monitor's last Sunday on the
air -- January 26, 1975
Features Nichols &
May, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Bernard Baruch, Marx Loeb, Jonathan
Winters
Features Ed McMahon,
Ernie Kovacs, Joe Garagiola
Features Edwin Newman,
Gene Shalit, Johnny Andrews, Bob Considine
Features
Phyllis Diller, Barry Nelson, Frank Blair, Jim Lowe
Features
Bob & Ray, Ben Grauer, Frank McGee, Pat Weaver, Dave Garroway
& Eddie Cantor
The
last hour ever. Features Dave Garroway & Marilyn Monroe,
John Chancellor, Hugh Downs, and Sammy Cahn's musical tribute
to Monitor.
Note:
below are notable snippets from NBC Monitor throughout the years
Pat Weaver
talks about Monitor
Time: 1 minute, 2 seconds
On Monitor's last Sunday,
program creator Sylvester L. "Pat" Weaver Jr.
told host John Bartholomew Tucker how
he coined the term "kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria" to describe
Monitor.
Garroway
and Marilyn on Monitor
Time: 42 seconds
One of Monitor communicator
Dave Garroway's most famous interviews was one
of his first -- this one with actress Marilyn Monroe
in Radio Central on Sunday, June 12, 1955.
McGee
and MLK on Monitor
Time: 1 minute, 30
seconds
Monitor host Frank
McGee's most famous interview was this one -- with civil
rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Miss
Monitor"
Time: 1 minute
Who WAS that lady who
did the sexy weather forecasts on Monitor? Her name was Tedi
Thurman. Here she recreates one of her forecasts, with
Monitor host Big Wilson. To see what she looked
like, check out the "Miss Monitor" page.
Bob
and Ray on Monitor
Time: 1 minute, 4 seconds
For years, comedians Bob
Elliott and Ray Goulding stayed in Radio
Central virtually every weekend, ready to ad-lib comedy routines
if a Monitor remote failed or time needed to be filled. Here's their
take-off on "Miss Monitor."
Hugh
Downs talking about Bob and Ray on Monitor
Time: 1 minute, 31
seconds
Hugh Downs
was one of Monitor's earliest communicators. Listen as he reminisces
about working with Bob and Ray.
Nichols
and May on Monitor
Time: 2 minutes, 56
seconds
For several memorable
years in the early '60s, the great comedy team of Mike Nichols
and Elaine May kept Monitor listeners in stitches
with outrageous and innovative comedy skits. Here's one of them,
from a September '64 Monitor segment hosted by Barry Nelson.
Ernie
Kovacs on Monitor
Time: 1 minute, 13
seconds
Comedian Ernie
Kovacs entertained Monitor listeners with creative monologues
like this one for years.
Garroway
Loses Lights
Time: 1 minute, 1 second
What happens to a bigtime
network radio program when the lights go out in the studio? Dave
Garroway tells John Bartholomew Tucker
all about it, in this interview that aired on Monitor's final day
in 1975.
Ted
Brown "strips" on Monitor
Time: 2 minutes. 34
seconds
Legendary NYC radio personality
Ted Brown hosted Sunday afternoon Monitor for several
years in the early-'70s. Here is one of the "stripper"
routines he often performed on Monitor -- routines that all Monitor
fans of that time will remember. (Courtesy of Ken Smith)
Vintage
Monitor Promos
This is a collection of
23 audio clips of Monitor promos that aired on NBC Radio over the
years. Number 1 aired on "World News Roundup" on
June 2, 1955; #2 aired on "Just Plain Bill" on Aug. 11,
1955; #3 & 4 aired during "X Minus One" in 1956.
Number 5 aired during "The Affairs of Dr. Gentry" in 1957.
Numbers 6 through 18 aired during "X Minus One" in 1957;
#19 aired on "X-Minus One" in 1958; #20 aired during the
"NBC Radio Theatre" in 1959; #21 through 24 aired during
the Orange Bowl football game Jan. 1, 1965. (Courtesy
of Jim Taylor)
Time: 3 minutes,
55 seconds
In Monitor's final years, NBC Radio fed Monitor promos a few days
before the upcoming weekend's programs so that local stations could
insert them where they wanted (there being very little "other"
NBC Radio programming, besides Monitor, for the network to air them
in). This was the last promo feed -- three promos introduced by Don
Pardo and voiced by Monitor's last hosts, Big Wilson
and John Bartholomew Tucker.
Monitor
Announcements
Time: 55 seconds
What kinds of announcements?
Oh, you'll remember, once you start listening.
Monitor
Station ID's
Time: 1 minute, 1 second
Remember how Monitor's
hosts used to identify NBC affiliates just before those affiliates
got their cutaway cues for local commercials? Well, listen here
for another trip down Monitor's Memory Lane. (In order, you'll hear
hosts Jim Lowe, Frank McGee, Barry Nelson and Gene
Rayburn.)
Time:1 minute, 30
seconds
For a time near the end
of Monitor's run, live news "Updates" were aired in the
body of the program -- first at :15 and :45 after the hour, then
at :30 after. This is the very last live news Update (airing at
5:30 p.m. ET) on Monitor's final Sunday, January 26, 1975, anchored
by Bob Gibson, who is still anchoring radio news
in NYC to this day.
What happens when Monitor News
on the Hour ends and host Ted Brown isn't
ready to read his closing billboard? Just listen.
The scene: Radio Central's studio 5B,
where Monitor host Gene Rayburn has to read the
closing billboard for News on the Hour just after a staffer
(who shall remain nameless) utters a word that really shouldn't
go out on the air.
Here's Monitor host Gene Rayburn,
ad-libbing during a commercial for a comb. What's so funny about
that? Listen.
Time: 1 minute, 46
seconds
How hard is it to say,
"Now back to Monitor in Radio Central," when you're finishing
a phone report? Very, if you don't have a clue.
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