"WOW!"
(Donated
By Dick Dyszel)
|
.
Aired
on WDCA-TV 20.
Pre-taped
and Broadcast
from
WDCA River Road studios.
Mondays
through Fridays
1980
- 1987
|
Host:
Dick
Dyszel as "Captain 20"
With
In-studio Child Participants
|
-
In
1979, Taft Broadcasting bought WDCA-TV,
but the license
transfer
was challenged by some local parents' groups who opposed so-called "violent"
kid's programming (such as Ultraman,
Speedracer,
and
even Bugs Bunny) that had aired on Channel 20.
So, Taft
promised to produce two daily shows with educational or informational content,
a bunch of Public Service Announcements
and
a number of kids' specials. In January of 1980, producer/host Dick Dyszel
was asked to create and produce one of those shows.
The hot
buzz words at the time amongst the critics were "television viewing skills";
the skills needed to watch TV objectively. Dyszel met with local educators,
sat-in on a number of pre-school classes and eventually came up with the
concept behind the show "WOW!"
The set
was designed for one host and four children (ages 4-6). Sometimes a child
did not show, or as on a few rare occasions,
up to
six kids would participate due to some special activity.
The format
was very simple: One-by-one, each kid would
slide-in
(down the sliding board) ...
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--
Guests
would enter by sliding board.
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-
...introduce
themselves to the viewing audience...
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Introducing
herself to the home audience.
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...and
eat a nutritious snack.
.-
Guests
would eat a nutritious snack
|
--
Kids
would also tune-in to see the drawings that they'd sent in.
-
Drawings
by home viewers would be displayed.
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-
In the
middle segment, the guests gathered
around
the TV and watched a film short.
-
Watching
a film short on the "TV".
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-
Sometimes
it was a "How things are made"
film,
while other times it might be a cartoon short.
-
"How
It's Made" educational film short.
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-
After
watching the film, Captain 20 led a discussion about what
the
kids' had seen, explaining concepts as needed.
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Discussion
after watching the flm short
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-
The
final segment involved a craft project
that
was related to the film short.
-
Showing
a velcro "BINGO Board"
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-
WOW!
earned several local Emmy nominations, but never won.
However,
the program was a finalist for a National IRIS Award
and
received several Parents Choice Awards.
--
-
The
show, produced in association with the D.C. Schools Early Childhood
Program, aired until Channel 20 was sold to TVX Broadcast Group.
The
new owners dropped all local programming after May 1st, 1987.
-
All
Photos and Historical Data
Generously
Donated by Dick Dyszel
|
- |
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If you
enjoyed
learning
about
Capt.
20 on WOW!,
you'll
also want
to visit
his scary
distant
relative,
Count
Gore de Vol. |
 |
|
|
|
Watch
For Sounds of WOW! To Be Added to Kidshow
Klips
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All
Photographs and Historical Data Generously Donated by Dick Dyszel
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 |
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All
Shows Originated From Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Studios
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..
.
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Outstanding Sites
you'll also want to visit...
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Kaptain
Kidshow
Saluting
Vintage TV Kid Shows
Produced
In Washington, DC
|
Page
Revised: 8/26/04
.
.
Complete
List of Shows
.
Complete
List of Hosts
.
Sounds
From The Shows
.
Your
Own Recollections
.
Send
Email To Kappy
|
