A Game Changer

 

Sunday is the 50th anniversary of the premiere of "Match Game 73" on CBS.

Fred Silverman was running the network back then, widely regarded as a genius, and I agree.  If you get a chance, watch the long interviews he did for the Emmy people.  They're on You Tube.  The man had a passion for the medium.

Long story short, CBS started putting game shows back on the daytime schedule in 1972.  It worked.  Silverman ordered more and here comes "Match Game."  It was on NBC for seven years in the 60's.  The CBS version was much, much different.  It was CBS's answer to the nine celebrities NBC used for "Hollywood Squares."

"Match Game" became the top rated show on the CBS daytime schedule, until it started getting a little tired, and a short lived move to mornings didn't help.  Still, the show broke new ground, mixing comedy and game, a little naughty at times, and always fun.

GSN still runs it in the afternoon, and it never fails to brighten a miserable day.

The Power

 

I'm not sure if he was the first, but Governor Robert P. Casey was fond of saying "What did you do when you had the power?

The governor's inference here were sins of omission were just as bad, if not worse, than sins of commission.

Five employees of Lackawanna County's Office of Youth and Family Services were hit with criminal charges this week. The district attorney's office and Scranton Police say the five knew about child abuse, and did nothing to stop it.

What did they do when they had the power?  According to the DA, the answer is "nothing."

All five are innocent until proven guilty.  Some attorneys for the accused had problems with the way the Scranton Police Department acted.  This is going to get interesting-- and ugly.

There are times, because of conflict of interest potential, that investigations should be handed off to the Pennsylvania State Police or the attorney general's office.  In hindsight...

The higher ups in the county issued texts.  One commissioner went in front of the cameras, only to call for a state investigation.  Somebody really needs to step up here.  They failed the kids.

Raison D'etre

 

Once again, a photo for no particular reason.  This is the Water Street bridge between Pittston and West Pittston.  It's been closed for several months, and I sincerely doubt whether it will ever see traffic again.

It's the NEPA Syndrome.  We wait until something is too far gone to save, and demolition becomes the only option.  It's a beautiful, majestic bridge.  They no longer build them like this.

Take photographs while you can.

Upon further review, like Florida in 2000, I nearly pulled this one out of the "Raison d'Etre category.  The federal government Friday decided to kick in $ 19 million to fix or replace this bridge and its upriver cousin.

I look forward to seeing the plan.

David Bohrman

 

David Bohrman died last week.  He worked in television news, in several places, and I will remember him for two things.

Bohrman was the creator of ABC's "World News Now."  Lisa McRee and Aaron Brown were the first anchors back in 1992.  It combined the quirky and offbeat with the serious-- and it worked.  The broadcast was fresh and interesting, and a great overnight companion. Let's face it.  Many of the "features" were simply network time killers.  Bohrman and his staff managed to make them compelling television anyway.  There were vintage video pieces, overseas stories, and items from ABC stations around the country.

David Bohrman also pioneered the use of giant touch screens during his stay at CNN.  Some saw it as a gimmick, but when used properly, it really is a great way to illustrate a story and give viewers a better understanding.

You have better television news today because David Bohrman was part of our industry.

He was 69 years old.

Follow Up Monday

 

There is quite a bit of piling on following the death of five people in that submersible that was poking around the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.

As I've noted here before, I'm not comfortable with tourists rummaging around the graves of the 1,514 people killed when the Titanic went down.  If you can afford it and know the risks, I'm not going to judge you.  However, the tourists did place the lives of the search and rescue people in jeopardy.

Independence Day is more than a week away, and the sound of fireworks already echoes throughout the neighborhood.  Many communities are trying to crack down-- limiting locations and hours where fireworks can be used.  Good luck with that.  There aren't enough police officers on the planet to enforce it, and the fine is a mere slap on the wrist.  Every police department and every fire department wants an end to consumer fireworks.  The legislature is indifferent because there is money involved, and as always, follow the money.

They took away our lawn darts years ago.  Explosives are still okay.

Andy's Angles: Lackawanna

 This was actually another monthly blog header contender, but I went in another direction.  It's possible you will see another shot down the road here, or down the tracks.

This is Lackawanna 664, at the Steamtown roundhouse recently.

