Celebrating KOCO 5's 70th anniversary: The memorable characters and journalists at KOCO 5
Ida B, HoHo the Clown, the McCain Brothers and Jack Ogle are just some of the legendary people who set the bar and broke barriers at KOCO 5.
Ida B, HoHo the Clown, the McCain Brothers and Jack Ogle are just some of the legendary people who set the bar and broke barriers at KOCO 5.
Ida B, HoHo the Clown, the McCain Brothers and Jack Ogle are just some of the legendary people who set the bar and broke barriers at KOCO 5.
It is always a great chance for us here at KOCO 5 to meet so many of you.
And on our history wall, you can find so many recognizable names and faces that have greeted thousands of Oklahomans and beamed into your homes over the past 70 years.
Ida B, HoHo the Clown, the McCain Brothers and Jack Ogle are just some of the legendary people who set the bar and broke barriers at KOCO 5.
HoHo the Clown, played by Ed Birchall, and his sock puppet sidekick that Bill Howard brought to life became a dynamic duo that brough joy to many across KOCO 5's airwaves. Carol Lahman was one of countless children back then to who HoHo the Clown would make special birthday appearances.
Or Ed Birchall and his pal Pokey entertained Oklahomans on TV and children's groups in hospitals and homes. They became a dynamic duo that brought joy to many across KOCO 5's airwaves and offered an escape to easier days in childhood.
Ida Blackburn, or "Ida B," was another notable face at KOCO 5. We first saw her playing a teacher on the kids' show "Romper Room." Her later interviews on the "Ida B. Show" made her a household name.
Then, there were the brothers Butch and Ben McCain. The two hosted a wildly popular morning show on KOCO 5, interviewing big names, actors and musicians.
And we must mention the "Jude n' Jody Show." The two friends hosted a country music program on KOCO 5 during the 1960s and 1970s. Then, there was "Big Ham," who was a big name to viewers.
For years on Friday nights, Count George would bring his ghoulish grin to television screens. The Count was one of America's original horror show hosts.
John Ferguson holds memories of that time close to him with a collection posters and pictures, and he even does public appearances as Count George. Looking back, he often thinks of the impact he had on viewers.
"I had a platform, and I got very blessed and very lucky that I could get on that platform and do something," Ferguson said.
Over the years, viewers have trusted the many journalists at KOCO 5 News.
Jack Ogle, who started in sports, then moved over to reporter and anchor. Jane Jayroe, a former Miss America, was the first female primetime Oklahoma news anchor, doing so on KOCO 5.
In the 1960s, we reported on race relations, segregation and the fight for equality and justice. Joyce Jackson blazed a new trail as the first Black woman on television in Oklahoma right here at KOCO 5, opening doors for other talented journalists to follow.
There also were reporter and weekend anchor Ben Tipton, KOCO 5's first Black morning anchor Barbara Gauthier, Enoch Kelly Haney and Cherokee Ballard.
"It was pretty fantastic to be representing Native American people and Native American women who wanted to do what I was doing for a living," Ballard said.
And then there's Gerry Bonds, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who started at KOCO 5 in 1984. What viewers will remember include the Centennial Tour with Bonds and Ron Stahl, plus Oklahoma Pride, as well as the tours she took around the state in Sky 5.
"Channel 5 gave me the opportunity to get to know this state. I was a total newcomer," Bonds said.
From newcomer to being inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008, Bonds is still proud of all she accomplished at KOCO 5.
"We produced what would make every Oklahoman say, 'Well, I didn't know that. I didn't know there were wagon wheel ruts in Hinton, Oklahoma, in Red Rock Canyon. I didn't know how much influence the Polish immigrant population had on Harrah or the Czech population in Prague,'" Bonds said.
As KOCO 5 celebrates 70 years on air, we think back on seven decades full of memorable characters and a news team dedicated to its community.