Ladies and Gentlemen...The Beatles!!!! (Programs 132 and 133)

Fifty years ago, on February 9, 1964, The Beatles made their debut in America appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Their debut ushered in a change in American musical and cultural tastes.  The 1950s, which lasted longer than the actual decade itself, and which many feel ended with the tragic assassination of President Kennedy at the end of 1963, had come to a close.  The 1960s with all of its radical changes in popular culture had begun.  Here on Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we present two programs telling the story of the Beatles and how their debut on American television came to be. Also we look back at those cultural changes and how life as we knew it in the 50s would never be the same again.  Fifty years have come and gone, but the memories linger on.  Join us on Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site for these programs with our guest John Fox.

TV Station Sign-Ons (Program 99)

On Program 99, we remember the days when TV stations would shut down late at night, and then start broadcasting again very early the next morning.  This was known as the Sign-On and Sign-Off.  Something that is very rarely seen today in the era of all-night infomercials and overnight news programs.  The Galaxy Gang recall their memories of getting up early in the morning to see the station transmitting a test pattern, such as the ones we show here, and then listening to the National Anthem, and perhaps a devotional film, prior to beginning the day's programs.  The test patterns were designed to be able to allow station engineers to align their transmitting equipment, and owners of TV sets at home to align their sets.

Test patterns such as these began to be phased out as color television became the standard.  For color TV adjustments, a color bar pattern was created to help technicians determine if a color set was reproducing an accurate picture. 

Although we don't see these interesting patterns on our TVs any more, it's fun to look back and remember those days.  Join us on program 99 for our recollections of these early TV memories!

Remembering The Big Show (Podcast 29)

Smitty recalls "The Big Show", radio's last, big, lavish program. It debuted in 1950 as radio audiences were declining with the impact of television. An NBC program, the network was still smarting from the Talent Raids, in which many of their top-flight stars moved to CBS. Can you name the stars in this picture? Hear all about it on Podcast 29!