Bill Tush talks about the early days of WTBS

Bill Tush was a vital part of the beginning of Superstation WTBS and CNN. People in Atlanta saw something we will never see again and still talk about today. Bill talks about those early days.

[@craigmarlowe1734]

Rex the Wonder Dog was owned by a camera guy from Northbrook IL. I was a part of that show (video engineer, I was at the end of the cable from the camera). It was a blast.

[@mabahokano7567]

Bill was always doing something on TBS, I would watch all afternoon in in the late 70's and early 80's. Do you remember the Halloween craziness with the WTCG is changing to WTBS announcements with the witch😂

[@R0dan]

LOVED HIS SHOW! Nobody else had ever heard of it. Had a Betamax with Bill’s shows. Would play the shows during young age drinking parties. As the night went on everyone was laughing their ass off! Had a huge crush on Jan Hooks❤️ Anybody remember Rod Sewer?

[@michaelsix9684]

such low budget incredible comedy, it's still funny today, we all love Jan Hooks

[@greghicks3508]

Bill, you were awesome! Watched you when I couldn't sleep at night. Thanks for the memories!

[@Filmation77]

Im 51 years old and i remember watching Tush when i was a little kid

[@andyinoregon]

Great posting. Forgot how much I enjoyed Bill Tush back in the day. Such a sly sense of humor ... you always sensed he was in on the joke, much like early David Letterman.

[@howardmiller5381]

I lived in Atlanta in those days, working an evening shift at Georgia Baptist Hospital. I'd stay up to catch the news on WTBS before going to bed. That was about 1977-1978.

[@jm-bv1wh]

I think that Bill Tush may have underestimated the number of people who were watching overnight. Lots of people on the 3 - 11 shift tuned in. I would come home from my waiter's job and watch Atlanta Braves replays of the game played earlier that night. Lots of great memories of Channel 17 in the Seventies.

[@nedwart]

"I'm surprised you touched me with your new suit" That completely cracked me up.

[@amenrafreedom9757]

He use to host Show Biz Today on CNN. That show went off the air when CNN went crazy with 24 hours coverage of O.J. Simpson.

[@TheScunion]

Watched tbs news when I was a kid in Lima, Ohio. Our first 24 hour station. I lived these newscast and would stay up late in the summer of the later seventies just to watch them. This brings back some good memories.

[@dabrupro]

My eyes have seen it My eyes have seen it My eyes have seen it And it is large and it is large

[@22nola]

I loved Bill. Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to see him until he did his Tush show.

[@clarencebonner1523]

I remember when he, the cameraman, and Willys the Guard manned the station during a 4 day ice storm and got silly day and night. Around 1980 or so?

[@michaelsix9684]

TUSH show is on KZbin, it's very funny, Jan Hooks was great, lots of funny skits, better than SNL today

[@dwhiteatl1]

Steve, Bill mentioned not long ago in a message to me about a KZbin channel, and ongoing series. This is pretty good basics.

[@Malcham7]

+David White He's my manager at Lefont Theater.

[@karlhungus5554]

I'd rather watch that than most of the crap today.

[@muggy55]

One of the first Fake News shows and still one of the funniest!

[@VBaskin2010]

R.I.P. Troll.

[@17maxcloudjr73]

4:08-4:11 Jan Hooks ?

[@GeorgeRawlintrumpet]

Wonderful stuff. Richard Brady and I played trumpet and trombone on your theme song Bill. Thats all I can say out here in the public. By the way do you remember the Japanese attacking the bar....:)

[@michaelsix9684]

who wrote theme song, it's really good

[@MikeLutton]

who was the unkown newsman was it ever revealed

[@HumblyArtsy]

is that interview available somewhere online? the one on 2:07?

[@jcburns]

Hey, why the "tuning it in" static-y effects, Steve? WTBS was on cable! No static at all!

[@stevemitchell5014]

cable came much later. It was and still is an over-the-air signal.

[@douglaslowe5]

WTCG was over the air UHF in Atlanta. Ted Turner put it on Satellite shortly after he bought the Braves..

[@mabahokano7567]

@CNNRotatingSquare WTCG was on cable for a short time, at least the call sign anyway before it changed to WTBS. I remember all of the spots about it changing while watching from Arkansas on cable.

[@ackotele-radiochannel7408]

@@mabahokano7567 I can't believe Ted Turner would sell WTCG Channel 17 because now it's a simulcast station that airs all other stations. Sad !

[@geniusmchaggis]

what year was this interview?

[@stevemitchell5014]

2012

[@geniusmchaggis]

lol... yeah he looks 68. i was thinking that he would be OLDER...only 68...a young fella.

[@geniusmchaggis]

good reply...very DRY...

[@HildebrandJohnson]

Tina could have been hurt when he pulled the chair out from under her!

[@Veritas.0]

Should have stayed this way. CNN ruined television journalism.

[@CapstoneTider]

Back in the day when I was little kid if you got it by antenna it was channel 17 WT CG. If it was cable it was just WT CG which turned into TBS. Before that it was channel 36-in Atlanta. Ted Turner got screwed by New York Jews and lost everything that he built

[@stevemitchell5014]

2012