While I do like maroon, yellow, and grey, I can't say it's my favorite color combination.  However, it did look great in the strong morning sun.

Andy's Angles: Old Nickel Plate

 

A Nickel Plate Road engine has been receiving a lot of interest lately.  It's the one that was pushed in to Scranton in May, after decades out west.

The Nickel Plate name is no stranger to our area, even though the bulk of the operation was along the southern edge of the Great Lakes, from Chicago to Buffalo.

I found this gen at Steamtown in Scranton several weeks ago.

Locked Up

 

It really made me sad.

I've been reading about stores and mini marts in major cities, like New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, closing because of crime ridden neighborhoods and rampant shoplifting.  Society has really deteriorated, and I'm really not sure if it can be turned around.

Let's shift locations and times to this week, here in our area.  A craving for Buffalo cauliflower sent me to one of the big box stores, and I dropped in right at opening time.  I needed a few other things, like razors, toiletries, snacks for work, etc...

The grocery section was fine, but it seems like everything else in the store was under lock and key.  The cosmetics department is walled off, so there is only one way in and out.  While I didn't need any electronics, I decided to wander through that department, to see if anything would catch my eye.  It was the big box Fort Knox!

When I bring up problems here, I usually try to suggest a solution.  Friends, I'm stumped.  I'm also dejected.  Shopping used to be fun.

By the way, the store didn't have any Buffalo cauliflower but I did grab a couple of other flavors.

Lost

 

Don't get me wrong.  Don't misunderstand me.  In no uncertain terms, the disappearance of that submersible in the north Atlantic is absolutely horrible.  My concern goes out to everyone involved and their families.  It's so sad.  

I am so impressed with the bravery of those dedicated to the search.

The expedition was out to take a look at the Titanic's wreckage.

I've always had mixed feelings about doing that.

Yes, it's important to learn what happened and why.  We can learn.  We can make sea travel safer.  We can learn abut the ocean, what it does, and what it can do.

Having said that, 1,514 people died there.  We are poking around in their cemetery, in their graves.  It just seems disrespectful.

Yes, again, archaeology is important, even under water.  We dig up graves all the time, sometimes deliberately, sometimes by accident.  Not to diminish the seriousness of this, but there was a "Barney Miller" episode several years about a man who vandalized a college archaeology department because he felt his ancestors were dishonored.

I do realize it's still possible to visit the sites of tragedies and still show respect.  I hope that's what we've done in the past, and what we will do in the future.

Wednesday Scrapple

 

I've written about the joy in hearing a song for the first time, in a long time, and knowing all the words.  This week's entry:  "Gold" by John Stewart.  I heard it during a Sunday broadcast of an old Casey Kasem "American Top 40."  How I really enjoy those!  It spotlighted a week from the summer of 1979-- the summer between high school and college for me, a great time.

Believe it or not, there was a time when I really liked summer.

Taylor Swift broke an attendance record for the football stadium in Pittsburgh, more than 74-thousand.  I don't understand this on so many levels.  

It seems like the Oakland A's move to Las Vegas is a done deal.  I have faith in Major League Baseball and its commissioner to somehow screw it up.

It would be nice to see teams in Nashville and Charlotte.

I marvel at the Interstate 95 rebuild in Philadelphia.  We can do things when our backs are to the wall.  

Speaking of construction, a horrible section of North Main Avenue in Scranton has been re-paved.  Thank heaven.

The Luzerne County district attorney blames an inexperienced staff for the paper shortage at polling places in November.  The machines use paper.  Who knew?

Massive heat in the southern half of Texas, and there are new fears the power grid could fail.  Have we learned nothing over the years?

Golf without Tiger Woods is boring.  I just couldn't get interested in the US Open.

Gas station food at 2:00 am is one of the great joys of life.

Thanks to all of you who offered best wishes on my 25th anniversary at WNEP.

Summer

 

Tomorrow is the first day of summer.

Now, the words I never thought I'd say.  I'll take winter over summer.

When you work overnights, heat, light, noise from lawn mowers and leaf blowers are not your friends.  Winter is much quieter and darker-- making it easier to sleep.

Summer does have one major thing going for it-- no snow and ice, leading to dangerous travel.

Tomorrow is the day when we receive the most daylight.  After a few stable days, we start losing a little every day.  As a kid, that always blew my mind.  School just ended.  Warm weather is finally consistent-- and the days are getting shorter.

