TV Guide Ad for Bugs Bunny TV Debut-WNEW New York

[Tim Lones]

I recently came across some reprint TV Guides at a flea market in Hartville, Ohio near where I live. Among the issues was a New York City edition from September 1956..Bugs Bunny made his TV Debut on Friday, September 14. Below is a full page ad featuring a "conversation" between host Sandy Becker and Bugs:

[Mark J]

Sandy Becker is a NY tv legend, host of many kids shows. In case anyone is confused, those toons he ran were the old pre-48 AAPs that channel 5 continued to run into the 1980's in various packages. Channel 5 at the time was an independent channel, formerly it had been the flagship of the Dumont network, now it is a Fox station, between then it was independent Metromedia 5. When I was a kid I always knew it was time for bed when I heard the announcer say "it's 10 PM - do you know where your children are?", the channel 5 introduction to their 10 o'clock news.

[Sean Gaffney]

If I recall correctly, the others were at 7pm (Have You Done Your Homework Today?), and 4pm (Have You Hugged Your Child Today?). Ah, those were the days...

When WNEW changed their call letters to WNYW, it was as if the world lost all its joy, I tell you... ;)

[Tim Lones]

Sandy Becker is a NY tv legend, host of many kids shows. In case anyone is confused, those toons he ran were the old pre-48 AAPs that channel 5 continued to run into the 1980's in various packages. Channel 5 at the time was an independent channel, formerly it had been the flagship of the Dumont network, now it is a Fox station, between then it was independent Metromedia 5. When I was a kid I always knew it was time for bed when I heard the announcer say "it's 10 PM - do you know where your children are?", the channel 5 introduction to their 10 o'clock news.

Thats what I don't understand..I have in the last couple years, collected TV Guide listings mostly for the Cleveland area. I know from these listings that WJW-TV 8 Cleveland and WAKR-TV 49 Akron carried "Looney Tunes" titled series as early as 1953-54. Would these be the B&W Bosko and Buddy maybe very early prototype Bugs/Daffy shorts?

[Studio Toledo]

If I recall correctly, the others were at 7pm (Have You Done Your Homework Today?), and 4pm (Have You Hugged Your Child Today?). Ah, those were the days...

When WNEW changed their call letters to WNYW, it was as if the world lost all its joy, I tell you... ;)
Blame it on FOX for having bought the station at that time!

[frizfrelengfan]

I was a year old when the Bugs Bunny Theater made its debut. But I certainly remember the cartoons on Channel 5 and I certainly remember Sandy Becker. That was my introduction to the great WB cartoons. I had no idea at the time that they were made for theaters, or that they were not made for kids, or that they were old for that matter! They looked lively even on the old black and white TV that we had then.

My young brain had no idea why, but I enjoyed these cartoons more than any of the others that were shown on TV at the time. There were three independent TV channels in New York then (channels 5, 9, and 11), and at various times you could see WB cartoons, Popeye, Fleischer Screen Songs, Betty Boop, Terrytoons, Harveytoons, and even the occasional Happy Harmonies. Channel 13, before it went educational, was commercial and owned by NTA (they were WNTA-TV), so they must have shown the NTA package of cartoons, but I'm too young to remember watching anything on WNTA-TV.

My more mature brain now knows why I enjoyed the WB cartoons best of all. But it also has come to appreciate other cartoons just as much as the WB's.