Julia Child becomes a star, teaching French cuisine to home cooks across the country, GBH wins our first Academy Award, and WGBH TV is now in brilliant color.
January 1960
"Public broadcasting's super-salesman"
David Ives joins WGBH as Director of Development (later president, then vice chair), becoming public broadcasting's biggest booster and a familiar on-air personality, bringing in the pledges and the WGBH Auction bids. In the words of WGBH's own Julia Child, "he raised the industry's standards and held them high for his entire career," which would continue through 2001.
David Ives joins WGBH as Director of Development (later president, then vice chair), becoming public broadcasting's biggest booster and a familiar on-air personality, bringing in the pledges and the WGBH Auction bids. In the words of WGBH's own Julia Child, "he raised the industry's standards and held them high for his entire career," which would continue through 2001.
February 1960
Drama and grace
WGBH's A Time to Dance begins nationwide telecasts via National Educational TV. Maria Tallchief, Jacques D'Amboise, André Eglevsky and Geoffrey Holder are among the world-famous dancers and choreographers who appear in the half-hour programs, hailed by The New York Herald Tribune as "a superb, historic series."
WGBH's A Time to Dance begins nationwide telecasts via National Educational TV. Maria Tallchief, Jacques D'Amboise, André Eglevsky and Geoffrey Holder are among the world-famous dancers and choreographers who appear in the half-hour programs, hailed by The New York Herald Tribune as "a superb, historic series."
January 1961
Best in show
Federal Communications Commissioner Newton Minow, who decries much of television as a "vast wasteland," calls Channel 2 "probably the best channel in the country."
Federal Communications Commissioner Newton Minow, who decries much of television as a "vast wasteland," calls Channel 2 "probably the best channel in the country."
October 1961
Fire!
Fire breaks out at 84 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, and WGBH's facilities are destroyed. The station shares scattered space with local commercial broadcasters and universities until its 1964 move to 125 Western Avenue in Boston's Allston neighborhood. In 2007, WGBH relocates to its current all-digital, green studios in Brighton.
Fire breaks out at 84 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, and WGBH's facilities are destroyed. The station shares scattered space with local commercial broadcasters and universities until its 1964 move to 125 Western Avenue in Boston's Allston neighborhood. In 2007, WGBH relocates to its current all-digital, green studios in Brighton.
Bon appétit, August 1962
WGBH produces three programs on French cooking in the basement of a local gas company. Within a year, educational TV's first star, Julia Child, is saying "bon appétit" to viewers around the U.S,! The French Chef is the first of her many WGBH cooking shows and will transform how America eats. And it's on this show that WGBH, in 1972, introduces captions for viewers who are Deaf—the first of many media access breakthroughs for WGBH.
January 1963
In the vanguard
Civil rights programs like The Negro and the American Promise lead The Boston Globe to proclaim WGBH "the nation's leading station in the quality and coverage of this vital issue—far ahead of any other station or even network."
Civil rights programs like The Negro and the American Promise lead The Boston Globe to proclaim WGBH "the nation's leading station in the quality and coverage of this vital issue—far ahead of any other station or even network."
August 1963
Western Avenue
GBH moves to 125 Western Avenue in Boston’s Allston neighborhood.
GBH moves to 125 Western Avenue in Boston’s Allston neighborhood.
August 1963
Tennis, anyone?
WGBH advances TV coverage of tennis with the National Doubles from the Longwood Tennis and Cricket Club, turning Boston Globe sportswriter Bud Collins into a well-known sportscaster... and turning tennis into a national passion.
WGBH advances TV coverage of tennis with the National Doubles from the Longwood Tennis and Cricket Club, turning Boston Globe sportswriter Bud Collins into a well-known sportscaster... and turning tennis into a national passion.
April 1964
And the winner is ...
WGBH wins its first Academy Award, for A Lover's Quarrel with the World, a film about poet Robert Frost. A second Oscar will join it (Just Another Missing Kid, 1982), along with hundreds of Emmys, duPont-Columbia Awards, Peabodys, and other distinguished honors.
WGBH wins its first Academy Award, for A Lover's Quarrel with the World, a film about poet Robert Frost. A second Oscar will join it (Just Another Missing Kid, 1982), along with hundreds of Emmys, duPont-Columbia Awards, Peabodys, and other distinguished honors.
