Welcome To The KPHO History Page!

One of the Valley's earliest and most popular television personalities welcomes you to relive the days when KPHO signed on the air from a hotel and Wallace, Ladmo, Gerald, Aunt Maud and Ladmo Bags were all the local rage. More

KPHO On-Air History

After KPHO signed on the air in 1949, it became the local affiliate for all four networks in operation at the time -- CBS, NBC, ABC and The Dumont Network. More

KPHO Behind The Scenes History

The labors of hard working engineers combined with all the skills of station personnel enabled the first signals to travel up the tower atop the studios at Hotel Westward Ho in 1949. More

Wallace & Ladmo

The first programs created by KPHO were directed at children and included "The Man From Planet X," "The Lew King Show," and of course the many evolutions of "The Wallace and Ladmo Show." More

Historical Timeline

KPHO-TV Channel 5 in Phoenix signed on as the first television station in the market on Sunday, Dec. 4, 1949. The first signal was transmitted from the Hotel Westward Ho in downtown Phoenix. More

Early History Of KPHO

KPHO was the first TV station in Phoenix, the first to telecast live local programs and the first to cover sports events with remote telecasts. More

Sharon Kelley's Wallace & Ladmo History

KPHO Collectibles

Wallace Watchers

Tribute To Ladmo

Wallace and Ladmo Store

More Wallace and Ladmo History

Ventriloquist Dan Horn’s Site

Wallace (of Wallace and Ladmo) will be signing a new DVD featuring eight Wallace & Ladmo shows from 1965 to 1989. For your DVD, head to the Mesa Historical Museum on Dec. 13 between 10 a.m. and noon.

For more information, visit www.mesahistoricalmuseum.org or call 480-835-7358.

Mesa Historical Museum Hosts Wallace & Ladmo Exhibit

Meet Bill Thompson and Pat McMahon at the opening of the "Thanks for Tuning In: The Wallace and Ladmo Show" temporary exhibit at the Mesa Historical Museum! More

Brief History Of "Wallace And Ladmo"

A very brief history for those who did not grow up in the Valley when "Wallace and Ladmo" was on the air. More

Bill Thompson Biography

Wearing a beanie and armed with cartoons, "Wallace" burst onto the scene with his own show "It's Wallace" in 1955 and went on to create and sustain the longest-running children's TV show in America. More

Ladmo Biography

Ladmo in his youth had his eyes set on becoming a major league baseball player until one day in 1956 "Wallace" came along and the rest is history! More

Pat McMahon Biography

With a Midwestern upbringing under his belt, Pat moved to Phoenix after the Army, landed a "jack-of-trades" job at KPHO, and was soon snatched away by "Wallace." More