Is There Anything NBC Won't Do To Showcase Savannah Guthrie?

[Joseph_Gallant]

An elderly acquaintance of mine seems to recall that Dave Garroway anchored NBC's television coverage of the 1954 mid-term Election Night and also anchored breaking news coverage on that network the next year when President Eisenhower had a heart attack (from which he soon recovered).

My elderly friend seems to think Garroway did a great job on both broadcasts, as good as any news anchor.

Certainly, from clips I've seen of Garroway's "Today Show" (I'm too young to have been around when these aforementioned events took place or for much of Garroway's time on "Today"), it seems that Garroway had a strong ability to ad-lib, which is a skill that someone anchoring a special news event or breaking news coverage needs.

Walter Cronkite, of course, was unsurpassed in that area.

 

[bpatrick]

ABC was so pleased with the job Howard K. Smith and Edward
P. Morgan did covering the aftermath of the JFK assassination
that the two were paired for the network's 1964 political coverage
and were seriously considered to replace Ron Cochran as co-anchors
of the evening news. The problem was that Morgan was not an ad-libber
(and, to a lesser extent, Smith was still in bad straits with some affiliates
over his "Political Obituary of Richard Nixon" documentary). Peter Jennings
(the first time) got the job but in the eyes of many, he didn't show marked
ad-libbing skills until he covered the killing of those Israeli athletes at the
Munich Olympics in '72 (he'd made some monumental goofs at LBJ's inauguration
in 1965, such as failing to recognize the Marine Band and referring to either Bobby
or Ted Kennedy--I don't recall which--as "the American Senator Kennedy," as if
there were a Chinese or Russian Senator Kennedy). And I'd say Jennings was the
closest thing to Cronkite after Uncle Walter stepped down as CBS's anchor. So
that underscores the point about the ability of an anchor to ad-lib.

 

[FredLeonard]

Joseph, can't trust memories too much. My father swore he was watching when Godfrey fired Julius La Rosa on the air. Only problem was it happened on Godfrey's daytime show (my father worked days) and it happened during a segment of the show which was only broadcast on radio (the first hour was simulcast on CBS radio and TV; the final half hour was radio only).

 

[formeraa]

Current resumes: Lauer, host of Evening Magazine in Philly. Stephanopoulis: Dukakis' and Clintons' campaign manager.

In the interest of historical correctness, Lauer anchored WNBC's Today In New York and Live at Five newscasts, which did have hard news content (particularly Today In New York).

And the real reason Gayle King was hired and stays hired is racial tokenism and affirmative action.

Really?!? Gayle King actually has a background as a news anchor. It's pretty insulting to say that she was hired for affirmative action. That said, she does have connections on the Entertainment side to get people in for the 8am hour.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

And the real reason Gayle King was hired and stays hired is racial tokenism and affirmative action.

Really?!? Gayle King actually has a background as a news anchor. It's pretty insulting to say that she was hired for affirmative action. That said, she does have connections on the Entertainment side to get people in for the 8am hour.

If you look at FredLeonard's posting history, it appears his ideal world is one where where every TV station in the country has four white guys behind the anchor desk in all time periods. Gayle King's qualifications have nothing to do with his opinion.

 

[FredLeonard]

Current resumes: Lauer, host of Evening Magazine in Philly. Stephanopoulis: Dukakis' and Clintons' campaign manager.

In the interest of historical correctness, Lauer anchored WNBC's Today In New York and Live at Five newscasts, which did have hard news content (particularly Today In New York).

Really?!? Gayle King actually has a background as a news anchor. It's pretty insulting to say that she was hired for affirmative action. That said, she does have connections on the Entertainment side to get people in for the 8am hour.

"Anchors" are people who ad lib play by play of a breaking news story. Yes, I know the term is commonly misapplied to people who read news copy off a TelePrompTer. These people are announcers, newscasters, news readers, presenters or whatever else you want to call them. They are talent. Mostly, they perform no journalistic function. They read words written by others. Actual journalists are paid far less than they to make them look competent.

If you look at FredLeonard's posting history, it appears his ideal world is one where where every TV station in the country has four white guys behind the anchor desk in all time periods. Gayle King's qualifications have nothing to do with his opinion.

In any market with which I am familiar, they have a man and a woman reading news. The man is almost always White. The woman is usually White but not necessarily. The mic holders on the street seem to be cast like a platoon in a World War II movie, with each gender, racial and ethnic stereotype represented. Black dude. Smart White chick with a hyphenated name. Hot White chick with three names. Funny old guy. Hispanic male or female.

