The foundations of WGBH: 84 Mass. Ave.

84 Mass Ave Front

From Don Hallock: Many extraordinarily-gifted figures and luminaries of the day — in the arts, science, politics and education — found their ways into the halls and studios of the original WGBH-TV/FM studios at 84 Massachusetts Avenue.

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A stranger in a strange land

Fred Barzyk (2007)

From Fred Barzyk: Bill insisted I try to get into the scholarship program. You studied for your graduate degree at Boston University and worked three days a week at the Educational Television station. Free tuition and you got $600 to live a year in Boston!

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Remembering the original WGBH

84 Massachusetts Avenue

From Art Singer: Fifty one years ago this past September, on several late afternoons a week, I would take the twenty minute walk from BU across the Charles to the station’s studios on the MIT campus for a night’s work.

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Dave Davis, 81, WGBH Producer, Director, Manager

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From Fred Barzyk At the age of 81 Dave passed away on May 23, 2007, in the kitchen of his home in Guyana. He and his wife Joyce had been retired and playing Jazz around the islands since 1993. From WGBH QuickNooz (by permission) — 8/20/2007 Sad news from the Caribbean: Former WGBH Station Manager…

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A tribute to Dave Davis

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From Don Hallock As I remember, a 30 year old Dave Davis came to us at WGBH-TV from the University of North Carolina campus TV in 1957. That was the same year I, at 19, began in the scene shop as assistant to Peter Prodan. Dave was a musician and veteran television Producer-Director. He succeeded…

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3….2….1….Take! (1950s)

davis-david-boca

  From an Anonymous Contributor One of the first things Dave Davis undertook when he came from the University of North Carolina in 1956 as production manager, was to begin revamping our rather sloppy production procedures. Dave was a man who (to put it mildly) valued precision. Irritating as it seemed at the time to…

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Dave Davis’ “Creativity” Memo (1958)

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From the collection of Dave Nohling Click on the images to see the original memo. Read the text, below. Memorandum July 23, 1958 To: TV producer-directors From: David M. Davis Subject: Creativity I have a great concern that we are not all utilizing the creative imagination that we have to make our programs interesting, stimulating,…

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40 years with ‘GBH

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From Michael Ambrosino — 2000 My first visit to WGBH was in the fall of 1955, just after TV had gone on the air at 84 Mass Ave. in Cambridge. I was at work developing a TV master plan for the University of Connecticut at the time, and wanted a tour of one of the…

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