Channel 8 became known for its heavy schedule of local programs during the period from the 1950s through the 1980s. The most popular was a show aimed at younger audiences; Jerry Haynes hosted a local children's program on the station on-and-off from 1961 to 1996. Originally debuting in March 1961 as "Mr. Peppermint", Haynes (who donned a red- and white-striped jacket and straw hat in his portrayal of the titular character, accompanied by a candy-striped cane) starred alongside a variety of puppet characters (performed by Vern Dailey) and presented various segments from educational content to cartoon shorts; five years after ending its original nine-year run on WFAA in 1970, the program was revived as the half-hour magazine-style educational series "Peppermint Place" in 1975, running for 21 additional years—expanding into syndication for its final seven—until the program ended its collective 30-year run in July 1996. Other notable WFAA local productions included the music series "The Group And Chapman" and its progenitor "Sump'n Else" (both of which were hosted by Ralph Baker Jr. and Ron Chapman), "Dallas Bandstand" (also hosted by Haynes), lifestyle and fashion talk program "The Julie Bennell Show" (hosted by "Dallas Morning News" food editor Julie Bennell), the viewer Q&A series "Let Me Speak to the Manager" (originally titled "Ask the Manager" and later named "Inside Television" for the final four years of its run, co-hosted by Belo vice president Myron "Mike" Shapiro), and local versions of the "Dialing for Dollars" and "PM Magazine" franchises. Channel 8 also served as the original Dallas-Fort Worth home of the magazine series "Texas Country Reporter", after host Bob Phillips, who originated it on KDFW in September 1972 as the locally produced "4 Country Reporter", sold the series into regional syndication (airing on WFAA under the title "8 Country Reporter") in 1986.