1948 WBKB Schedule Cards

Here’s a look at schedule cards mailed to television viewers in Chicago, Illinois in 1948 promote WBKB (Channel 4), the television station owned by Balaban & Katz.

Image of the front of a rectangular WBKB schedule card

Front of a 1948 WBKB Schedule Card

The first of these cards (Program No. 13) was for the week beginning Sunday, March 28th, 1948 and ending Saturday, April 3rd, 1948. Three of the programs listed–Chicago Television Showcase, Jane Foster Comes Home to Call and Junior Jamboree–premiered in October 1947 “in an effort to liven afternoon looking for women and children” [1].

Image of a 1948 WBKB schedule card showing TV listings

Program No. 13 (Week of Sunday, March 28th, 1948)

Junior Jamboree, of course, was the first stomping ground of what would soon become Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Interestingly, a January 1948 card (which can be seen here) does list the show as Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Chicago Television Showcase was a talent show for local Chicago performers and Jane Foster Comes Home to Call was an instructional cooking program.

The second card (Program No. 18) lists programs for the week Sunday, May 2nd, 1948 through Saturday, May 8th, 1948. Note the absence of both Chicago Television Showcase and Jane Foster Comes Home To Call. Woman’s World, an hour long series, premiered in April 1948. Directed by Loraine Larson, it featured “11 segments–knitting, fist aid, figure control exercises, shopping tips, pets in the home, economic advice, advice on rent control and housing, cooking, comedy, fashions and medical advice” [2].

Image of a 1948 WBKB schedule card showing TV listings

Program No. 18 (Week of Sunday, May 2nd, 1948)

Tele-Charades was, as the name suggests, a televised charades program, hosted by Ed Roberts.

Sources:
1 Ratty, Marguerite. “A Puppet Gives Women and Kids Break on Video.” Chicago Daily Tribune. 19 Oct. 1947: SW18.
2 “WBKB Prepares Variety of TV Fare For Fall.” Chicago Daily Tribune. 19 Sep. 1948: F8.


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