People are hired and retained to fill quotes and to avoid protests from any affirmative action designatee group. Qualifications are secondary.

The stars get picked up in a limo, come in and get made to look pretty. Somebody else has been spending all night putting the show together.

 

[KyDXIn]

I think Ann Curry would make a great nightly news anchor. I could see her replacing Diane Sawyer on ABC.

 

[sshuffield70]

Current resumes: Lauer, host of Evening Magazine in Philly. Stephanopoulis: Dukakis' and Clintons' campaign manager.

In the interest of historical correctness, Lauer anchored WNBC's Today In New York and Live at Five newscasts, which did have hard news content (particularly Today In New York).

Just prior to being named for Today, Lauer did HBO Entertainment news during programming breaks for about five years.

 

[bpatrick]

Joseph, can't trust memories too much. My father swore he was watching when Godfrey fired Julius La Rosa on the air. Only problem was it happened on Godfrey's daytime show (my father worked days) and it happened during a segment of the show which was only broadcast on radio (the first hour was simulcast on CBS radio and TV; the final half hour was radio only).

That's a common misconception. Ed Sullivan's producer at the time, Marlo Lewis, swore he was watching on a set in his office when Godfrey fired LaRosa and that he and Ed promptly got LaRosa on the phone to book him for Ed's show the following Sunday.
He goes on to say that when Ed came out he wasted no time; "I know what you're waiting for; ladies and gentlemen, Juliius LaRosa." It was one of the highest ratings Ed got in the pre-Elvis, pre-Beatles era.

 

[FredLeonard]

Joseph, can't trust memories too much. My father swore he was watching when Godfrey fired Julius La Rosa on the air. Only problem was it happened on Godfrey's daytime show (my father worked days) and it happened during a segment of the show which was only broadcast on radio (the first hour was simulcast on CBS radio and TV; the final half hour was radio only).

That's a common misconception. Ed Sullivan's producer at the time, Marlo Lewis, swore he was watching on a set in his office when Godfrey fired LaRosa and that he and Ed promptly got LaRosa on the phone to book him for Ed's show the following Sunday.
He goes on to say that when Ed came out he wasted no time; "I know what you're waiting for; ladies and gentlemen, Juliius LaRosa." It was one of the highest ratings Ed got in the pre-Elvis, pre-Beatles era.

It could be the Lewis was watching a closed circuit feed at CBS. But, yes, Sullivan did sign LaRosa right away. LaRosa went on to a career as a DJ on New York's WNEW, with engagements at area venues, as well. And when Godfrey died, he was the guy all the newsies wanted to interview. Despite being "the King of All Media" when Howard Stern was in diapers, LaRosa was the one thing everyone remembered. Godfrey pioneered the all night radio show, the morning drive radio show, and the couch and desk talk variety show - forms that are still with us. He was probably the best commercial pitchman ever. But people only remember LaRosa. I've heard the recording and it was clearly a radio broadcast.

 

[onairb]

Joseph, can't trust memories too much. My father swore he was watching when Godfrey fired Julius La Rosa on the air. Only problem was it happened on Godfrey's daytime show (my father worked days) and it happened during a segment of the show which was only broadcast on radio (the first hour was simulcast on CBS radio and TV; the final half hour was radio only).

That's a common misconception. Ed Sullivan's producer at the time, Marlo Lewis, swore he was watching on a set in his office when Godfrey fired LaRosa and that he and Ed promptly got LaRosa on the phone to book him for Ed's show the following Sunday.
He goes on to say that when Ed came out he wasted no time; "I know what you're waiting for; ladies and gentlemen, Juliius LaRosa." It was one of the highest ratings Ed got in the pre-Elvis, pre-Beatles era.

I'm surprised there wasn't something in the Weekly World News, about how the alien that met with all the Presidents did a mass brainwashing/hypnosis of Americans, in a plot to discredit Arthur Godfrey. ;D
Either that, or a hell of a lot of people listened to the firing of La Rosa on radio, and just mis-remembered it for years, because Godfrey was also on TV so long, everybody just assumed it happened there.

 

[BD Sullivan]

Joseph, can't trust memories too much. My father swore he was watching when Godfrey fired Julius La Rosa on the air. Only problem was it happened on Godfrey's daytime show (my father worked days) and it happened during a segment of the show which was only broadcast on radio (the first hour was simulcast on CBS radio and TV; the final half hour was radio only).

