The strategic communications professor researched the background of the Philadelphia-based company, which emerged as a major producer of syndicated sports programming in the years after World War II.
share:
Share this page on Facebook Share this page on X (formerly Twitter) Share this page on LinkedIn Email this page to a friend Print this page
Newsreel Laboratory founder Louis W. Kelman (standing on a Chrysler) during the filming of Tell-La Productions’ first sports program, “1948 Baseball Preview with Stan Baumgartner.” Photo by Brian Kelman.
After more than a decade of research, Daniel Haygood, a professor of strategic communications, recently published an article in American Journalism that delves into the history of Tel La Productions, a prolific sports production company that has long been absent from the public eye.
Daniel Hagood
Titled “Tel-La Productions: The Untold Story of the Philadelphia Production Company that Captured America’s Passion for Sports on Film in the Post-World War II Era,” the article focuses on the company’s flagship show, “Telesports Digest,” which Hagood considers a precursor to ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”
Tel Ra Productions filmed thousands of sports segments for their portfolio of syndicated television programs from the late 1940s through the mid-1960s. Primarily included in Tel Ra’s flagship program, “TeleSports Digest,” this collection of filmed sporting events provides a visual representation of the history of American sports after World War II.
But Tell Ra’s story has been forgotten over time. Haygood said few people know about the small Philadelphia company or the weekly show that captured America’s passion for sports on the relatively new medium of television.
“It is amazing that such a small company was able to produce, film and distribute so many different sporting events over its history,” said Haygood. “The story of Tel La Productions is truly a lost treasure in sports broadcasting history.”
William Wallace (Wally) Orr was founder and president of Tel-La Productions in Philadelphia. Photo by William Wallace (Bill) Orr, Jr.
At a time when television sports coverage was limited, Tell-La produced a wide variety of programming covering both major and minor sports. “National Pro Highlights,” “Touchdown,” and “Telesports Digest” were Tell-La’s first anchor programs, and the network quickly grew to six shows by 1953.
“TeleSports Digest” was Tel Ra’s flagship program, featuring four to six different sports segments each week depending on the season. The show covered 59 different sports during its 18-year run and featured major sporting events such as the Kentucky Derby, NBA Championship, PGA Tournament, World Series, NFL Football, and the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to these major sports, Telesports Digest also included coverage of lesser known sports and competitions such as swimming, dog sled racing, ice fishing, and even marble and barrel hurdling. International sporting events broadcast included the Monaco Grand Prix, the British Open, and the Queen’s Plate (horse race).
To accomplish this feat each week, Ter La Productions worked with Kelman Studios as their filming and editing partner. Depending on the time of year, 12-15 cameramen would leave Philadelphia and travel to various parts of the country to film sporting events. Canisters of film would then be rushed back to Philadelphia for developing and editing before distribution.
By the late 1940s, Tel Ra Productions had developed three syndicated sports highlights programs that were staples of its portfolio: “TeleSports Digest,” “Touchdown” and “National Pro Highlights.” Pictured is the company’s official logo.
Hagood excavated the history of Tel Ra through in-depth interviews with Bill Orr, son of Tel Ra founder W. Wallace Orr, and Brian Kelman, son of Kelman Studios founder Lewis W. Kelman. But the focus of Hagood’s original research began elsewhere.
“I was actually researching the history of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball production and broadcasting,” says Haygood, “Tel La produced and distributed highlight reels for the ACC Tournament in the 1970s. After several conversations with Bill, I realized there was a bigger, more important sports production story for Ter La. The company continued to produce sports content in the years following World War II, and the company continued to produce and film a variety of sporting events even after Telesports Digest went off the air in September 1966.”
Haygood interviewed Ohr more than a dozen times, including several conversations in his Penn State office. Ohr, a professor at Elon University, specializes in unearthing lost or forgotten pieces of sports broadcasting history and bringing them to life for a modern audience.
“Much of what Ter La Productions accomplished in those early years laid the foundation for sports broadcasting as we know it today,” Haygood said.
American journalism
American Journalism is the official publication of the American Society of Journalism Historians. The peer-reviewed quarterly journal covers the history of media in all national and international contexts. It publishes articles, essays, book reviews, and digital media reviews. American Journalism welcomes articles dealing with the history of communication in general, the history of journalism, the history of broadcasting, advertising, and public relations, the history of media outside the United States, and theoretical issues in the literature and methodology of media history. The journal aims to provide readers with new knowledge of media history and to promote innovative approaches to the study of media history.
