"This is William Pierce, welcoming you to another live broadcast, part of the 98th season of the Boston Pops Orchestra, John Williams conducting." The first time I was introduced to that soothing, fluid voice, courtesy of Chicago classical music station WFMT.
While Mr. Pierce did the sign-on, the actual "pixel/harpsichord" sequence was voiced by David Ives who was head of WGBH for years. I once heard a sign-off of the station from 1964 where the announcer was John Henning - who later went to two different stations using the WHDH calls, the first (Ch. 5) where he was from 1968 to 1977 (including its first five years as WCVB), then from 1977 to 1981 at the then WNAC-TV which is now WHDH.
Summary: At the beginning, 0:00 colors bars. The wood, the walls, breakthrough water. Child named Nirvana, who scroll the credits. Against a black background, we see the WGBH 2 logo and the spot coming, the red number "2" zooms in, A message, confirmed.
"This is WGBH-TV Channel 2, Boston, signing on from our control room and studios at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. WGBH-TV is a non-commercial public television station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts, by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Major capital contributions to WGBH have been made by the Filene Family, by the Fund for Adult Education, the Ford Foundation, the 20th Century Fund, and the Committee for the Permanent Charity Fund, Incorporated. This is public broadcasting in Massachusetts. Our legal name is the WGBH Educational Foundation. In Boston, we are licensed by the FCC to operate WGBH-TV Channel 2, WGBX-TV Channel 44, and WGBH Radio 89.7 FM. In Springfield, we operate WGBY-TV Channel 57. We offer programs that entertain, stimulate, and inform. Our purpose is to help you cope better with the world and your own life. We are non-commercial. For the funds that keep us free, we depend entirely on grants and contributions, large and small. These come from thousands of persons as well as from foundations, corporations and other agencies. We will always need your help. Local broadcast of Sesame Street is made possible by our contributing viewers, in partnership with McDonald's restaurants, which take pride in bringing quality children's programming to New England."
NOTICE: 10-01-21: fred rogers co. + youtube Removed my (2) MSTS1 Vids of WGBH-2 which contained Misterogers program openings-closings, effective 10/1/21. Both were on YT since 2007 and, seemed to delight thousands of viewers world-wide. Please understand: The removal is by Fred Rogers Co and You Tube ONLY. THEY are responsible for Your Loss, and no one else.
MSTS1, Got any other WGBH TV Channel 2 sign-ons from around 1989 to early 90s? I remember one from the early 90s or so where during the first part of the sign-on, is the sun rising at dawn, followed by some kinda of montage, which I can't describe.
I have always loved that harpsicord melody. I remember watching this when I was younger and loving it. It is possible to get a copy of this music without the narration? JP
@flimflam742 I am seeking some of these programs as well, and some others of the old NET (National Educational Television) network, the precursor to PBS. Later on, the 21-Inch Claasroom became Massachusetts Educational Television (MET). In the broadcasting industry, this type pf programming, which typically tied-in with actual school curricula, including tecaher guides, was known as "Instructional Television (IT)."
@shipship And WBZ is owned by Westinghouse again, indirectly, as 'BZ is a CBS-owned & operated station, and CBS bought out the old Westinghouse Broadcasting that also owned the former Group W stations and syndication properties.
@flimflam742 Another component of WGBH's IT was the Eastern Educational Network (EEN), a small network of educational television stations in the northeast United States' and Canada, which shared programming, sometimes by means of postal mailing of programs among EEN members. I have located one, old 21-Inch Classroom program (not "Ripples," sorry), would be happy to communicate with you in private about this.
@flimflam742 I'd love to track down some NET programs such as "What's New?" and "The Friendly Giant,: as well "Elliot Norton Reviews," a theater review program that could be considered a precursor to today's "Theater Talk," that airs on many PBS affiliates.
Excuse this 10 year late reply. Lol. If you didn’t know, WBZ-TV, the NBC affiliate during this time (now CBS), was owned by Westinghouse. So WGBH and WBZ must’ve shared some facilities with each other.
0:33 The full story: When WGBH-TV 2 originally signed on in 1955, their old transmitter was in Milton MA, on Great Blue Hill with WGBH Radio 89.7 FM (Hence the Call Letters WGBH). In 1966, the Television Station Moved from Milton to Facilities in Needham Mass, on the same tower that holds WBZ-TV 4, who had been there since 1957. WBZ-TV was originally owned by Westinghouse from 1948 to 1995 when they were bought out by CBS. WGBH and WBZ-TV would be joined by UHF Stations WGBX-TV (44), WSBK-TV (38). and WKBG-TV (56) (Now WLVI) in a period from 1967 to 1969, while WCVB joined in during 1972 when Boston Broadcasters Inc. took over the channel 5 license from the old WHDH (Boston Traveler). Boston Traveler refused to give the properties owned by WHDH-5 to Boston Broadcasters Inc, So WCVB had to take a studio in Needham (a Converted International Harvester Dealership) and joined WBZ-TV WGBH-TV and the three previously mentioned UHF stations on the Needham Tower Farm. Meanwhile, WGBH Radio Is still based at the Milton Site on Great Blue hill to this day.
Hi MSTTS1--I'm a little unclear--did you actually work at WGBH/WGBX yourself? Also, do you, in fact, have a version of the sign-off that includes "the sweeper" (which I certainly recall), and if not, does it survive in the stations' archives, at least?
Lastly, if you were a 'GBH employee, in what years did you work at the station & in what capacity? I ask all this not out of mere curiosity, but because there's a specific inquiry. However, I won't pursue sending you a private message till I am certain you did work at 'GBH. Thank you.
Also, I did post the John Henning comments here in error-- I could have sworn I posted it on the page of a person who uploaded some old WNAC (Channel 7) video. I think, as the one whose video pages these are, you may delete my comments & I would appreciate your so doing. Otherwise, maybe you can find out from You Tube how to do so--no sense in wasting space on your pages with irrelevant comments.
