WGBH changed media history by launching captioned television for viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing. And created hit shows This Old House and ZOOM while introducing jazz to the airwaves with Eric in the Evening.
July 1970
Strike up the band
Arthur Fiedler conducts the first telecast of WGBH's Evening at Pops, which makes the Boston Pops Orchestra's PBS performances a summertime tradition for many years to come. Ella Fitzgerald, Ethel Merman, Itzhak Perlman ... all the greats grace the stage.
Arthur Fiedler conducts the first telecast of WGBH's Evening at Pops, which makes the Boston Pops Orchestra's PBS performances a summertime tradition for many years to come. Ella Fitzgerald, Ethel Merman, Itzhak Perlman ... all the greats grace the stage.
January 1971
Curtain up
The curtain rises on Masterpiece Theatre (later, just MASTERPIECE) with The First Churchill, and Alistair Cooke in the armchair. I, Claudius, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Jewel in the Crown ... television will never be the same. Later, Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots will bring the dramatic miniseries to commercial TV, demonstrating Fred Allen's famous dictum that "imitation is the sincerest form of television."
The curtain rises on Masterpiece Theatre (later, just MASTERPIECE) with The First Churchill, and Alistair Cooke in the armchair. I, Claudius, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Jewel in the Crown ... television will never be the same. Later, Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots will bring the dramatic miniseries to commercial TV, demonstrating Fred Allen's famous dictum that "imitation is the sincerest form of television."
May 1971
Welcome NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) gives public radio a national voice, and All Things Considered becomes its first—and star—program. 89.7 WGBH joins the burgeoning system as a charter member, also signing on as a member station of the new Public Radio International system (PRI) in 1983.
National Public Radio (NPR) gives public radio a national voice, and All Things Considered becomes its first—and star—program. 89.7 WGBH joins the burgeoning system as a charter member, also signing on as a member station of the new Public Radio International system (PRI) in 1983.
January 1972
Jazz man
Ray Smith shares his lifelong passion for jazz, big band and swing on The Jazz Decades. The show will continue for nearly four jazzy decades on 89.7 WGBH.
Ray Smith shares his lifelong passion for jazz, big band and swing on The Jazz Decades. The show will continue for nearly four jazzy decades on 89.7 WGBH.
January 1972
0-2-1-3-4
C'mon and Zoom! WGBH's ZIP code becomes a mantra for the millions of young viewers who send their ideas to this "for kids, by kids" show that will last nine years, win three Emmys, and introduce Ubbi Dubbi to a generation before re-Zooming in 1999.
C'mon and Zoom! WGBH's ZIP code becomes a mantra for the millions of young viewers who send their ideas to this "for kids, by kids" show that will last nine years, win three Emmys, and introduce Ubbi Dubbi to a generation before re-Zooming in 1999.
Captioned TV, August 1972
WGBH introduces captioned television for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. First program to be captioned: The French Chef with Julia Child. Over time, WGBH begins to caption feature films and home video and introduces DVS, the descriptive video service for audiences who are blind or visually impaired. WGBH's Media Access Group builds on those successes every day, opening new doors to help Americans with disabilities enjoy equal access to the media that shape our lives.
January 1973
TV out loud
WGBH viewers join a captivated nation as the cinema verité An American Family records the lives of the Loud family of California—divorce, homosexuality, generation gap, and all.
WGBH viewers join a captivated nation as the cinema verité An American Family records the lives of the Loud family of California—divorce, homosexuality, generation gap, and all.
January 1974
Experimental Arts
Until 1993, GBH’s New Television Workshop supported the creation and broadcast of experimental video art and included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film.
Until 1993, GBH’s New Television Workshop supported the creation and broadcast of experimental video art and included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film.
March 1974
Drop-Shadow
The WGBH logo was replaced in 1974 by the familiar WGBH drop-shadow, the work of noted design firm Chermayeff & Geismar.
The WGBH logo was replaced in 1974 by the familiar WGBH drop-shadow, the work of noted design firm Chermayeff & Geismar.
August 1974
2-mobile!
A giant "2" with the body of a Volkswagen represents WGBH in parades, exhibitions, and community gatherings, reminding viewers and listeners that they are the people power that fuels public broadcasting.
A giant "2" with the body of a Volkswagen represents WGBH in parades, exhibitions, and community gatherings, reminding viewers and listeners that they are the people power that fuels public broadcasting.