As for now, I have my dark curtains.  I have my air conditioner.  I have my melatonin.  I have my calendar, where I am counting down the days until fall.

Raison D'Etre

 

I was going through photos I still haven't posted, and I spied this one.  It fits in the raison d'etre category.  There really isn't a good, newsy hook here.  It's just a weathered engine at Steamtown in Scranton.

Yes, I've been inflicting a train overload upon you lately.  Summer is here.  It's time to move on to other things.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Andy's Angles: Mural Weekend, Part 2

 

This is another of the relatively new murals gracing downtown Scranton.

The building fronts on Mifflin Street, but this is on the back, facing Franklin Avenue.

Three dimensional bees, flowers, and insects.  What is not to like here?

I am one of those people who thinks a plain brick wall is beautiful, and I hate to see painted masonry.

However, I love this!

Andy's Angles: Mural Weekend

 

Downtown Scranton has taken on a lot of color recently, and I think that's fantastic.  I normally didn't believe some paint on the side of the building could add a lot to a city, and I was wrong.

I don't consider myself an art aficionado.  Far from it.  You should have seen me struggle through my art, music, and theater classes at Marywood back in the day.

Having said that, I really like this!

It's on the left side of Penn Avenue, just off Mulberry Street.

I'll show you another mural, just a couple of blocks away, tomorrow.

Anniversary Day!

 

Tomorrow is a huge day.  It is the 25th anniversary of my first day at WNEP.

I won't bore you with a review of the last quarter century.  After all, many of you were there to watch it, and I thank you.

Even though there are many times I walk in to that building exhausted, I've never lost sight of how lucky I am to be there.

I've been around so long, I was there to meet Christopher Columbus on his journey.

See you tomorrow, and thanks again!

Black & White

 

I don't print a lot at home.  There isn't much need.  I did have to get some documents in order the other day, and imagine my frustration when my black ink tank ran out!

My printer is several years old, and it works great.  Scans too.  It also has the ability to scan items directly on to a flash drive for portability, and that is a great function.  It saved a lot of room when I smuggled top secret documents out of WNEP.  Ooops!  I wasn't supposed to say that!

I can also print photos, but if I do need them printed, it's easier, faster, and less expensive to email them to the drug store, and have them do it.  I should add that the store I regularly use is fast and the low prices are amazing.

Having established all of that, I looked in to the guts of my printer to get the model number for the cartridge I need, and I spied the color cartridges in there that never get used.  Translation:  a waste of money.

So, that set off an internet search for a simple,  black and white model.  It was an eye opener.  They were more expensive than color printers, and they were missing some of the features I liked.  Here is the reason.  Those black and white printers are geared toward businesses, not the home computer geek who needs things printed only once in a while.

The bottom line is I'll shell out more money for cartridges for the existing printer, and hope some company has the common sense to develop a simple black and white printer geared toward the home market.

Spinning Away

 

Pat Sajak announced this week that he's retiring as Wheel of Fortune host after the upcoming season.

41 years!

While Wheel bores me, I do respect its popularity and Sajak's longevity.  He was a radio guy, moved in to television, and became a television weatherman in Los Angeles.  Wheel creator Merv Griffin spotted him, and pegged Sajak to replace Chuck Woolery.  Merv and Chuck got in to a money dispute and you can see how that one ended.

I've never had a problem with Pat Sajak-- quick, witty, smart, non objectionable, vanilla-- in a good way.  He is just someone you can't help but like.  As I have said here many times before, you can't teach that and you can't bottle that.

In fact, I thought the early days of Sajak's late night CBS talk show were pretty good.  Be that as it may, the show didn't give you any reason to turn away from Johnny Carson.  Johnny was the king.

Back in the old days, you had a wonderful stable of talent where you could choose a replacement.

I'll be watching this one.

And before I go, I have to note Monday's passing of actor Treat Williams.  He was killed in a motorcycle accident in Vermont.  Williams has a long list of credits.  I loved him as David Letterman's agent, Michael Ovitz, in the HBO movie, "The Late Shift."  It was a great performance and we can all dream about having someone like that on our side.  Treat Williams was 71.

Space Age

 

The recent blog entries about Glynn Lunney struck a chord with a lot of people.

