In 1977, with disco in full effect, WPIX in New York wanted a piece of the pie. They didn't have the rights to Don Cornelius' seminal Soul Train at the time, so the station commmissioned a locally produced music series, Soul Alive. Back then, the station's handle was more "11 Alive" than WPIX.
New York DJ Gerry Bledsoe served as the host for the series, which lasted three seasons (1977-80). I can honestly say I never watched the show, though I'd heard of it via commercials airing on the station. TV Party's Billy Ingram takes us back in time with the closing moments of a particular episode, focusing on Bledsoe's rapid fire monologue.
Eventually, Soul Train would air on WPIX, but Soul Alive was long gone by then.
