Happy Birthday, Channel 7!


Happy Birthday, Channel 7!

I have no memory of the Friendly Giant. Apparently it was the first show broadcast by the station on January 20, 1958. I wouldn't be around for almost 9 more years.

Classic Sesame Street
Sesame Street. That was my childhood staple.  Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster and the Grouch were as good as friends. I also enjoyed the Electric Company. As a very young boy I was enthralled by Ms. Julie and Romper Room.  Mr. Rogers?  I found it lame and not much fun.  The whole puppet thing and King Friday?  I didn't get it.  But I know them all because of KUED.

When I became a teenager public television and I experienced a long-term separation.  I don't know if they didn't have programming or if I needed to keep up with the back-to-back Love Boat and Fantasy Island episodes.  Could have been the cacophonous Archie Bunker.  CHIPs was always a predictable hour.  But my network relationship was best represented in the "Who Shot JR?" cliffhanger and the M*A*S*H finale.

There was one exception to this separation.  I continued to cheat on my network partner with the British Comedies that KUED aired here in Salt Lake City.  They were outdated but certainly struck my fancy.  I loved the accents and the seeming connection to a much bigger world across the ocean.

As a child I grew up with KUED.  As I parent I fell back to the Sesame Street of my youth.  To my dismay the Teletubbies found their way into my home.  But so did Dora, Carmen San Diego, Fetch, Arthur and Word Girl. My now adult daughter still gets excited about a new episode of Word Girl.  And as a parent I finally got Mr. Rogers; I even wear cardigans.

So much of what intrigues me about science and discovery has either been introduced or explained to me with NOVA.  From early memories of Carl Sagan and "Cosmos" to Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe,"  KUED has carried important and thoughtful programming that has challenged my thinking and enriched my mind.

KUED has also brought me practical information for news and investing.  I still consume these products regularly.  I miss Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer.  Their election night and big news coverage was spectacular without being sensational. The Nightly Business reports continues to impress even with the recent ownership and anchor changes.

These days the talk is "Downton" and "Sherlock" and I find myself right in the mix. KUED adeptly chooses the dramas it shares and excels in the process.   If you will permit me one tiny gripe; it's the fund drives.  Not the programming, the Les Miz specials, the Choir Christmas Concerts, Self Help Gurus and the rest are all great.  But please get over yourselves a little.  There is great programming in other places too.  Just know that you are worth it.  Put out your hat and keep doing what you do.

So Happy Birthday and many happy returns.

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