Sports Newsreel

Sports Newsreel, hosted by legendary reporter Bill Stern, was a 15-minute sports news show which began on NBC. Sponsored by Colgate from 1939 till 1951, it was initially billed as The Colgate Sports Newsreel. When Colgate dropped sponsorship, the show continued on NBC for two more years, then moved to ABC, where it lasted until 1956.

Each show covered several human interest stories from the world of sports, as well as a short appearance by a celebrity guest, usually from the worlds of sports or entertainment. Guests were as diverse as Babe Didrickson, Dizzy Dean, and Perry Como. Because it's not focused on scores and standings, Sports Newsreel is a fun listen even now, seven decades later.

Stern was a ground-breaking sportscaster. He was among the first to call boxing matches for the radio; he also called both the first televised baseball and football games (both were college games). Some believe ABC's Paul Harvey modeled his broadcasting style on Stern; having heard Paul Harvey from time to time and listened to several of the shows here, I find this credible.

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.