WTVT Channel 13 - Pulse Featuring Jim Ruddle (Part 1, 1964)

Here's Part 1 of a complete edition of Pulse, the nightly newscast of WTVT Channel 13 in Tampa / St. Petersburg, Florida (then a CBS affiliate, now affiliated with Fox). This newscast - transferred from the original 2" quad videotape - is notable in that one of the anchors, based out of the station's St. Petersburg studios, was Jim Ruddle, some three months before he first joined WGN Channel 9 in Chicago as co-anchor with Gary Park of The Park-Ruddle Report, as the beginning of a long career anchoring on Chicago television. The other Pulse anchors (not seen on this part) were Tampa-based Hugh Smith, a fixture on Channel 13 from 1963 until his 1991 retirement; and the station's then-news director, Ray Dantzler, in what was for years referred to as Pulse's "Communications Center."

The station itself dates back to 1955, signing on in the same year as rival WFLA Channel 8; the WTVT calls refer to its original founder, Walter Tison and his wife, Virginia Tison. Within a year of taking to the air, Channel 13's original parent company merged with what later became Gaylord Broadcasting (which then owned WKY, now KFOR, Channel 4 in Oklahoma City). The station's colorful history - and its equally colorful personalities - in the years up to its taking up Fox affiliation can be found on a tribute website, Big13.net, started and run by a former staffer.

This part includes:

Tail end of commercial for Thom McAn soft-lined Roma shoes

Brief commercial for Coca-Cola ("Things Go Better With Coke" jingle as sung by Glenn Yarbrough and The Limeliters)

Station ID / Pulse opening (voiceover by ??)

Jim Ruddle, in St. Petersburg, starts off with the following item:

- St. Petersburg Mayor Herman Goldner unveils $100 million prospectus for higher education, which would make the town the first in the southeastern U.S. to offer college courses leading to advanced degree; also included in this proposal is a medical college; film of presentation of this prospectus is aired, and James Garland describes the details to an unseen Charles Allen; Goldner also speaks to Allen of availability of funding sources for this program, and aspects of the medical school; slated completion date for medical school is mid-1966

Jim then signals commercial break with tease for story on incoming Attorney General

Commercial: Guernsey City Retirement Village - As little as "$1.-A-Day" for two people - with offer to send for brochure with 21 color photographs, some of which are shown (albeit in black-and-white) - located at Tampa end of Gandy Bridge

This aired on local Tampa / St. Petersburg TV on Tuesday, December 15th 1964 during the 6pm to 6:30pm timeframe.

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