January 1966
Beethoven and Bird Songs
Morning Pro Musica makes its debut on 89.7 WGBH hosted by Ron Della Chiesa until 1971, when Robert J. Lurtsema steps up to anchor the signature series. "Robert J" makes the show his own for 29 years, with Beethoven, bird songs, and a distinctively deliberate delivery. Della Chiesa goes on to host WGBH opera broadcasts, Tanglewood summers, and the popular MusicAmerica.
Morning Pro Musica makes its debut on 89.7 WGBH hosted by Ron Della Chiesa until 1971, when Robert J. Lurtsema steps up to anchor the signature series. "Robert J" makes the show his own for 29 years, with Beethoven, bird songs, and a distinctively deliberate delivery. Della Chiesa goes on to host WGBH opera broadcasts, Tanglewood summers, and the popular MusicAmerica.
March 1966
Women's movement
To meet the demand for programs of greater substance "for women with lively minds," WGBH TV devotes the 2-3pm hour to A Woman's Place.
To meet the demand for programs of greater substance "for women with lively minds," WGBH TV devotes the 2-3pm hour to A Woman's Place.
May 1966
Auction action
The first WGBH 2 Auction! The Auction will become a community tradition involving 4,000 dedicated community volunteers per year who help bring in millions of dollars to fuel WGBH's programs and services. In time, it will migrate online, opening the bidding up to a worldwide web of fans and supporters.
The first WGBH 2 Auction! The Auction will become a community tradition involving 4,000 dedicated community volunteers per year who help bring in millions of dollars to fuel WGBH's programs and services. In time, it will migrate online, opening the bidding up to a worldwide web of fans and supporters.
June 1966
In living color
Color comes to WGBH with High Adventure, hosted by Lowell Thomas. Among the early programs to air in color: Making Things Grow with Thalassa Crusso. The "Julia Child of horticulture" goes on to star in WGBH's household advice show Making Things Work, which tackles framing pictures, cleaning silverware, and other home projects.
Color comes to WGBH with High Adventure, hosted by Lowell Thomas. Among the early programs to air in color: Making Things Grow with Thalassa Crusso. The "Julia Child of horticulture" goes on to star in WGBH's household advice show Making Things Work, which tackles framing pictures, cleaning silverware, and other home projects.
March 1967
U.S. in Vietnam
WGBH's four-and-a-half-hour "Vietnam View-In" special draws on films, panelists, a studio audience, and more than 6,000 call-ins.
WGBH's four-and-a-half-hour "Vietnam View-In" special draws on films, panelists, a studio audience, and more than 6,000 call-ins.
April 1967
Beautiful day
When Mister Rogers' Neighborhood host Fred Rogers visits WGBH's neighborhood, 7,000 parents and children line up to see him.
When Mister Rogers' Neighborhood host Fred Rogers visits WGBH's neighborhood, 7,000 parents and children line up to see him.
September 1967
TV times two
WGBX 44 signs on to complement the WGBH 2 lineup, expanding the range of public TV programs available to New England-area viewers and providing an opportunity —long before VCRs, cable and DVRs — for viewers to watch their favorite shows more than weekly. Over time, the channel comes into its own as one of a suite of WGBH TV services.
WGBX 44 signs on to complement the WGBH 2 lineup, expanding the range of public TV programs available to New England-area viewers and providing an opportunity —long before VCRs, cable and DVRs — for viewers to watch their favorite shows more than weekly. Over time, the channel comes into its own as one of a suite of WGBH TV services.
Network for knowledge, November 1967
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Public Broadcasting Act, establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which will lead to the 1970 creation of the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. LBJ expresses hope that the airwaves will be used "for the enlightenment of all the people...a great network for knowledge."
November 1967
Tune in, turn on...
MIT's Dr. Jerome Lettvin takes on LSD high priest Timothy Leary in a WGBH-filmed debate that delves into drugs, the devil, and dropping out.
MIT's Dr. Jerome Lettvin takes on LSD high priest Timothy Leary in a WGBH-filmed debate that delves into drugs, the devil, and dropping out.
