WKYT 50th Anniversary Show?

[Joe Saylers]

Does anyone know where we can get a copy of WKYT's 50th anniversary program?

[John Hourigan]

WKYT was offering DVDs of their 50th anniversary special for sale -- I bought one as I missed the anniversary special when it aired. (I haven't watched it yet because we were in the middle of a move.)

It doesn't look like the DVD is being offered anymore through WKYT's Web site, but you may want to try contacting the station just in case.

[Joe Saylers]

Thanks John. I contacted the station. If anyone else is interested in purchasing a DVD of Channel 27's 50th Anniversary Special, you can send a check made out to WKYT-TV in the amount of $19.57, which includes shipping and handling, to the following:



WKYT-TV

50th Anniversary Show

2851 Winchester Rd.

Lexington, KY 40509

[John Hourigan]

Also, WKYT has produced a booklet for their 50th anniversary -- my mother-in-law picked one up for me at a recent UK basketball game. There are some great old photos, and Nick Clooney briefly references "Terror In The Night" (very briefly, such as "There was a Friday night horror movie series called "Terror in the Night" and I was the monster host.") in an article that he wrote for the booklet. There are also articles by Stan Carmack and Mary Ann Kuykendall, etc.

I highly recommend you trying to get your hands on a copy -- I just don't know how you go about getting one. Maybe contact the station or Host Printing?

[John Hourigan]

I finally got around to watching WKYT's 50th anniversary (on DVD) last night. As expected, it was simply a recap of all that happened in the national, world and and sports over the past 50 years, and very little about channel 27 itself. They did mention that channel 27 started out as WKXP, and the highlight of the entire show was when they introduced Nick Clooney who reminisced about his early days at the station. Nick makes a passing reference to Terror in the Night and how he opened that show, and he also talks about the dance party he hosted. Too bad the rest of the show wasn't in that same vein. June Rollings makes an appearance but they give her short shrift in favor of, again, focusing on the national and world events that occurred during channel 27's existence.

Even though the special is slickly produced as a black tie event at the Lexington Civic Center, there was very little about the station's history (outside of the Nick Clooney segment). While I recognize that little, if any, film exists of the station's early history, the Nick Clooney segment demonstrates of what they could have done with the anniversary show if they weren't so afraid to actually focus on the history of the station.

[History]

John, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the anniversary DVD. I'm surprised but thankful there was even an acknowledgement, even if briefly, of the station's actual history with segments of Nick and June. Even though it is known that little survived as far as footage from even the recent past, we're sure there are some videos possibly in the hands of former employees if they were interested. Unfortunately, the station chose to make the anniversary program an infomercial to promote their new digital equipment rather than focus on the station's history. Thanks again John. It is nice to see that people care about what is important.

[John Hourigan]

Yes, I agee -- it was nice to see Nick Clooney participate in the anniversary and to hear him reference, however briefly, the Terror in the Night opening.

I do remember for one of WKYT's anniversary specials (maybe it was the 40th anniversary, they included a (badly tracking) video clip of "Mary Antics." Too sad that midmarket-sized TV stations don't hang on to some of their history as their bigger market brethren do.

I do recommend that everyone tries to get their hands on the WKYT 50th anniversary booklet that was distributed during the anniversary event at the Civic Center. The booklet actually contains much of the station history, along with some great old photos (that, for some reason, they didn't include in the anniversary broadcast!).