Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Channel 5 Cranks Up The Wayback Machine

OMW spotted this today on the Akron Beacon Journal's "Beacon TV" blog:

WEWS/5 is bringing back an old TV friend. And we mean "old", as many of us are too young to really remember it well. The local ABC affiliate once aired a popular weekly music program called "Upbeat". Hosted by Channel 5 veteran Don Webster (the station's long-time weatherman), the show featured all sorts of musical acts in its run from 1964 to 1971.

October 29th, WEWS resurrects "Upbeat" for one night, in a benefit for "Partners for Potential", a charity benefitting urban youth. The show will feature many oldies acts, including Martha Reeves and Billy Preston, and other acts including local rocker Michael Stanley. Channel 5 airs the "Upbeat" return that night from 8 to 9 PM, and yes, Don Webster will host.

After leaving his weather post, Webster went into management at WEWS, and continued to host "Academic Challenge" for a few years after he left the weather desk. Though he gained most of his local fame that way, "Upbeat" garnered a lot of national attention. The WEWS release says the show featured the first TV appearance by the legendary Simon and Garfunkel, and the last by another music legend, Otis Redding.

Tickets are available at the Partners for Potential web site...starting at $25 for General Admission.

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