I confessed to being immersed in the Apollo program as a kid.  It was the perfect storm-- great visuals and a great television story for someone who was becoming hooked on news and broadcasting.

The networks turned the astronauts into heroes, as they were.  It was a wonderful diversion from Vietnam, assassinations, riots, fear...  At the time, the space program was an American success story.

Well,  after writing the Lunney blogs and seeing the comments on social media, it appears a lot of you have similar feelings.  We got caught up in it.  It was wonderful.  We had such pride in the country, in technology, in science...

I know space is "back."  NASA and private industry are very busy there days.  There will be return trips to the moon, maybe Mars.  

My hope is for kids, and the rest of America, to get caught up in it again.  We can use the optimism.

Unfinished Monday

 

CNN head Chris Licht got bounced last week.  Let's take a closer look.  Licht developed "Morning Joe" for MSNBC.  I don't watch it, but it was a new approach for morning television.  Licht redeveloped the morning broadcast on CBS, making it very watchable for a long time.  Why?  They did the news.  Period.  Licht left.  Charlie Rose self destructed the the show returned to unwatchable status.  Licht  then ran the Stephen Colbert late night show.  Awful then.  Awful now.

Based on the CBS success, I thought Licht would be good for CNN.  He attempted to pull the network back to the middle.  His methods were baffling, including moving someone with clear and overwhelming biases into the morning anchor job.  According to several published reports, there were plenty of internal problems, including a staff that didn't want to be moved away from its biased way of doing things and approaching the news.  Plus, ratings and revenue were way down.

Yes, you knew this part was coming.  I long for the days when CNN did the news.  Plain and simple.  The 8 pm broadcast was the daily newscast of record.  The 10 pm show was excellent.  There was an updated version at 1 am, mainly for the west coast audience, but I was a frequent viewer, perfect for night owls.

I hate to say it because people will lose their jobs, but blow it up and start all over again.

Another one...

I've read about the PGA/LIV Golf merger, and I don't understand it-- on many levels.  As we learned during Watergate, follow the money.

Moving on...

There is a bill in the state legislature to change the name of the Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Environmental Services.  This is the bunch that couldn't even get an air quality warning right last week.  I'm sure a name change will help, he says cynically and sarcastically.

It reminds me of one of my favorite Pennsylvania follies.  We have a Game Commission and a Fish and Boat commission.  Why can't they be combined?  I remember part of the argument against it was all the vehicle decals would have to be changed.  Yes, another great reason for the status quo.

Page four...

Looks like more college football realignment is on the way.  Face it.  College sports is big business.  End the charade.

And finally this hour...

The Oakland A's move to Las Vegas appears to be in jeopardy at this writing.  The owner is loaded, and the team has the worst record in baseball.  The A's could set a record for futility this year.  Can't cut a deal with Oakland or Las Vegas?  Try Charlotte, Portland, Nashville...  This is a horrible situation that has festered for years and the commissioner's fiddling while the franchise burns is embarrassing.  

Andy's Angles: Passenger Cars and Caboose

 

Who doesn't love a caboose?  As a kid, it was my favorite train car.  I learned to appreciate the engines as I grew older.

I spotted a couple during a recent trip to Steamtown in Scranton.  The one above seems to have received some  recent TLC.  It looked great.

The one you see above should have been shot from the other side.  The sun angle would have been more favorable.  I didn't go on that other side because freight trains were rolling on the track.  Safety first!

This one wasn't as pretty as the top caboose, but I'm sure it was just as functional.

Some passenger cars were hanging out here the morning of May 17th.  It was a sunny and clear morning.  I couldn't resist snapping off a few photos.

Andy's Angles: Lehigh, Delaware-Lackawanna Day

 

There is working track adjacent to the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, and Lehigh Valley, Delaware-lackawanna locomotives dominate that section of track.  I photographed a few during a visit last month.

The look is distinctive-- grey, yellow, and red.  It works.  You instantly recognize "Lehigh" and "Delaware-Lackawanna" when you spot one.

Some were idling.  Others were in motion.  The one you see above had cars of lumber behind as it moved from north to south.

Here, you come for the steam, and the diesel is a major bonus.

Glynn Lunney Day

 

I went to yesterday's Glynn Lunney Day in Old Forge.  Please see Wednesday's entry and why I felt the day to be exceptionally important.