April 1975
Green Thumbs
Crockett's Victory Garden (later called just The Victory Garden) blooms in a small plot ripped up from the WGBH parking lot, with James Underwood Crockett the first in a succession of knowledgeable hosts. Locally broadcast at first, the series joins the PBS national lineup a year later.
Crockett's Victory Garden (later called just The Victory Garden) blooms in a small plot ripped up from the WGBH parking lot, with James Underwood Crockett the first in a succession of knowledgeable hosts. Locally broadcast at first, the series joins the PBS national lineup a year later.
November 1975
In the Classroom
NOVA leaps off the screen and into classrooms around the country with the launch of NOVA teachers' guides. Distribution of the teachers' guides reaches 90,000 per year before moving to digital format in 2004. Today, WGBH creates resources for in- and out-of-school learners of all ages, related to a wide range of productions. And NOVA is the #1 video resource in high schools across the U.S.
NOVA leaps off the screen and into classrooms around the country with the launch of NOVA teachers' guides. Distribution of the teachers' guides reaches 90,000 per year before moving to digital format in 2004. Today, WGBH creates resources for in- and out-of-school learners of all ages, related to a wide range of productions. And NOVA is the #1 video resource in high schools across the U.S.
January 1976
News at 10
Incisive, thought-provoking television: The Ten O'Clock News is born. Anchor Christopher Lyden joins in 1977 and is on air until 1991.
Incisive, thought-provoking television: The Ten O'Clock News is born. Anchor Christopher Lyden joins in 1977 and is on air until 1991.
August 1977
All that jazz
Eric Jackson steps up to the WGBH mike to fill the evening with jazz. Duke, Coltrane, Ella ... the host of Jazz with Eric in the Evening introduces listeners to classic and contemporary greats, including those stopping by for conversation with the "dean of Boston jazz radio." Eric in the Evening aired until Jackson’s death in 2022.
Eric Jackson steps up to the WGBH mike to fill the evening with jazz. Duke, Coltrane, Ella ... the host of Jazz with Eric in the Evening introduces listeners to classic and contemporary greats, including those stopping by for conversation with the "dean of Boston jazz radio." Eric in the Evening aired until Jackson’s death in 2022.
January 1978
Birth of the blues
Mai Cramer brings the blues to 89.7 WGBH. A mix of rare recordings and live interviews, Blues After Hours makes Cramer Boston's queen of the blues until her untimely death in 2002.
Mai Cramer brings the blues to 89.7 WGBH. A mix of rare recordings and live interviews, Blues After Hours makes Cramer Boston's queen of the blues until her untimely death in 2002.
July 1978
Do the Hustle!
As disco fever grips the U.S., viewers call in their pledges by voting for their favorite couple in the live, five-hour Channel 2 "Disco Dazzler" competition. The fundraiser is such a hit that WGBH greenlights a full instructional series. Local dance instructor Randy Deats is tapped to host the new show, Dancing Disco, which leads to a national PBS series in July 1979, and to a companion how-to book.
As disco fever grips the U.S., viewers call in their pledges by voting for their favorite couple in the live, five-hour Channel 2 "Disco Dazzler" competition. The fundraiser is such a hit that WGBH greenlights a full instructional series. Local dance instructor Randy Deats is tapped to host the new show, Dancing Disco, which leads to a national PBS series in July 1979, and to a companion how-to book.
January 1979
Latino lens
WGBH showcases the culture and concerns of Latino viewers with La Plaza. Through short documentaries, panel discussions, music and dance, and conversations, the TV series offered a passport into Latino communities from South and Central America and Caribbean nations to local immigrant populations.
WGBH showcases the culture and concerns of Latino viewers with La Plaza. Through short documentaries, panel discussions, music and dance, and conversations, the TV series offered a passport into Latino communities from South and Central America and Caribbean nations to local immigrant populations.
February 1979
This old Victorian
WGBH purchases a dilapidated Victorian mansion in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood and transforms it over 13 weeks. This Old House is a smash, locally. Within a year, host Bob Vila and contractor Norm Abram are the stars of a national PBS hit that, over time, gives rise to a whole new TV genre geared to the do-it-yourself crowd.
WGBH purchases a dilapidated Victorian mansion in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood and transforms it over 13 weeks. This Old House is a smash, locally. Within a year, host Bob Vila and contractor Norm Abram are the stars of a national PBS hit that, over time, gives rise to a whole new TV genre geared to the do-it-yourself crowd.
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