It's January 31st, 1963 and John F. Kennedy is still very much alive and still very much the President of the United States. The rumblings of Beatlemania are about to lap up against North American shores but they're far from being household names just yet. And you're just home from school after it let out around 3:30 PM, turning on the TV and watching - what? 

The following listings should fill in some blanks. They come from a Toronto Star section I stumbled upon in an old drawer that I'd long forgotten about. And yes, Jungle Jay was still on TV in Buffalo, just before crossing the border to become a sensation on CHUM. And Misterogers was on the CBC, having not left Canada yet for fame on what would become PBS down south. He was on right before the Friendly Giant. 

One other thing about this excerpt. You'll notice the stations at the top of the page are very extensive. Along with WGR from Buffalo, there's also WJBK and CJIC from Sault Ste. Marie on the same channel. WBEN is there, but so is WWJ from Detroit and CBOT in Ottawa. CBLT is accompanied by a shadow, CFCL from Timmins, both on Channel 6.

So what's the reason for so many varied stations on the same frequency? I believe it was because at the time, the Toronto Star wasn't just a local newspaper, but was sold in many different places, including Windsor and up north. So the stations viewers could get there were included as a courtesy to their sometimes far flung readers.

Back in the day when there was no Internet, no streaming, no VCRs and no DVDs, what would you have been watching in this line-up ?

(See also: The Toronto Radio Dial 1963)