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DONE IT ALL...NOT YET?


      My TV journey at first was a series of new frightful adventures - from directing “live” programs to recording a variety of music, drama, talk shows and a dozen documentary films in my time at NJPTV.  I had little time to be bored, except when I had to sit through the tedious, live coverage of the New Jersey Assembly's marathon sessions discussing education, income taxes and coverage of their last day in June annual rush to enact a balanced budget which was required by law to be done before the State closed down on July 1. Being a small part of history were the best of times but also the worst of times...and one time I had this tortuous assignment was a real fiasco.  

     Sam, the network production manager, "asked" me to go to the NJ State House and relieve a director who had been there for eight hours without a break. I took literally his hot seat for this unending snooze-a-thon at dinner time thinking I would be there for few hours - little did I know that Sam would "forget" that I was there and to make matters worse the session that we were airing on our network and simulcasting on WNET in New York would be a record setter for the distinguished body of blowhards.   The hours passed at glacier speed as the crew and I tried to make the coverage at least watchable for the several dozen views that we must have tuned to the show by mistake - it was a workday for most people.  It droned on...and on...and on.  Finally, nature called and desperately had to "go" so I told my crew to lock down camera two on a wide shot and take 10. Fortunately, the TV crew was allowed to use a "sacrosanct" men's room in the basement under the giant assembly chamber - it was for legislative members only and us when covering a session.   We had special permission because the public restrooms were a mile from our production van.  As I was taking care of business in a stall, to my chagrin, the Speaker of the Assembly and a high ranking member of the opposition party entered - I recognised their voices as they were screaming at each other.  They didn't know I was there and I wanted to keep it that way because I, a mere mortal,  had just heard how they were going to resolve the question with a mutual "quid pro quo"!  It was then I had a moment of realization - the session we were televising was just theatrics for the press and political "wonks."  This future of NJ was forged in the "john" where the actual issues of the long debate were settled. They left and I made a bee-line for the safety of the director's seat in our truck.  

When I got back the raging representative was smiling and the Speaker said that, "after a conference with the minority whip I think we are definitely nearing an agreement".  Near and yet so far...9 dreadful hours later I was still there.  My dinner was a quick burger at midnight and Sam relieved me himself a little after 3 AM, with apologies, saying that the assigned director had to go home because he didn't feel well - he would take over until the session ended.  I left, went home and slept all day and took the next day off.  Nevertheless,  I even had a great and exciting time that day bantering with the crew, inventing new complex shot patterns, and staying awake.  

Like all jobs it all became routine – I had directed one talk show, Jerseyfile, (community affairs talk show) once a week for 5+ years.  It was becoming increasingly difficult for me to come up with my own “new” program or series ideas to run by my program director Doug for the next season’s programming.  I was simply running out of NJ subjects to explore. Our audience and public broadcasting itself was maturing and they expected more and more importance, so did I.   Each show taping I had to remind the now very experienced  crews (and me too) that every show was “opening night” for the guests and the audience and so it must be for all of us – even though we had done the same thing many times.  As always, what seems glamorous to the outside world becomes just a job for the insiders.

     With Ruth Alampi, host of JerseyFile, I started to play a game.  After each show was "in the can", our standing practice was to tape a “promo” which would be used on air to promote this upcoming episode's content.  I bet her a drink after work that I could come up with the "script" to ballyhoo what we just taped while walking from the control room to the studio.  And to her amazement,  I was never stumped – my year of writing up to a dozen press releases daily at Glassboro State's PR office as a graduation assistant had helped me develop this skill.  (As my graduate adviser, and PR Guru, Dr. Bagin used to say – “Writing is like lifting weights, the more you do it the better you get.")

     Beyond the unexpected event or assignment I was bored most of the time and then it happened.  

Dan Merlo, NJN’s engineering genius, had resigned to become Chief Engineer for a new UHF station being built in Atlantic City. I had a chat with him right the day he left and he told me that the owners were looking to immediately hire a full production staff.  He gave me the CEO's number.  And I called Bob Bryan that same day.

     Two days after quickly putting together a demo reel I drove to Atlantic City and the temporary office of the WWAC TV53, a new station which would become one of the last, if not the last, independent TV station licensed in America and built literally from the ground up.

(To Be Continued)

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