February 1968
A Tale of Two TVs
GBH debuted What’s Happening, Mr. Silver? Gather two television sets in the same room at the same time. Place them six feet apart. Turn one to Channel 2. Turn the other to Channel 44. On the left screen appeared a young British man named David Silver, who proceeded to interview theater director Richard Schechner. This footage was in black and white. On the right television, tuned to Channel 44, Silver materialized in full color, adding commentary to the interview unfolding on the other screen, putting himself down as a phony. Elsewhere in the show, home viewers watched agog as the young British invader played Ping-Pong across screens, the tiny white ball magically zipping between two unconnected boxes in their living room.For two years, twice a week, this trippy show transformed home televisions into portals for a psychedelic fever dream, uninterrupted by commercials or common sense.
GBH debuted What’s Happening, Mr. Silver? Gather two television sets in the same room at the same time. Place them six feet apart. Turn one to Channel 2. Turn the other to Channel 44. On the left screen appeared a young British man named David Silver, who proceeded to interview theater director Richard Schechner. This footage was in black and white. On the right television, tuned to Channel 44, Silver materialized in full color, adding commentary to the interview unfolding on the other screen, putting himself down as a phony. Elsewhere in the show, home viewers watched agog as the young British invader played Ping-Pong across screens, the tiny white ball magically zipping between two unconnected boxes in their living room.For two years, twice a week, this trippy show transformed home televisions into portals for a psychedelic fever dream, uninterrupted by commercials or common sense.
April 1968
Godfather of Soul
As riots grip American cities in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, WGBH televises a James Brown concert live from Boston Garden, repeating the show over and over while Boston Mayor Kevin White urges people to tune in and stay calm. The Mayor writes that the TV broadcasts "contributed as much as any other event to the atmosphere of conciliation which prevailed in Boston."
As riots grip American cities in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, WGBH televises a James Brown concert live from Boston Garden, repeating the show over and over while Boston Mayor Kevin White urges people to tune in and stay calm. The Mayor writes that the TV broadcasts "contributed as much as any other event to the atmosphere of conciliation which prevailed in Boston."
July 1968
Giving voice
Say Brother premiered, a series by, for, and about Boston’s Black community. It became the longest-running public affairs program in the nation to provide a lens on the African American experience. A who’s who of artists, athletes, and newsmakers enriched the program, including Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Louis Farrakhan, Elma Louis, Hubie Jones and other Boston-area thought leaders. The show became Basic Black in 1998 and then was reimagined into GBH News Rooted in 2025, a digital-first program focused on the vibrant Black community in Greater Boston.
Say Brother premiered, a series by, for, and about Boston’s Black community. It became the longest-running public affairs program in the nation to provide a lens on the African American experience. A who’s who of artists, athletes, and newsmakers enriched the program, including Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Louis Farrakhan, Elma Louis, Hubie Jones and other Boston-area thought leaders. The show became Basic Black in 1998 and then was reimagined into GBH News Rooted in 2025, a digital-first program focused on the vibrant Black community in Greater Boston.
March 1969
Experimental video art
GBH produced Medium is the Medium, one of the earliest and most prescient examples of the collaboration between public television and the emerging field of video art. GBH commissioned avant-garde artists including the acclaimed Nam June Paik to create original works for television.
GBH produced Medium is the Medium, one of the earliest and most prescient examples of the collaboration between public television and the emerging field of video art. GBH commissioned avant-garde artists including the acclaimed Nam June Paik to create original works for television.
October 1969
Debatable
WGBH's The Advocates offers debate on pressing national issues. During its five-year span, the “PBS Fight of the Week" introduces audiences to moderator (and future Massachusetts governor) Michael Dukakis.
WGBH's The Advocates offers debate on pressing national issues. During its five-year span, the “PBS Fight of the Week" introduces audiences to moderator (and future Massachusetts governor) Michael Dukakis.
November 1969
Sunny day
Sesame Street premieres on WGBH and public TV stations across the country. Big Bird, Ernie and Burt, Oscar, ABCs, and a diverse human cast become part of the national conversation.
Sesame Street premieres on WGBH and public TV stations across the country. Big Bird, Ernie and Burt, Oscar, ABCs, and a diverse human cast become part of the national conversation.
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