That's a common misconception. Ed Sullivan's producer at the time, Marlo Lewis, swore he was watching on a set in his office when Godfrey fired LaRosa and that he and Ed promptly got LaRosa on the phone to book him for Ed's show the following Sunday.
He goes on to say that when Ed came out he wasted no time; "I know what you're waiting for; ladies and gentlemen, Juliius LaRosa." It was one of the highest ratings Ed got in the pre-Elvis, pre-Beatles era.

I'm surprised there wasn't something in the Weekly World News, about how the alien that met with all the Presidents did a mass brainwashing/hypnosis of Americans, in a plot to discredit Arthur Godfrey. ;D
Either that, or a hell of a lot of people listened to the firing of La Rosa on radio, and just mis-remembered it for years, because Godfrey was also on TV so long, everybody just assumed it happened there.

In the same vein, another misconception people have is that the U.S. victory over the USSR hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics was the gold medal game--it was only the semifinal.

 

[onairb]

Americans in early 1980 were just glad to have something to feel good about, and so it's a bit easier to excuse/forgive confusion over which round of the Olympics it was. The relief/happiness over beating the 'best' hockey-playing country in the world gave way to a 'Oh, we beat Finland, too' feeling.
More excusable, anyway, than people in the '50s forgetting whether something was on radio or TV, convincing themselves of the wrong choice, and swearing for years afterwards that they're right and anyone who corrects them is wrong. That's a bit sitcommish..but then, judging by '50s sitcoms, everybody was a dope! ;D

Another misconception related to sports; Over the years, people tend to forget about such things as time zones, schedules, and blackout rules, and act as if everyone in the country had been watching 'the Heidi Game' from the beginning until it was cut off before the end. (The game didn't air in the Bay Area, and there were a handful of other markets airing regional games, a few of which didn't pick up NBC's 'national' feed while the game was still on.) The latter-day stories equate it with a hypothetical pre-emption of the Super Bowl in terms of how many viewers were affected.

 

[landtuna]

Another misconception related to sports; Over the years, people tend to forget about such things as time zones, schedules, and blackout rules, and act as if everyone in the country had been watching 'the Heidi Game' from the beginning until it was cut off before the end. (The game didn't air in the Bay Area, and there were a handful of other markets airing regional games, a few of which didn't pick up NBC's 'national' feed while the game was still on.) The latter-day stories equate it with a hypothetical pre-emption of the Super Bowl in terms of how many viewers were affected.

I was living in Tucson think I remember the game being shut down. I do not remember the movie Heidi coming on immediately thereafter. The station that would have been showing it was KVOA RF-4 but I could not find a reference to it online.

 

[bpatrick]

Americans in early 1980 were just glad to have something to feel good about, and so it's a bit easier to excuse/forgive confusion over which round of the Olympics it was. The relief/happiness over beating the 'best' hockey-playing country in the world gave way to a 'Oh, we beat Finland, too' feeling.
More excusable, anyway, than people in the '50s forgetting whether something was on radio or TV, convincing themselves of the wrong choice, and swearing for years afterwards that they're right and anyone who corrects them is wrong. That's a bit sitcommish..but then, judging by '50s sitcoms, everybody was a dope! ;D

Another misconception related to sports; Over the years, people tend to forget about such things as time zones, schedules, and blackout rules, and act as if everyone in the country had been watching 'the Heidi Game' from the beginning until it was cut off before the end. (The game didn't air in the Bay Area, and there were a handful of other markets airing regional games, a few of which didn't pick up NBC's 'national' feed while the game was still on.) The latter-day stories equate it with a hypothetical pre-emption of the Super Bowl in terms of how many viewers were affected.

Since "Heidi" started at 7 PM (ET), which would be 4 PM (PT) and three hours before "Heidi" aired on the West Coast, did NBC keep the Jets-Raiders game on the air at all in the Pacific time zone? Conceivably, "Heidi" could have started at 5 PM (MT) and the game would have been cut off there.

 

[umfan]

Heidi likely wouldn't have started until 7PM Mountain Time (9 PM Eastern)

I think the incident was highly regionalized.

