Angie's List

Sunday, June 01, 2008
Behind the lens. Why are we so intrigued by home improvement TV?
by Amy Mastin

TVacres.com lists more than 240 home improvement shows dating back to 1949 when Arthur Peterson played a handyman in “That’s O’Toole.” “Dr. Fix-um” also made its debut in 1949, with Arthur Youngquist as the home repair host. “The Better Home Show” aired from 1951 to 1952 featuring Norman Brokenshire covering home renovation topics, and “Do It Yourself” began in 1955.
While home shows originated in the 1940s, they didn’t take off until “This Old House” made its debut in 1979, Holst says.

http://magazine.angieslist.com/Story/home-improvement-tv

Delphos Herald - May 19, 2005
"Revisit Favorite TV Offerings on the Net" by Becky Hirn (excerpt)

Take a walk down television memory lane. With information dating back to 1940's television, it’s (TV Acres) chock-full links to TV listings, character biographies, episode guides and much more. It’s best to use the site search engine to navigate the site. Just think; you can finally settle the bet about the name of the Arnold’s beagle on the “Wonder Years.”

Pet Sit USA "Ask the Hound" Column - May-June, 2005

Dear Cynthia,
An avid TV and movie buff, are you? Well, I had to sniff around on the Internet for a while, but I came across a site you'll have fun getting lost in, TV Acres. I even spent so much time there that I almost forgot I had to write about it! This a great place to learn more about famous, and some not so famous, animals who've appeared in movies, on TV, as advertising mascots, and cartoon characters. Test your memory on some of these TV Acres notables, and see if you know where they got their claim to fame: Clarence the cross-eyed lion, Itchy the mouse, Mr. Diefenthaler and Mr. Henderson, and Buddy the Wonder Dog. Oh, and do you know what young singer sang to a basset hound named Sherlock? If you simply don't have a clue, you'll just have to check it out at TV Acres. And, if you're like me, you'll have fun learning the behind-the-scenes stories about many of the famous animals actors you know and love. OK, now that you know what site to check out…get those overalls on and get on down to the farm !

Postcards from the Web  - April 21, 2003
 
Radio review about TV Acres from public radio station
KCVR, FM in southern California. Sound file - narrated
by host Dan Angelo. Click hyperlink above to hear story.
 

Editor & Publisher - December 10, 2002

Reporter's Digital How-To by Charles Bowen

DECEMBER 10, 2002
TV Acres Covers the Cultural Landscape Of Our Time
Get the Facts On the Last 40 Years Of Television

If there is a cozy communal campfire for the people of the Information Age, it's got to be our television sets. Even in a time when our society is ever-more fragmented and segmented, TV continues to be the something that we have in common. Love it or hate it, praise it or ridicule it, television is one of the ties that binds the people of the 21st century.

And in terms of pop cultural literacy? Well, while an alarming number of our fellow citizens might not know who wrote Moby Dick, how the American Civil War ended, or when Jimmy Carter was president, ask them who Ginger and Mary Ann were. Call it televised immortality: A show that left the air almost 40 years ago still has characters living on in the collective psyche. In fact, in our
lifetime, television has evolved from a mere after-work diversion to life itself for some people, or at least a most insistent imitator of life.

For the working journalist, that means TV has become more than the listings of what's on tonight. Smart reporters and editors should have a fast-access database of broadcast history, trivia, and culture for use in those stories that cry out for a TV-oriented hook.

And where better to look for such a resource than on the Web? My favorite new TV culture site is TV Acres, a site created and maintained by Jerone A. Holst, a distance education librarian with Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. It is a guide to characters, places, and things that appeared on television programs broadcast from the 1940s to the present during prime time and Saturday mornings.

To check it out, visit the site at TV Acres.com, where the introductory page provides links to these key departments:

Phreaky Phriday Phun Linx  for November 15, 2002

"Even if you might be a TV trivia expert, this site could have some info you didn't know. Search the index for show details regarding everything from aardvarks to worms. You might be surprised to learn how many TV shows have garden gnomes as main characters. "

USA Today - Hot Site for November 8th, 2002

"Get yourself a library card and you pretty much have access to all the info you need for the real world. Ditto TVAcres.com when it comes to all things televised. An easy-to-use index helps you answer every TV question, from 'Who was the narrator on Batman' to 'What were the sea gulls' names on The Red Skelton Show?'"

The Houston Chronicle
(Oct. 7, 2002, 9:15PM)
What's online by Cay Dickson (Seen on TV)

"Prime time television sure isn't what it used to be when television was first born. If you're not eating worms, fretting about your next illicit love connection or winning a million dollars, then you're not being watched. TV Acres, at www.tvcres.com, is the place to be for an outstanding overview of what viewers have watched. An alphabetical index that is heavy with topics offers you the opportunity to explore everything from Secret Identities of characters to the Words of Wisdom that endeared them to the audience. There's even a section on Props that became as famous as some of the stars in the programs, such as Archie Bunker's chair. The creator, who is the distance education librarian at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., has done an enormous amount of research in putting this site together. Not only does he cover just about every subject imaginable, he also goes to great lengths to give additional detailed information to substantiate his findings."

Yahoo Picks - Editors Choice

September 24th, 2002

"TV Acres is the place to be / For all your questions about TV" -- so goes this site's theme song. Boasting an index that stretches from aardvarks to worms, the site presents a cavalcade of TV trivia. Sure, you'll find information about the obvious islands such as Fantasy and Gilligan's, but you'll also find facts about Hope Island, home to a little-known PAX TV soap opera, and Paradise Island, Wonder Woman's female-only home. You might identify with some of the TV fans such as Trekkies, MSTies, X-Philes, and even Arsenio Hall's Dogpound. The depth and detail of this site are especially impressive in the beginning and ending narrations section, which lists the opening words for everything from The Fall Guy ("one of America's great unsung heroes") to Tom Hanks' pre-Oscar days of Bosom Buddies. Don't miss the dates area -- discover when Joanie and Chachi tied the knot on Happy Days or the birthdays of your favorite TV characters. You'll never look at the boob tube the same way again. (in Television)."

"We found your website from: Lynn Lynn's Links. It would be our pleasure if you would accept it and display it on your site. To win means to be better than the best. On behalf of the staff of The EZINE WRITER emagazines I would like to congratulate you once again. Keep up the great work!" ezinewriter@juno.com

The Tuscaloosa News - Wednesday August 28, 2002

A librarian by day, Holst's site lists everyone and everything from the Hubba Bubba Gum Fighter to Orville Reddenbacher. The information on his site was intended to be a book, but got so large (1,500 pages and five volumes) so he turned to the Internet.

"I decided to take all of the information in the book and dump it into the Web site,: the Pennsylvania-based Holst, said. "I offer everything on my site free to the world, and hopefully everybody will enjoy it."

A self proclaimed expert on the histories of these spokespeople and mascots, Holst said his favorite food mascot is Mr. Potato Head...."

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