Columnist Tips Hat to KDOC-TV for Reruns of Old Comedy Shows

KDOC Channel 56 got a tip of the hat Thursday from Tom Shales of the Washington Post, whose syndicated column appears in 96 newspapers and whose commentary also is heard on National Public Radio.

Shales began his Thursday column by saying “In far off Anaheim, Calif., for 90 minutes each night, a little UHF station becomes CBS of yore. It shows old reruns of ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show,’ ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ and the original ‘Bob Newhart Show’ back to back to back. These satisfying, sophisticated sitcoms bring back an era when CBS and comedy were king together. CBS is trying to recapture some of that lost luster now with its all-comedy Monday night lineup.”

Shales went on to heap lavish praise on “Murphy Brown,” which he called a modern incarnation of the old “Mary Tyler Moore” show. The KDOC lineup, which runs weeknights from 9 to 10:30, got no further mention.

“That’s really nice,” said KDOC spokeswoman Tricia Krause of Shales’ comments. “I wonder how he found out about that.” Shales said in a telephone interview that he stayed with a friend in Hancock Park for the month of August and was “wandering around (the channels) looking for something to watch” when he discovered KDOC’s evening lineup on the local cable system. “It was like getting transported back to TV in better days,” he said.