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HERCULEAN TASK

Where to begin?  That question weighed heavily on me as I made my commute through the pines to the shore.  I had proposed and produced many programs but always had the tools and the crew waiting for my directions.  On my first real workday on my own was at hand - the prep had ended and it was time for me to be the program manager - so I went to work.  

    My philosophy since high school was "always take my strengths with me!"  What this meant for me was that everything I did was a product of what I had done and learned before and that I should not try to invent but use the tools I already honed.  And so I began like I had many times in the past by breaking down the very complex into its parts.  I made a list of what I needed to produce programs based on how NJPTV was built around me:

Production Staff - As our engineer began to solicit technical staff I focused on the creative personnel needs. I produced a press release that focused the search for TV pros to join our new adventure and sent it to the major papers from NYC to Philadelphia.  I created an "Help Wanted - TV Productions" and ordered it to be published in Broadcasting, Variety and several other professional publications.  About a week after it appeared I start to receive dozens of resume' and within a couple of weeks I had over 150+ to wade through.

Production Facilities - At this point there was no station, just an empty former supermarket.  I met for hours with the architect and the engineer as the hardware and studio space was being developed - this indeed was a rare opportunity for a producer to be "in" on this part of the broadcasting structure. For instance, our insurance man owner had directed the architect to put a large window on one wall of the studio so "tours could see us in production."  I stressed that we couldn't take away precise space for multiple sets by having on three instead of four backgrounds.  This was my first change.  There were many more debates between me and our amateur showbiz owner and I left Bob B. to wrestle with the money guys and get the ok for add-ons, etc.

Programming -  In my "spare time" Bob brought many of his programming contacts for me to meet to "show their wares".  I met with Paul Calvin V.P of syndication sales and a host of others.  I had learned the "business" side of broadcasting.  Bob and his contacts several days each week giving me the condensed version of their decades of experience.

We all work 7 days a week and 16+ hour days.  Sometimes I would take my long ride home just to get fresh underwear - but we succeeded in doing the "undo-able".  We build one of the last UHF full power stations to be licensed in the USA - and we did it ground up in 5 months!  I had hired a full production staff - all young and eager and a couple persuaded away from my former station.  I had (with Bob's guidance and budgeting savvy) booked a programming schedule that included the biggest film buy in the history of independent television - my picks of feature films from entire classic film libraries from the major distributors for $1.5 million dollars. (My mom and grandmother helped me a great deal when there was a star or film I didn't know - they usually had seen it and gave me their "review" before I added it to my list)  Most Indy's could produce a John Wayne or Bette Davis  Week at the Movies - I could air the John Wayne Month of Hits!. Along with our stable of films I had enticed the top local radio newscaster and sports guy to join our news team; a former Miss America contestant as our "Weather Lady".  And as each day passed more and more performers and program distributors "made their pitch" as I fit them in my schedule.   (WWAC TV 53 Premiers - To Be Continued)

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