The History Of CBS 3: Philly's 1st Television Station

Marciarose Shestack and Tom Snyder were the first “Eyewitness News” anchors. Channel 3 launched the format that changed local newscasts nationwide in August, 1965.

Test Pattern

This was Channel 3’s original test pattern when W3XE signed on the air in 1932.

Outdoor Programming

Channel 3, then W3XE, televised this outdoor program from the roof of the Philco plant at Tioga and C Streets in 1939. The umbrellas were used for shading.

The Mike Douglas Show

“The Mike Douglas Show” was the first nationally-syndicated television show to originate from Philadelphia (1965-1978). Here’s Mike with “Brady Bunch” star Florence Henderson.

Peter Boyle

Pete Boyle, father of “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Peter Boyle, was a popular children’s show host at Channel 3 from 1950-1963.

Maury Povich and Mel Brooks

Maury Povich, here with Comedian Mel Brooks, hosted Channel 3’s “People Are Talking” from 1981-1983.

Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams

Ernie Kovacs, often referred to as television’s original genius, was the NBC network’s first star. His early shows originated from Channel 3, then WPTZ, and featured his wife-to-be, Edie Adams, shown here.

Trudy Haynes

Channel 3’s Trudy Haynes broke the color barrier in 1965 when she joined the “Eyewitness News” team as the first African-American TV reporter in the Philadelphia market.

Larry Kane

Anchor Larry Kane announced Channel 3 switch from an NBC affiliate, which it had been since 1939, to a CBS station. The historical switch took place on Sunday, September 10, 1995.

Dave Stanley and Gary Geers

Anchor Dave Stanley and Weatherman Gary Geers launched the market’s first early morning newscast, 3 Today, at 6:30 a.m. on February 23, 1981.

Mummer’s Parade

Channel 3 aired the first coverage of the Mummer’s Parade in 1941 as experimental station W3XE. This photo, featuring Cameraman Harold J. Pannepacker, was taken on January 1, 1947 when the station, then WPTZ, became the first commercial TV station to broadcast the Parade live.

Vince Leonard

Vince Leonard anchors a newscast from the Walnut Street studios of Channel 3, then WRCV, in 1958. The stage manager is Bill Freeland.

Florence Hanford

Florence Hanford did her first cooking demonstration on Channel 3 in 1947, but she is best known as the host of the popular “Television Kitchen” which ran on the station until 1965. Here she is on set with Ready Kilowatt, the mascot for PECO, sponsor of the program.

The Republican National Convention

Channel 3, then W3XE, broadcast the first coverage of a national political convention, The Republican National Convention, in 1940.

1940 Republican National Convention

The television staff manually tabulated the delegate votes during the broadcast of the 1940 Republican National Convention.

Evening Magazine

“Evening Magazine” had a successful 15-year run on Channel 3 from 1977-92 airing weeknights at 7. Ray Murray and Nancy Glass teamed up as show hosts from 1983-1990.

Lee Dexter

Australian Ventriloquist Lee Dexter created “Bertie the Bunyip,” one of the most popular children’s show characters of the 1950s. Here is Dexter with some of his puppets (clockwise from lower left) Bertie, Gussy, Sir Guy de Guy and Snooper (aka Snoopy).

WPTZ

Scene from an early football telecast on Channel 3, then WPTZ.

Malcolm Poindexter

Broadcast Pioneer Malcolm Poindexter had a multimedia career spanning 50 years in journalism. He was one of the first reporters hired by KYW when Newsradio was launched in Philadelphia and one of the earliest members of the “Eyewitness News” team.

Leonard Valenta and Kitty Minehart

Leonard Valenta and Kitty Minehart starred in a WPTZ 1940s production of “The Taming of the Shrew.”