The time machine takes us 50 years in the past to 1969 with a timeline of some of the biggest moments of that year at WKYC.
April 7, 1969: “NBC Newsday 90” debuts from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with anchor Virgil Dominic, Wally Kinnan (weather) and Jim Graner (sports). Ron Becker will aid Dominic with the news. 6 to 6:30 p.m. is the top local news, national headlines, weather and sports. At 6:30 p.m., “The Huntley-Brinkley” airs. At 7 p.m. the local news continues with activities of nearby cities like Akron, Canton, Massillon and the like.
June 1969: WKYC-TV General Manager Arthur Watson departs the station to become president of the radio division of NBC in New York.
June 1969: Neal Van Ells returns to WKYC-TV and becomes vice president and general manager. He was previously at KNBC-TV/Los Angeles and WKYC-TV station manager from October 1965 until May 1968.
June 22, 1969: WKYC-TV covers what becomes a national story of an oil slick near Republic Steel on the Cuyahoga River that catches fire. While the 'burning river' is still often used by outsiders to chide our city, the fire resulted in the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
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This timeline is based on station archives and various newspaper stories. If you feel something is in error, please let me know and we'll make any necessary corrections. Email me at fmacek@wkyc.com