I saw a family's pride.  I saw a community's pride.

I'm glad I was there.

Meet the Exit

 

Chuck Todd made the announcement Sunday.  He is leaving NBC's "Meet the Press" later this year.  Todd lasted nine years.

I thought he was okay.

The Sunday morning landscape has changed considerably over the years.  CBS has "Face the Nation."  ABC had "Issues and Answers" before it morphed in to "This Week."  Back in the day, all the Sunday morning network shows had something in common-- dry as the desert.  It was the place the networks sent aging correspondents in decline.  It gave the Secretary of the Interior something to do every Sunday.  Those minor cabinet secretaries were fixtures on the old morning shows.

Genius Roone Arledge rocked the planet in 1981.  "Issues and Answers" was gone.  Arledge discovered the news division also produced a kids show called "Animals, Animals, Animals."  He grabbed that time period to make his new Sunday show an hour long.  Arledge hired David Brinkley away from NBC.  By Brinkley's own admission, he had run out of things to do on NBC.  The network stuck him with a Friday night magazine show that no one watched.  It was scheduled opposite "Dallas" on CBS.  NBC had new news division management, CBS veterans, and they were happy to see Brinkley leave.  Fools!  By the way, upper ABC management wanted someone other than Brinkley, but they did admit Brinkley's hire gave the new broadcast instant credibility.

Those first years of the ABC show were magnificent.  Brinkley would read the headlines "since the morning papers went to press."  There was a set up piece on the week's major story.  An interview or two, and then the panel discussion.  Ratings shot up.  The other networks copied.

NBC tried Roger Mudd, Chris Wallace, and then Garrick Utley.  The show gained some traction when Tim Russert took over.

The truth be known:  I didn't like Tim Russert.  He was famous for questioning a guest, and then pulling out a piece of video from decades ago, when they said something contrary.  Gotcha!  I found the technique to be petty and cheap.  Plus, Russert spent years in politics before going in to television, and his bias was clear.

CBS held its own as Brinkley's competition.  Lesley Stahl was very good.  Bob Schieffer managed to hold a guest's feet to the fire and be a gentleman at the same time.  I think the show has lost its way a bit in recent years.

ABC lost momentum when Brinkley retired.  There was a revolving door for a while.  ABC tried to make the show more worldly and less Washington.  It discovered viewers like Washington on Sunday mornings.  There is now a rotation of hosts, with George Stephanopoulos being the easiest and most comfortable to watch.

If you are watching TV on a weekend morning, you are a news hound.  The audience is engaged.  Weekend mornings are a good time slot.  Believe me, I know!  

Glynn Lunney

 

It is an honor long overdue.

Part of Main Street in Old Forge is being renamed in honor of Glynn Lunney.  The ceremony is set for tomorrow morning.  Glynn left us several years ago.  Family members from the south will be at tomorrow's dedication.

Lunney helped get Apollo 11 to the moon as NASA flight director.  He helped get Apollo 13 home and saved the lives of three astronauts.

I am thrilled we are celebrating a man of deeds and accomplishments, a man of science.  We need to do more.  I don't think anyone would complain about a Glynn Lunney monument or marker on Courthouse Square in Scranton.

We have too many things around here named after politicians, and far too many monuments.  Their main claims to fame was spending your money.  Thank you.

Let's honor the life of a man who actually did something.

Again!

 

I was thrilled with the news!

There are plans to reopen the movie theaters at Lackawanna and Penn in downtown Scranton.  This building has been opened and closed at least a half a dozen times since the adjacent mall opened in the early 90's.  I took the photo you see above after Marquee pulled out in 2017.

The new plan is for movies, comedy shows, e-sports, food, music, etc.  The facade will be re-done.  the owner promises Las Vegas style lighting.  That is a must.  As it stands now, that corner is dark and unattractive, even when the theater was open.

You know what?  It's all irrelevant.  

The success or failure of the venture comes down to one word:  security.

There were issues here in the past.  People won't come downtown at night and use a parking garage if they don't feel safe.  It's as simple as that.

So, while you renovate the inside, pop gourmet corn,  and put up flashy lights outside, invest in safety.  Hire security guards and off duty cops to walk the streets, the elevators and the parking decks.  The security will pay off.

