It was short, but what a ride!

WGBH Election Coverage 1966

From Dave Svens: This short film clip was taken during WGBH’s election coverage in November, 1966. Host Bob Baram is interviewing the newly elected US Senator from Massachusetts, Edward Brooke, who was the first African-American senator elected by popular vote.

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Paik and the Video Synthesizer

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From Fred Barzyk: I remember Nam June Paik telling me to stand back since TV sets sometime exploded when he did this. I backed off. The TV did not explode but gave forth a dazzling array of colors, buzzed and slowly died, never to live again.

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Remembering “The Club”

The Club

From Bruce Bordett “The Club” began on channel 44 as “Club 44.” I think it was around 1977-80. Studio A was converted into a bar/club where each Friday night we would tape four, half-hour, back to back, “live” 30 minute segments. These featured local bands and musical acts, cooking segments, political editorials from Barney Frank,…

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David Atwood: Getting started at WGBH

Fred Barzyk and David Atwood (2007)

From David Atwood Needing a job fresh out of college in the fall of 1965 I made an alphabetical list of Boston’s TV stations. The first was WBZ. I set out from Woburn, found WBZ and went in looking for work. They said they might start me in the mail room. I was devastated. I…

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Studio A (1967)

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From David Atwood David Atwood (camera) and Steve Potter (dolly) shooting a 1967 production starring Lotte Lenya (Dave Davis directing). The monstrously unwieldy and notoriously unstable TK-60 camera, sporting a turret of four fixed lenses, is the last black and white model that RCA ever made. These guys are operating the equally unwieldy (though beloved)…

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Classic Theatre (1975)

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From David Atwood Here’s a great shot taken in the Temple Church Courtyard in London, 1975. The shoot was for Classic Theatre and the actor we were going to interview was Ian McKellan. Characters in the shot left to right, John MacKnight (lighting), Karl Lorencic (video), Nat Johnson (audio), Greg Macdonald (camera), and John McKnight…

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Life of Alastair Cooke Memorialized in Appropriate Style

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From David Atwood – 10/18/2004 (This piece is presented as written by David, and presented on his Web site. It is used with permission) Just back from London and the Service of Thanksgiving for the Life and Times of Alistair Cooke last Friday. I don’t know why I went; there were few GBH types there…

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