Skip to main content

FIRST DAYS AT THE NETWORK

And so I started on a new path and as usual for state government operation the way to be  “hurry up and wait.”  Mr. King was interviewing every day as a line of prospects waited to see him – put there were no cameras, lights or even a transmitter tower.  And I settled in at a used government issue well worn metal desk in what would be soon called “the bullpen” that would accommodate our staff.  (We would inhabit the once bar of the former bowling alley for over a year – doing “research” which meant pursuing lots of local Jersey newspapers.  I had to drive 63 miles one way (before the 295 expressway was completed) to read and wait .  It was going to be a very long year.  As the staff grew so did the inventory of  very expensive machines.  Very expensive studio equipment that arrived daily.  

It soon was evident that I was hired before some of my future superiors – the Program Director, Production Manager, News Director  and more.  Ken was an Executive Producer level with 10 years experience in public TV.  He and I became friends immediately as our desks faced each other.  We chatted about movies, the golden age of TV and our mutual acquaintances – Ken came from an Eastern Educational Network station (but I forget which of the 22 it was but I know it was in a much smaller market than I had come from – so we knew some of the “usual suspects” that populated the growing instructional television industry.  Douglas L, from the Connecticut Public Television Network, soon joined our growing family and he immediately started to build his program schedule by first interviewing each of us on the production staff.  First thing one morning I was invited to his office by his new secretary.  (From the water cooler conversation, I had learned that he was a very formal, conservative from Boston.  (As the year progressed I would learn this was an understatement)


After the usual pleasantries he said, “Calvin I understand that Mr. King hired you as a Producer Director – what have you directed?”  (It was obvious that he already knew I had never directed any TV shows and he was piqued that Mr. King had inserted several of his “friends” in his production staff before he was hired).  Immediately I was on the defensive and being young, independent and not very diplomatic - I excused myself and quickly returned with my resume’ and returned - “Here Doug, why not look at this and I’ll come back later when you have had time to see where I’m coming from.” (This was not a very good start for me and I had to prove myself to him many times in the future.)

From that moment I was sure that many, if not all, the production staff  (Doug had hire half a dozen of his pals from Connecticut) believed that I was a “political hire” – the “gauntlet had been tossed at me and I had tossed it right back – at my boss!  From that first job interview (after already being hired) and for years thereafter our relationship was always strained) We had a cool relationship in which I had to prove myself on every project.  I believed that any of my successes were to Doug’s puritanical chagrin – real or imagined.

I was  indeed not off to a great start - but I learned quickly to tame my ego in a business filled with giant ones.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE FINAL CURTAIN

   The years floated by and like all things, familiarity bred contempt.  I started to bite the hand that fed me (add you own cliché here).  As my job became repetitive and routine, I started not to believe the slogans that I was promoting – making communications accessible to everyone became grabbing a buck from as many as possible.   Telecommunications was not mired in the old ways as evolved into an “entertainment and online store for the customers.  Many of the old guard were disappearing and the mantra for all of America’s blue-chip companies was “down-sizing.”  I used to quip to my secretary – “If my boss calls get her name!”  Then even those quips ended.  I became a “Self-Sufficient” manager which actually meant many of the support staff was laid off or reassigned.  Along with producing programs  I had to type my own contract letters,  make copies at Office Depot and stop by the post office – we no longer had company...
Post a Comment
Read more

TELE-TV

From 1984 to 1996 I had a wonderful time producing, directing and managing freelance production professionals as the telecommunications industry had major change.  New Jersey Bell morphed from a major part of ATT into Bell Atlantic and with a merger with NYNEX it became Verizon, one of the largest most profitable businesses in the world.  But getting there was a herculean task at times as I live 50 miles south of the facility. And each day I made my way to Newark NJ mostly by taking the 6:05 train to Newark.  I hated getting up this early.   Each morning was a series of challenges - trying to find a parking spot at Princeton Junction, grabbing a coffee from a crowded ruck and then battling the preppy Princetonites who would knock down a pregnant lady to get a seat so they could read their bible - the WSJ.  They had an obsession not to let anyone sit in the middle seat of the three in a row on the NJTransit cold, uncomfortable conveyance.  Their “evil-eyed” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A CAVALIER DIRECTOR

     I was happy working at the telephone company - but frankly I wasn’t a “Bell Head”.   Many of the 96 staff in media relations and public relations on my floor took a month to do simple jobs; three people produced a newsletter; two people produced the bill insert (by the way none of these people actually did the work, they hired freelance graphic artists and writer to fill their publications.  And we had a ton of informational products including a monthly newspaper that even had want and selling ads.  Frankly, I could have done all of their jobs in a couple of weeks.  But I soon realized that the phone company had a lot of non-wire stringers who did minimal work.  Why because if the company didn’t spend all of it’s money the government allowed it to make it would have to be returned to the rate-payers. An  incident that stands out as an example of the cultural climate at the headquarters is a shoot I was assigned to do with the preside...
Post a Comment
Read more