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At a time when it seemed as if The Bob & Kay Show would last forever, the cold reality of economics struck down the show like Death's swift sickle. As a matter of fact, not only did the management of WENR-TV cancel The Bob & Kay Show, they cancelled their entire morning schedule and replaced it with a test pattern! Despite a regular sponsorship from Scott Peterson deli meats, on March 12, 1952, ABC-TV reported a loss of $8 million in morning show revenue. Not surprisingly, the viewing public was outraged, launching a letter writing campaign to save the show. Swamped by sacks of mail and jammed switchboards, ABC-TV relented and announced that The Bob & Kay Show would continue, airing one hour later and fifteen minutes shorter. The program had already been reduced from its original two hour runtime. By this time, Bob and Kay had interviewed over 3500 guests. Things went along much as before until February of 1953 when WENR-TV was replaced by WBKB. Sizing up their poorly-run inheritance and wanting to quickly turn the station around, the new owners from United Paramount Theaters began to make changes. By March, WBKB management announced it was firing Bob Murphy and had other plans for Westfall. Soon Murphy was being wooed by WGN-TV's Frank Schreiber, who hoped to win Murphy for his station. But it was WNBQ executives John McPartlin, Tommy Horan, and NBC vice-president Harry Kopf that were responsible for Murphy jumping to channel 5. And in a shocking move (to WBKB suits at least), Kay Westfall declared that wherever Bob goes, she goes. Realizing that they may have bungled the whole deal, WBKB management stubbornly held on to the show's mascot, a parrot named Featherhead, claiming it be be station property. In the end, WNBQ got Bob and Kay, and WBKB got the bird. On April 20, 1953 The Bob & Kay Show slipped into the 12:30 pm Monday through Friday slot on channel 5, snuggled in between Noontime Comics with Johnny Coons at 12 pm and The Channel 5 Theater at 1 pm. Despite that the show was once again cut in half, Bob and Kay continued to interview everyday people as well as the occasional celebrity like Ted Mack or Robert Q. Lewis. On January 24, 1955 WNBQ announced it was pairing Murphy and Westfall with resident Creative Cookery star Eddie Doucette and expanding the show to an hour and fifteen minutes long. Also joining The Bob & Kay Show's house band , The Art Van Damme Quintet, was Joseph Gallicio's 16-piece orchestra. Thursday, November 3, 1953, Radio Corporation of America chairman General David Sarnoff announced that it's Chicago flagship station WNBQ would be the first all-color television station in the country. This meant that all programs originating from the station's Merchandise Mart studios would be produced and aired in color. Early beneficiaries of this landmark decision were Zoo Parade with Marlin Perkins, City Desk, the Alex Drier/Clint Youle/Dorsey Connors newscasts, and The Bob & Kay Show with Eddie Doucette. By mid 1956, the show was airing regularly in color.
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THE VIDEO VETERAN |
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