Stanislav said:
Mark Evanier has a lengthy post about Mr. Putnam on his blog today:
http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2008_09_16.html#015835
An interesting blog entry. I don't argue with his premise - that Putnam like many "performers" who carve out a niche in a TV news media are
acting to a certain degree, and also convince themselves of the righteousness of their own beliefs once they cash in on their own act.
But for those of you that read the blog, I feel the need to comment on a couple of items:
1. Putnam was at KTLA off an on for a few years from the mid 60s thru 69, then again in 71 and perhaps 72. But he spent far more of his TV career at KTTV - from the mid 50s through the mid 60s, then again in 69-70.
2. From what I remember, that
"Talk Back" segment that began in the last half hour of the 10:00 News on KTLA was not Putnam's preference - he would have preferred doing a full hour of news, but Golden West Broadcasters was cutting his budget, and he had no choice. In a sense, it was the beginning of the end for his TV career. He was increasingly considered too theatrical and old fashioned for the 1970s, and he was gone from KTLA within a year or two. But Evanier is right that
Talk Back was nothing more than silly people showing up to be verbally eviscerated by Putnam (and Hal Fishman) who always cut them off after a few sentences and ridiculed them. Larry McCormick (then the KTLA weather man) was also there, but mostly look uncomfortable with the whole thing. It reminded me of Joe Pyne's
"beef box" segments from a few years earlier - more than a little undignified for a supposed news program.
3. Putnam's subsequent radio career could not be called "wildly successful," as Evanier states. Little KIEV AM in Glendale was making a wishful move into the Talk Radio big leagues with Putnam and Mr. Blackwell's programs, but it was never a big hit in the Arbitron ratings.