This part of the city should be alive again.

RFK

 

You see those Facebook questions once in a while:  "What was the first major news story you remember?"

I recall space launches, big snow storms, the riots after the King assassination, and the assassination of Robert Kennedy.  He was shot 55 years ago today, after winning the California primary.  Kennedy died the next morning.

The "CBS Morning News" was always on in my house as I readied for elementary school.  Partly because it was a good program, because you actually received some news.  The other part was because it came on before one of my favorites, "Captain Kangaroo."

When you are a kid, you often see things through the eyes of your parents, and I vividly remember how upset my mother and father were.  President John Kennedy was publicly murdered five years prior, and his brother met the same fate.  Like much of America, the family was caught up in Camelot, and its tragic end.

RFK had some strikes on his record, as history shows, when he was attorney general.  But, I will give him credit for giving a lot of people "hope," and that can be exceptionally elusive.  Few politicians inspired on the RFK level.  There was something about him that connected with people.  Being very young at the time, I was unable to recognize it.  There are times as an adult when I find the reasons behind his popularity to be difficult to grasp.

America was going through a tough time before Kennedy's murder and the scene in a Los Angeles hotel made it worse-- a lot worse.  You wonder how things would have been different, especially Vietnam, had RFK lived-- and won.

We were just dealing with the shooting of Dr. Martin Luther King, and a horrible summer was about to unfold. 

Andy's Angles: Sitting it Out!

 

I took this photo, in a park in Blakely, at the same time I took yesterday's rushing Lackawanna River photo.

This is one smart bird!  The water was too deep and too fast, even for the experts.

Andy's Angles: High Water

 

It rained, nearly non stop, during the last week of April.

This is the rain swollen and rapids filled Lackawanna River at Blakely.  Olyphant is on the opposite shore, and downstream is to the right.

I really should have taken sound and video, too.  The rush and roar of the water was awe inspiring.

Andy's Angles: Rahway and Reading

 

June is here, and it's the first weekend of meteorological summer.  Memorial Day weekend is considered as the unofficial start of the summer season.

Be that as it may, let's get an early start on the weekend, dropping the weighty issues of the day, in favor of a photo.

Above is Rahway 15 at Steamtown in Scranton on a recent sunny morning.  This is one of a couple Steamtown trains that remind me of the Cannonball, the one that ran between Hooterville and Pixley on a few TV series in the 60's and 70's.  By the way, I read where the Cannonball still exists.  While this one is significantly different, it does take you back.

The old Reading engine above really made my day.  It was gleaming in the late springtime early morning sun.  It was begging for a photo.

And, guess what?  It's going to be a train-free weekend on the blog!

About the Cover: Welcome Home!

 A story on this, weeks ago, caught my eye, and I've been following it ever since.

This locomotive once traveled Santa Fe track, decades ago.  It came east and was part of the Delaware & Hudson group, used on runs between Scranton and Carbondale.  Yes, it's possible I watched this train used not far from home while I was a wee tot.  It was back out west, even Mexico, before becoming part of a collection in Oregon.

Genesee Valley Transportation, owner of Delaware-Lackawanna, among others found it, bought it, and had it moved back to Scranton.  It was a fascinating journey, ending May 19, when it was pushed in to Scranton.

The locomotive will be displayed at Steamtown for a few weeks.  It's then to the Von Storch shop in Scranton for restoration.  The goal is to use it for local excursions, and I think that's great.

I'm one of those insane people who thinks inanimate objects have thoughts and feelings, so I stopped by the morning of May 24 to introduce myself.  I said hello and welcome home, and added I was the guy who put you on tv the previous weekend.  It's nice to have a new friend.

The former owner in Oregon once worked for Nickel Plate, hence the paint job.  I like it and wouldn't complain if the look stays the same.  It has a modern, yet retro feel.  It reminds me of a Greyhound bus, and that is not a negative.

Nickel Plate was basically an Illinois, Ohio and western New York line.  There isn't a strong connection to northeastern Pennsylvania.  There is speculation it will take on the red, yellow, and grey of Genesee Valley/Delaware-Lackawanna.  I would be okay with that.  There is other speculation it will be repainted with the blue, gold and grey of D&H.  That is my top choice.  After all, this train sported those colors years ago.