Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2021

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

The most fun in TV-land was always at Christmas time – no matter what your persuasion.  And it also didn’t matter that sometimes special holiday shows were taped long before the big day. Ruth Alampi, producer/host of Jerseyfile , a basic talk-show, which I directed for almost nine years always came up with something special - a  group or subject that always put my production skills to the test; Church choirs, handbell choirs players and the famous Princeton Gay Men’s Chorus, just to name a few.  My favorite – The Donnelly Donneleers, inhabitants and staff from a local senior center who sang classic Christmas carols with only a few off-key high notes.   A show which I produced and directed was The Jersey Local which was a travelogue about fun places to go and things to do.  One segment I was happy to do was produced at the Wolfe Holly Farm that just happened to be in my hometown Millville,  called the Holly City of America.  The farm was one of the...

THE IDEA OF EDISON - A ONE ACT PLAY

 In October, (when the holiday season now begins and CVS puts out their Christmas stuff) I was surfing through a myriad of happy movies and specials that seemed to be unending. I came upon "The Christmas that Almost Wasn't" . It reminded me of one of the shows I am most proud to have directed.  The Idea of Edison starring Paul Tripp.      Mr. Tripp wrote and performed in that Christmas classic but I didn't know  that until after I had cast him for a short TV drama  about a New Jerseyian, Thomas Edison.  This project was an Atlantic City Electric Company's contribution to The Centennial of Light; celebrating the anniversary of the great inventor's crowning invention. The drama had been written by the utility’s  V.P. of Public Relations, Dr. Fred Abbate.   The script was sent to Doug NJN program director who received a daily stream of program proposals that mostly ended up in the circular file but this one interested him and he ...

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...

THE AUDITION 2021

(Note:  I have been adding posts chronologically but I must insert this current and unexpected learning opportunity to my broadcasting journey.) My last “audition” for a performance job was in the 70’s for Sesame street, a news job and host of a new program called people are talking for KYW-TV and these experiences dim in my memory files of a nervous afternoon - I got not “call-back” except for a WHYY news producer/host and I got the job which I have recounted on this Blog.  Later in late 80’s during my corporate TV career #2 I presided over many cast-calls in NYC with some of the top casting agencies in the business but until this last audition for me I suppose I never realized how hard this task was for the performer.  I have listened to many new performers whose faces were familiar on commercials hawking everything from snow-blowers to supermarkets.  And had a couple of surprises too when a couple of stars from the golden age of TV and the stage showed up for a mi...

FIRST PERSONS

As the programming continued to expand, NJN program director handed an assignment to work with one of our news show reporters who was a seasoned New York "Street News Pro".  This was a daunting assignment for me - but I knew it would also be a great opportunity to work with a TV veteran who had many credits .  She was in the twilight of a long career in a job that was highly competitive, with long hours that took its toll on Betty Adams when she came to NJPTV on her last job.  She was tough and streetwise from pounding New York City beats for decades in big time TV news departments – but like everyone in the business,  she got older and was cast aside for a blond twink with little news knowledge but with great hair. Betty was going to produce a long-form interview show – First Person and it was about “famous” people from or having a close connection to New Jersey and she discovered a very long list of notables.  I was assigned to direct this show with her becau...

NEW BECOMES OLD

And so my first days turned into years.  What was so new became routine.  I was assigned a variety of series and week by week they became automatic.  The guests changed, the subjects changed but my director role stayed the same - the choice of shots was very predictable.  A Christmas Special show or a live call-in show broke the routine.  I was assigned to direct the NJ Legislature in a few sessions and happened to be in the "hot seat" (for 10 hours of hot debate) when a couple of very historic votes were taken - lucky me!  The first state income tax caused by the school legislation that required a statewide, and very controversial, set of common standards.  There was rowdy sparring by the legislators and some near fisticuffs but for the most part the whole process was and continues to be one of windy speeches to empty chambers broadcast to nobody watching but staff and public policy wonks.  Some of my one-time assignments were memorable but most...