Library of American Broadcasting

10/06/2026

Triple Threat, hosted by Sam Riddle (top), was a short-lived musical game show (1988-89) that aired in syndication. Two teams of three players representing three generations were tested on their knowledge of music, movies & television.

Television Program Enterprises (TPE) produced the program and distributed other popular first-run syndicated programs and game shows in the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Star Search.

The show returned, in a slightly revised format, on the BET cable network from 1992 to 1993.

10/03/2026

Jane Pauley, respected broadcast journalist, anchor, CBS News Sunday Morning, and Kelsey Grammer, Emmy Award-winning actor, director and producer, will be among those honored at the 23rd Annual Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts awards luncheon, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, at Gotham Hall, New York City. https://www.tvradiolibrary.org/giants-2026

10/02/2026

“In its unhalted march from a whispering ‘fifty-watter’ to its present power, radio station WRBL has left some colorful tracks. As Columbus’ first radio station, WRBL began as a sideline business by Roy Martin in 1928 – a time when there were but seven radio stations in all Georgia.

“With studios behind the Rialto theater, and with transmitting facilities in the old kitchen house at Sherwood Hall, WRBL used its relatively feeble wattage to broadcast recorded music to the relatively few radio owners of Columbus.

“Today, WRBL wields a 5,000-watt voice over the entire Columbus trade area, presents FM broadcasts as well as AM, and is a Columbia Broadcasting System affiliate.” – The Columbus Ledger, Sep 28, 1947

(The article continues in the comments.)

09/29/2026

The Big Payoff was a 1950s game show in which husbands answered four general-knowledge trivia questions to win prizes for their wives. Answering a final question correctly won the grand "big payoff": a mink coat, a trip to Europe, or both. Former Miss America Bess Myerson, seen here with host Robert Paige, was the "Lady in Mink," modeling the grand prize mink coat and introducing guests and prizes.

In October 1959, CBS removed the show, along with all of its other high-stakes quiz shows, out of an abundance of caution; it stated it could not ensure the shows were produced honestly in the wake of the quiz show scandals of the late 1950s.

09/25/2026

KVNI is a commercial radio station licensed to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, serving the Spokane metropolitan area of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. KVNI first signed on the air on November 1, 1946, as one of the three most powerful radio stations in the entire state.

The station had offices and studios in the Desert Hotel, an historic 1905 Spanish mission-style building, located downtown on the corner of First Avenue and Sherman Avenue. KVNI would operate as a regional independent station with no network affiliation, “featuring musical programs, news, specialty programs, and the broadcasting of sports whenever possible...

“The station has subscribed to the extensive World Broadcasting Company and Langworth transcribed libraries, which give KVNI one of the largest transcribed libraries in the entire Inland Empire… News broadcasts will feature worldwide coverage by United Press, arriving at the station via teletype…” The Coeur d'Alene Press, 11/01/1946

09/23/2026

Top Dollar (1958-1959) was a CBS daytime program that transitioned from a phone-in/dial concept to an early "Hangman"-style word-guessing game. The program debuted on August 18, 1958, with Warren Hull (left) as host, replacing Dotto, canceled amid quiz-show rigging revelations. Jack Narz (right) replaced Warren Hull as host in November 1958. Top Dollar was canceled on October 23, 1959.

In the original format, the host used a giant dial to translate the first eight letters of the day's longest word (the "top dollar" word) into a sequence of numbers based on a standard rotary telephone dial layout. Home viewers would then check the serial numbers on their own $1 bills; if the numbers on their bill matched the converted digits from the word, they could win a $100 cash prize. (See comment below.)

09/18/2026

KRLC in Lewiston, Idaho, went on the air on April 1, 1935. The station was licensed to H.E. Studebaker, proprietor of radio station KUJ at Walla Walla, and served the Clarkston, Washington, and Lewiston area. KRLC studios occupied ten rooms at the Lewis-Clark Hotel and broadcast from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On August 31, 2023, KRLC ceased operations after losing its tower site. The studio building, which had housed the station since 1947, was then used as a training ground for the Lewiston Fire Department and was intentionally burned down in November 2025. The Federal Communications Commission canceled the station’s license on January 7, 2026, after the station failed to respond to an inquiry about its silence. (Wikipedia)

09/16/2026

The Reel Game was a short-lived game show, hosted by Jack Barry, that aired on ABC in 1971. The series marked Barry's return to producing national television shows after a 13-year hiatus following the 1950s quiz show scandals.

The game's premise was to identify people and incidents through “interesting and often hilarious” film clips from newsreels and other films featuring famous people and events. Barry led three contestants through the questions, with cash prizes for correct answers.

09/14/2026