Here's a rare find one of the earliest existing segments (the first halfhour, in fact) of the longrunning Stock Market Observer on WCIU Channel 26, "Chicago's first ultrahigh frequency television station." (There is another clip, found on the same Umatic tape which appeared to be a (relatively poor) dub from a Quad) from the previous day:    • WCIU Channel 26  The Stock Market Ob...   .)

This program, which was a part of the station's schedule from its 1964 startup until the 1990's, is today regarded as the forerunner of such business channels of our time as CNBC, CNNfn, Fox Business and Bloomberg. Until late 1974, it was broadcast only in blackandwhite.

This particular clip here is preceded by another rare find one of the earliest extant station signons.

The host is Ben Larson, and also features Susan Plumridge, Jack Hosty, Ray Elman (sp?), Bill Diener, and Eddie Ballantine.

Includes:

ID slide, with signon voiceover by Bill O'Connor

Stock Market Observer open (voiceover by ??), leading to Ben introducing the "Market Reprise" segment recapping the prior day's Dow Jones Industrials action and NYSE trading prior to first commercial break.

Commercial: U.S. Steel

Ben looks at American Stock Exchange (shown on screen as AMSE, rather than the more familiar AMEX) trading; much of the info is blank due to a cable being cut the previous day.

Susan Plumridge goes over the 10 most active NYSE stocks.

Commercial: Ozark Airlines (voiceover by ??)

Susan describes the 5 most up and 5 most down NYSE stocks.

Ben introduces "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" segment, sponsored by Lamson Bros. & Co., moderated by Jack Hosty [John R. Hosty Sr.], with Ray Elman (sp?) and Bill Diener; in this part, they discuss the previous day's market activities, with an analysis of some speculation showing up and market volatility over the previous ten days.

Jack then interrupts the discussion to promote Lamson's tax letter (which he cowrote with Chuck Dougherty (sp?) ).

Brief news update (read by ?? anyone know?):

Nominations of William Rehnquist and Lewis Powell to Supreme Court go to Senate for confirmation

U.S. troops begin pulling out of artillery base in Vietnam

Three women injured after explosion at Belfast egg packing plant

Firebomb thrown into Memphis cocktail lounge injures three

Attempt to resume talks to end soft coal strike

Weather forecast, with temperatures at the Loop, O'Hare and Midway

Back to "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" discussion, with "today" being looked at including latest short interest rates; Jack next hawks the Nuveen TaxFree Bond Fund

Eddie Ballantine reads the "First Financial Headlines":

Slow trading expected on Wall Street

Look at commodities and foreign currencies, and London and Paris stock market activity

"Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" resumes with a look at the "longterm pull." Bill is in the middle of his analysis when the recording ends.

"Portions of today's program are mechanically reproduced."

This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, October 22nd 1971 during the 8:29am to 8:58am timeframe.

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The Museum of Classic Chicago Television's primary mission is the preservation and display of offair, early home videotape recordings (70s and early 80s, primarily) recorded off of any and all Chicago TV channels; footage which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical purposes. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, and to view more of the 4,700+ (and counting) video clips available for viewing in our online archive, please visit us at:
http://www.fuzzymemories.tv/index.php...