The foundations of WGBH: 84 Mass. Ave.

December 23, 2010May 16, 2016 Jay Collier 1950s, 1960s, 84 Mass. Ave., Documents, Reminiscences, WGBH 2 Ampex, Bob Larsen, Bob Moscone, Brooks Leffler, Dave Davis, Don Hallock, Eastern Educational Network, Greg Harney, Hartford Gunn, Jack Hurley, Jack Summerfield, KQED, MIT, National Educational Television, NET, Parker Wheatly, Paul Rader, Rose Buresh, WNET

This entry is part 9 of 12 in the series The Don Hallock Collection

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.

A stranger in a strange land

December 20, 2010March 5, 2018 Jay Collier 84 Mass. Ave., Anecdotes, BU Scholars, Channels, Essays, New Television Workshop, Reminiscences, Symphony Hall, WGBH 2 Alfred Hitchcock, Andy Ferguson, Bill Heitz, Bob Jones, Bob Larson, Bob Moscone, Bob Squires, Bob Valtz, Bobby Hall, Brian O’Doherty, Brooks Leffler, Cabot Lyford, Dave Davis, Dave Sloss, David Ives, David Nohling, Don Hallock, Ed Scherer, Frank Vento, Fred Barzyk, Gene Gray, Gene Nichols, Greg Harney, Hartford Gunn, Henry Morgenthau, Jean Brady, Jerry Adler, Kenny Anderson, Lou Barlow, Mike Ambrosino, NOVA, Paul Noble, Russ Morash, Tom McGrath, Whit Thompson, Wil Morton

This entry is part 6 of 23 in the series The Fred Barzyk Collection

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!

Remembering the original WGBH

November 5, 2010May 16, 2016 Jay Collier 1950s, 84 Mass. Ave., Essays, Features, WGBH 2 Anne Slack, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dave Davis, David Davis, Eleanor Roosevelt, Elliot Norton, Greg Harney, Hartford Gunn, Jordan Whitelaw, Louis Lyons, Parlons Francais, Public Broadcasting, Sanders Theater

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.

Dave Davis, 81, WGBH Producer, Director, Manager

August 20, 2007May 16, 2016 Jay Collier Obituaries, QuickNooz, Staff Dave Davis, David Davis, Fred Barzyk

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 David MacFarland Davis passed away 5/23 in his home in Guyana at 81. Dave and his wife Joyce had been retired and playing jazz around the islands since 1993. Read more...

A tribute to Dave Davis

August 16, 2007May 16, 2016 Jay Collier 1960s, Essays, Features Dave Davis

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 John “Rocky” Coe as Production Manager, as I recall, and first occupied a tiny cubicle at the far end of the upstairs TV production office area where there was, quite appropriately, a little window looking down into Studio-A. Read more...

3….2….1….Take! (1950s)

January 1, 2007September 14, 2010 Don Hallock 1950s, Anecdotes, Humor Anonymous Contributor One, Dave Davis, University North Carolina

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 us (relative neophytes), his efforts were all to the good — even, in fact, critical to much of the eventual success of WGBH as a production organization. The standard-setting quality of the Boston Symphony broadcasts, and WGBH’s other music programming, was a direct result of Dave’s efforts. Read more...

Dave Davis’ “Creativity” Memo (1958)

January 1, 2007December 20, 2010 Don Hallock 1950s, Documents, Highlights, WGBH 2 Dave Davis, Dave Nohling

From the collection of Dave Nohling

Click on the images to see the original memo. Read the text, below. Read more...

40 years with ‘GBH

May 1, 2000May 16, 2016 Jay Collier 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 84 Mass. Ave., Essays, Eyes on the Prize, NOVA, Reminiscences, Staff, WGBH 2 Action for Children's Television, Ann Peck, Bill Cavness, Bob Larsen, Boyd Estus, Dave Atwood, Dave Davis, Eastern Educational Network, Eric Handley, Fred Barzyk, Gene Nichols, Hartford Gunn, Harvard, Henry Hampton, Jean Brady, John Henning, Larry Creshkoff, Lillian Akel, Marian White, Michael Ambrosino, Michael Rice, Odyssey, Peter Downey, Sam Low, ted sherburne, Terry Rockefeller, The Ring of Truth, WUNH

This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series The Michael Ambrosino Collection

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 few (12) “educational” stations on the air. Read more...

WGBH Alumni

Pioneers in public media

Dave Davis