Read an entire issue of early program guide TV Showtime from November 1951, with listings for TV stations KMTV, WOI-TV, and WOW-TV.
Very little is known about TV Showtime, a television program guide covering Nebraska and Iowa. Based on existing issues, it was published at least as early as January 1950. Billed as “The Midwest’s Own Television and Radio Magazine” by November 1951 it included listings for KMTV (Channel 3), WOI-TV (Channel 4), and WOW-TV (Channel 6). It was published by TV Showtime Publishing, Co. out of Omaha, Nebraska. L. Wm. Baker served as editor and publisher of the company, with Opal Nelson as art editor, James C. Keith as production manager, Claire Wright as comptroller and P. E. Baker as business manager.
This exhibit presents the 45th issue of the second volume of TV Showtime, which contained listings for Monday, November 5th through Sunday, November 11th, 1951. At the time, each issue cost 15 cents, a six month subscription cost $3, a full year $5 and two years $9. In addition to the television listings, the issue included short news articles, advertisements and a column titled “Record Hit Parade” by Don Sarooian. Robert A. Kubicek was editor, Patricia Cooper associate editor, Roy V. Whiting advertising director, Lester Vihon sales manager, Norbert F. Dompke business director and John E. Groenings production manager.
On the cover was Margaret Sullavan of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. It is not known when TV Showtime stopped publishing.
TV Showtime © 1951 TV Showtime Publishing Co.
Published September 17th, 2009
Last updated May 8th, 2018
I love looking through these old local TV listing books, not only for the shows that are sadly long gone but more for the local ads…I think that is so neat
Ironic that Margaret Sullavan was smiling on the cover, because the agreement she made with CBS and the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company to appear regularly on “SCHLITZ PLAYHOUSE OF STARS” (then a live hour-long series, it became a half-hour filmed anthology by 1955) in the fall of 1951 eventually fell through. Her last movie was “No Sad Songs For Me” the previous year, in 1950 {a mother discovers she has inoperable cancer, deciding to keep it a secret while “ensuring” the rest of her family will endure without her}, and refused to appear in any further Hollywood films, preferring stage productions instead. She mostly appeared on Broadway during the ’50s, but declared by 1959, “I loathe acting”. She was often depressed during the last years of her life [suffered a nervous breakdown in 1955]; while preparing for a new play, she was found dead of a barbituate overdose on January 1, 1960 (the coroner however, ruled it “accidental”). She was only 50.