Walter Dickson dead at 90
WABI-TV (Ch, 5, CBS) Bangor, ME reports that the man who threw the switch to launch the station in 1953, Walter Dickson, has died at age 90. His 44-year career in broadcasting began at WABI radio in 1938 and ran though his retirement in 1982 - - moving from Chief Engineer to President and General Manager without ever switching stations (except to add TV to radio).
Letterman fighting court order
Proving that you can get a court order for about anything if you try, attorneys for David Letterman are now asking a judge in Santa Fe, NM to rescind a restraining order against the TV host. The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper reports that judge Daniel Sanchez granted the order sought by Colleen Nestler to make Letterman stay at least three yards away from her and not "think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering." Nestler claims that Letterman used code words on his CBS show to indicate that he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host. Letterman's lawyers say the order is "obviously absurd and frivolous."
TVBR observation: Couldn't she just watch Leno instead?
Martin Levy dead at 85
Long-time FCC official Martin Levy has died of a heart attack at age 85, according to the Washington Post. In his 40 years plus at the FCC, Levy rose to be Deputy Chief of the Broadcast Bureau, retiring in 1979. He then went into law practice with Cohn & Marks, before retiring completely in 1988.
FOX 5 NYC helps pregnant woman during transit strike
FOX5 investigative reporter John Deutzman was the first on the scene during the Transit Strike when a woman from Queens went into labor in her vehicle while stuck in a terrible traffic jam. While covering the traffic conditions on the first day (12/20) Deutzman came upon a vehicle with Stephanie Gonzalez, a 20 year-old pregnant woman in labor, trying to reach New York Presbyterian Hospital. As Deutzman was speaking with motorists stuck in gridlock, someone shouted out that a woman was having a baby.
Gonzalez, who was also accompanied by her aunt and two additional passengers, was experiencing contractions approximately five minutes apart while stuck in a massive traffic jam north of the 96th Street HOV checkpoint at 2nd Avenue. The soon-to-be-mom sat tired and frustrated in her vehicle for nearly three hours, as they tried to enter Manhattan from the Bronx.
Along with the assistance of FOX 5 executive producer Ray Parisi and photographer Alan Lesner, Deutzman was able to get the attention of some NYPD officers: "It was frightening because even after we told the police and they were willing to help, the traffic was so jammed up that for several minutes there was just no way to get her out of there."
The officers finally made it possible for Gonzalez's vehicle to squeeze through a tough traffic jam and pass quickly through the 96th Street check point. After more than 18 hours of labor, Gonzalez welcomed her first son Elijah at five pounds, 15 ounces at approximately 3 a.m. 12/21.
SCI FI Channel to debut Battlestar Galactica feature on iTunes
Sci Fi Inside: Battlestar Galactica, a behind-the-scenes special from SCI FI Channel's Friday night series Battlestar Galactica, will premiere on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com), nearly two weeks prior to its SCI FI telecast it was announced today by Dave Howe, EVP/GM of the SCI FI Channel. Sci Fi Inside: Battlestar Galactica will have its iTunes premiere today, with the special half hour offering scheduled to air on the SCI FI Channel on 1/2/06.
Good Morning - Gain a personal edge on today's business day. Are you reading this from a forwarded email?
