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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AGAIN (CALLS)

There were many adventures doing what I called my little show and my big show and the months flowed by.  I visited almost every public school in Philly and got to know some fine teachers doing a tough inner city job.  And I saw that the kids on all levels really wanted to learn and tried very hard while also facing some tough circumstances.  And then it was June, the school year was soon over and I had a whole summer to plan and produce my shows for a second season.  

I looked forward to visiting many of the great summer school programs offered by the District which had some very progressive and interesting camps and projects.  But then right after I had finished my final morning show the phone rang on the wall next to my impromptu office.  "Hello Cal," the voice said as I wondered who knew me well enough to  call me that?  Even my mother didn't call me Cal.   "It's Bill King, your wife's secretary's brother, I hope you remember me?"  (I should hope so!  As we had just celebrated Miss King's birthday at a local pub.)  But I knew of him long before the party - he was the semi-famous Glassboro State Alumni who was the director of Audio/Visual Education for the NJ State Department of Education.  He continued, "Cal, why haven't you applied for a job at my new television network?  New Jersey Public Television - it would be perfect for you as a New Jersey guy and great for Glassboro State too."  (Gads he was selling me for the job not the other way around)  I replied that I had only read several news articles about the building of the new TV by a state authority and would be delighted to know more - "When can we meet?" I immediately added.

And so, I took a vacation day traveled to Jersey and another door opened for me after an hour meeting with Mr. King at the former Ewing, NJ bowling alley that was being converted into two TV studios while we chatted in his newly finished and very grand office.  At the end of our meeting Mr. King announced, "I am offering you a job as a producer/director.  Go home, talk to Nance and get back soon as all of our start-up positions will be filled by the end of this month.”  I wrestled with this offer for two days.  Nance (Bill shortened everyone's name for some reason?) was very much for me taking the job because we both had made many high level contacts in New Jersey and she thought I would move up faster in this new endeavor rather than being lost at the monolithic School District of Philadelphia.  But on the other hand,  I was presently on the air in Philadelphia, the fourth national television market - countless performers would steal, borrow or beg to get this far - and on their first broadcast TV job.  It was an almost unthinkable start and I had managed it basically by the accident of "just showing up" as Woody Allen would say.  Again, I faced the question - a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in the big broadcast market?  My debate with myself came down to these questions: Do I want to produce another season of School News: Philadelphia,  a re-do of mostly the same stuff?  Or go to NJPTA with the assurance by Mr. K that I would be "on-air" and behind the scenes as a P/D as well?

I decided to take the Jersey job and delivered my resignation to Ms. Eberman.  My Philadelphia shows were never produced again by the District which very soon shed all of its TV staff and stopped producing daily lessons - ITV came to an end as computers began to enter the classrooms.  The day after I quit Nancy and I flew to Fort Lauderdale Florida and got great tans, plus our first look at the new DisneyWorld before I would start a fairly long commute from Turnersville to Trenton.  (I-295 only went half way at that time)  p.s. My paycheck was going to  increase by $5500 and forgot about the extra cost of a weekly fill-up.

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