 

[bpatrick]

Maybe, but at the time Mountain stations tended to go right along
with the East Coast on weekends; Lawrence Welk aired in Denver
at 6:30 PM Saturdays (8:30 in the East), while Ed Sullivan was on
Sundays at 6 (8 Eastern). The rest of the week primetime followed
the Central time zone (6:30-10 PM), with ABC holding everything for
an hour, and the CBS and NBC stations juggling the schedules to suit
themselves.

Given that, I have to believe that NBC's normal Sunday-night schedule
in the fall of '68 would have been:

5 PM New Adventures Of Huck Finn
5:30 Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color
6:30 The Mothers-In-Law
7 PM Bonanza
8 PM The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show
After 9, it would have been affiliate time.

At the latest, assuming NBC followed Central time, "Heidi" would have aired
at 6. I think 7 would be too late for the Mountain time zone, but would have
been the start time in the Pacific time zone.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Joseph, can't trust memories too much. My father swore he was watching when Godfrey fired Julius La Rosa on the air. Only problem was it happened on Godfrey's daytime show (my father worked days) and it happened during a segment of the show which was only broadcast on radio (the first hour was simulcast on CBS radio and TV; the final half hour was radio only).

That's a common misconception. Ed Sullivan's producer at the time, Marlo Lewis, swore he was watching on a set in his office when Godfrey fired LaRosa and that he and Ed promptly got LaRosa on the phone to book him for Ed's show the following Sunday.
He goes on to say that when Ed came out he wasted no time; "I know what you're waiting for; ladies and gentlemen, Juliius LaRosa." It was one of the highest ratings Ed got in the pre-Elvis, pre-Beatles era.

It could be the Lewis was watching a closed circuit feed at CBS. But, yes, Sullivan did sign LaRosa right away. LaRosa went on to a career as a DJ on New York's WNEW, with engagements at area venues, as well. And when Godfrey died, he was the guy all the newsies wanted to interview. Despite being "the King of All Media" when Howard Stern was in diapers, LaRosa was the one thing everyone remembered. Godfrey pioneered the all night radio show, the morning drive radio show, and the couch and desk talk variety show - forms that are still with us. He was probably the best commercial pitchman ever. But people only remember LaRosa. I've heard the recording and it was clearly a radio broadcast.

I've read numerous stories that Godfrey was an SOB to work for. I mean firing someone on the air is something that even the SOB GM that I once worked for wouldn't have stooped too.

I could Google this but I would rather hear from one or more of you why was LaRosa fired in the first place?

 

[bpatrick]

There are a number of "official" reasons:

1. Earlier in 1953 LaRosa had recorded what would become
his biggest hit, "E Cumpari," and by his own admission was
feeling "cocky."

2. LaRosa hired an agent, something Godfrey forbade.

3. LaRosa was dating Dotty McGuire of the McGuire Sisters,
again in violation of a Godfrey-imposed rule that cast members
were not to get romantically involved with one another.

4. Godfrey, self-conscious about a limp that resulted from a
broken hip sustained in an automobile accident some twenty
years earlier, ordered the entire cast to take ballet lessons in
order to move around the stage more gracefully. LaRosa complied,
even though he thought ballet effeminate. But on the day of one
lesson he got a call from his mother to come home and attend to some
family problem. He promised Godfrey he'd try to make it back in time for
the lesson, Godfrey said fine, but LaRosa didn't get back in time. Next day,
he found a message on the bulletin board: "Since you felt your services were
not required at the ballet lesson yesterday, they won't be required on the show
this morning." After that, LaRosa said that if Godfrey wanted to talk to him to
see LaRosa's lawyer first.

But the real reason:

LaRosa was getting more fan mail than Godfrey, and Godfrey resented it.

And then Godfrey dug his own grave, when asked why he fired LaRosa, by answering,
"I don't know. I guess he lost his humility."

Godfrey then proceeded to fire practically everyone on the show and made more headlines
the next year when he lost his pilot's license for "buzzing" the tower at Teterboro Airport, NJ.
Although his radio show continued until 1972, he gave up his television shows in 1959 when
he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had a lung removed. He tried a TV comeback in 1960,
co-hosting "Candid Camera," but he and Allen Funt had no chemistry together. His last hosting
job was the short-lived "All-American College Show," a talent show, in 1969.

Godfrey often said he was going to write his autobiography and give his side of the LaRosa
controversy, but he never did. He died in 1983, age 80, without having even started on the book.

 

[landtuna]

My intro to Godfrey was on AFRTS in the mid-60's in the Far East. I could never figure out what made him popular as his voice alone would drive me crazy.