From the first four staff members hired by Mr. King - a senior producer, a producer/director (me); a graphic artist (a friend of Dr. King who created displays for the State Museum); and an announcer (from the golden age of local radio fame - another King buddy) - the staff began to grow almost daily. New old desks were added from the state surplus warehouse of equipment known as the burial ground. Soon, what was to become the "bullpen" was overflowing with folks and the chatter was incessant. However, this didn't interfere with our "work" because we had no work to do. We came to work and sat around for the entire summer as the two studios were being outfitted with equipment - there was no google or computer solitaire yet for us to wile away the empty hours. By the end of August an Executive Director and a Program Director were hired who had public TV network experience. The result: lots of rookies (me included) and a couple of seasoned pros.
When finished the studios were impressive and filled with mostly the best of RCA equipment - a New Jersey based company was used by state mandated contract to outfit the network. Our chief engineer was John Wilner - retired RCA executive. He was a senior citizen who literally invented much of the technologies and hardware that was used in the beginnings of the TV industry. For instance, he was known for the development of the Zoomar lens which revolutionized TV coverage in sports programming. This development was fascinating. When I started in TV the cameras had a "turret" of 3 or 4 lenses which had to be manual switich, off line, to vary shots - a close up on line was done by dolling the camera closer to the subject.
After almost a year of doing little but "preparing" the immense tower on Route 1 was dedicated (the highest structure in New Jersey at the time) and the transmitter was fired up with a test signal. Then one day in the spring NJPTV finally and officially "went on the air". Ken Stein, our senior P/D produced an afternoon variety show of NJ performers and interviews by our newly hired newscasters of local celebrities. The governor attended and threw a ceremonial switch on the air to put us on the air! (Our TV version of tossing the first pitch at a baseball game). I was one of the half dozen hosts. My first appearance on NJ TV with many more to follow. In one segment I introduced a gospel choir from a local church and when cued I began, "let's welcome the choir as they sing the old spiritual...(then I realized I had no idea what they were going to sing...I paused for a moment that seemed to go on forever). And then said, “...one of their favorites...ah...hum..." Their leader looked at me and finally realized that the group needed to sing. In my earpiece I heard Ken say, "What the hell was that Iszard?" I guess even after 180 shows at WHYY I wasn’t the "pro" I thought I was? (I obsessed about this muff for a week after even though the few folks actually watching this first show probably didn't notice.)
After a long wait it was time to go to work. And on a cold February day 6 months after I was hired I (me, the most inexperienced director on staff) sat in the control room in the director's seat for the taping of the first show of a weekly series to be produced by the new network. I was petrified and hadn’t slept at all the night before. Sam, (one of the best directors I ever worked with, from WHYY before coming to Jersey)was our Production Manager. For a couple of weeks he had been working with me. But now the test and it was going to be a first for everyone from camera-persons, the host and the control room techs. One could feel the tension - we all were on edge. We all had played with the gadgets but this was "real" TV today.
The host of the show was Betty Adams, a vetern of New York City news. She had done and seen it all during a long career as a street reporter in the Big Apple - but hosting her own show was new to her too. She was famous for being all business and rarely seemed to enjoy her work. Now on our set, which smelled like fresh paint, she smoked a cigarette with her long black jewel encrusted cigarette holder right out of a 1930's movie. She waited and tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair - final setup was taking a very long time..
The first guest was Dr. Thomas Robinson, the former President of Glassboro State College who hosted President Lyndon Johnson and Russian Premier Kosygin at the now famous Summit of 1968. He was going to give his "first person" account of his three days on the world stage with the leaders of the world.
I felt all was ready for the elements that I provided. The theme music was recorded and in the player. The title cards were on the stands (called hods in the old days) to be "superimposed" over the set at the opening. Credit slides were in the projector (the telecine machine island which was the film and slide projector whose images could be switched to by the technical director, the TD who operated the "switcher" and its myriad banks of buttons and levers that sent the pictures I choose to the videotape machine in the master control room.
After almost a half hour of tweaking the new cameras the floor director's voice came on my headset, "All’s ready on the floor." Everyone stopped their nervous chatter and there was absolute silence in the control which now was filled with techs and other staff wanting to see the “historic” coment - seconds ticked by. Then I had the "realization" that shook me to my very core.
EVERYONE WAS WAITING FOR ME TO SAY SOMETHING!
For the first time I understood that I was now a "director" and it was up to me to make this show happen. Sam tapped me on the shoulder, "Just do it Cal, you will do fine.” I turned back and looked at the three monitors in front of me, took a deep breath and said..."Stand by in the studio...ready with the light cue...ready to open mike and cue Betty...ready camera 2 with a wide on the set...20 seconds to the floor…Roll tape. Ten seconds...5, 4, 3...HIT THEME MUSIC...TAKE CAMERA 2…fade music...cue Betty!
And my new career had begun.
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