Skip to main content

My Firsts Propelled Us

Our WWAC production team produced a schedule that had manyfirsts. And many were herculean tasks for a bare bones staff.  Everyone worked long hours. Some we invented and others came from a long line of locals and TV pros seeking a job with us or a Program Director who would listen to their idea for a TV show that was “unique” and bound to be a “winner”. I was very busy every day those first few months but accepted every request for an appointment - and it paid off.  For instance, Sam Lit, Hy Lit’s son and producer, who was one of Philadelphia's top radio rock n roll jock visited us from Philly. Sam told me that his Dad had received over the years a ton of promo films and tapes the record companies and performer’s agent had sent in hope that he would talk up their tunes (this was the era of “payola” which Mr. Lit’s station was investigated) - Sam didn’t tell me if there was anything else they delivered.. Sam’s idea was that he and Dad could produce and co-host an hour-long show where they would talk about the “old days” of rock n’ roll interspaced with tunes from the library of demos. He assured me they could do a minimum at least three years of shows,  The deal - Hy and Sam would get 40% of the advertising revenue. After talking with Bob B our President we signed a deal for 52 shows. The show was an immediate hit and within months there national cable TV aired MTV and VH1 playing music videos 24 hours a day with major radio personalities as hosts. And WWAC TV was first to mine this practically free source of music entertainment.

Another first happened after Bob, Frank and I flew to NYC in Frank's private plane (which scared the XXX out of me, to attend the NATPE (National Association of Program Executives) international program content convention at the Hilton Hotel Convention Center in NYC (NATPE is still the premier global business association for content producers, distributors, streamers and buyers across all platforms,). I was wined and dined by the major syndication program sales people as I perused the convention floor of very decorative exhibits and TV celebrities hawking their shows. After a long day we were invited to a suite for cocktails hosted by Philadelphia’s KYW TV. While having an adult beverage I was introduced to the hosts of the Philadelphia and Baltimore’s People Are Talking talk shows watching recorded segments. Bob and I agreed this show would be great to kick for our weekday mornings. When I returned to AC the next day I called the rep for the show and he tried to talk me into taking the Philadelphia show which was the highest rated show aired on KYW that was just syndicated. After the sales pitch I said I was more interested in the Baltimore show. He said she was new and really doesn’t have much experience or high ratings - but he would check with his bosses and get back to me. Several days later he said we could have the Baltimore show tapes couriered to our studio a day after the live show.. And so the host with a strange name - Oprah Winfrey was on our air in AC the next week.


(Oprah's 1980's Baltimore)


I was the first program director to air her show in a new market before she became one of the most recognized talents in the world. Within several weeks the show was beating the Philadelphia show’s ratings.

         (Postscript: Several years later as a freelance [another word for out of work] producer/director I wrote a long letter to her asking if I could be considered from a job posted in Broadcasting magazine for her new started up production company describing how we met, aired her show in a new market, etc. She never wrote back - but I did get a form letter thanking me for watching her show. That’s show-biz!)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE FINAL CURTAIN

   The years floated by and like all things, familiarity bred contempt.  I started to bite the hand that fed me (add you own cliché here).  As my job became repetitive and routine, I started not to believe the slogans that I was promoting – making communications accessible to everyone became grabbing a buck from as many as possible.   Telecommunications was not mired in the old ways as evolved into an “entertainment and online store for the customers.  Many of the old guard were disappearing and the mantra for all of America’s blue-chip companies was “down-sizing.”  I used to quip to my secretary – “If my boss calls get her name!”  Then even those quips ended.  I became a “Self-Sufficient” manager which actually meant many of the support staff was laid off or reassigned.  Along with producing programs  I had to type my own contract letters,  make copies at Office Depot and stop by the post office – we no longer had company...
Post a Comment
Read more

MR CHAIRMAN

   During my 10 years of Corporate Television work I must admit I was called on to produce some real "boring" shows - but there were also moments that made me want to go to work.  Here's a brief list of the "highlights" of my time - that I can remember. Over the years I saw many changes in the stodgy old phone company as it expanded into a communication giant. Working with James Earl Jones was an event.  We shot a piece with him in his NYC Village apartment - what it was about I really can't dredge up but I learned an amazing fact.  Mr. Jones stuttered!  He said he lived with it growing up and he went into acting because when he memorized scripts he didn't stutter.  I also learn that he was paid $10,000,000 to exclusively do VZ commercials and $1,000,000 every time he made a new commercial.  Not bad for someone who was speech challenged. For another taped employee recruitment show which was going out to higher learning institutions I suggested ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A CAVALIER DIRECTOR

     I was happy working at the telephone company - but frankly I wasn’t a “Bell Head”.   Many of the 96 staff in media relations and public relations on my floor took a month to do simple jobs; three people produced a newsletter; two people produced the bill insert (by the way none of these people actually did the work, they hired freelance graphic artists and writer to fill their publications.  And we had a ton of informational products including a monthly newspaper that even had want and selling ads.  Frankly, I could have done all of their jobs in a couple of weeks.  But I soon realized that the phone company had a lot of non-wire stringers who did minimal work.  Why because if the company didn’t spend all of it’s money the government allowed it to make it would have to be returned to the rate-payers. An  incident that stands out as an example of the cultural climate at the headquarters is a shoot I was assigned to do with the preside...
Post a Comment
Read more