-
While Ryan Seacrest becomes the heir to ABC's annual New Year's Eve programming (will Dick Clark really appear?), FOX has hired Regis to bring in the new year.
There was a time when "Regis Philbin" was a punchline. Besides the name sounding funny, he was the brunt of many jokes as the sidekick on ABC's latenight "The Joey Bishop Show". For a number of years in his early career Regis toiled in local TV, and suffered through some tough times Today, he's "da man".
It's not a matter of Regis finally learning the trade. I think he's in demand because he's one of the last of the BROADCASTERS. Once upon a time there were many personalities who could hold, entertain and intrique an audience with little more than their likeable persona and cordial wit. You could watch seemingly for hours while Arthur Godfrey stirred a cup of Lipton tea and babbled on about nothing particularly important. And CBS had him doing it for hours everyday for many years.
That same magic can be seen every morning as Regis sits and makes chit chat with Kelly. No writers, no cue cards, no rehearsal. And like other true broadcasters, Regis has the versatility to do pretty much anything, such as make an interview interesting and fun, make a game show suspenseful ("WWTBAM") and a reality show touching ("This Is Your Life").
My question, and it's a question that gets asked in varying forms at casting discussions all the time: Are there many other BROADCASTERS left? Who are the new BROADCASTERS who have those skills?
Randy
tvrandywest.com
-
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 07:31 PM\']While Ryan Seacrest becomes the heir to ABC's annual New Year's Eve programming (will Dick Clark really appear?), FOX has hired Regis to bring in the new year.
[snapback]102513[/snapback]
[/quote]
Hmmm...Regis doing something for FOX and *NOT* Disney or ABC?!?!? (Infomercials don't count!) That alone is a story in itself.
With Regis picking up a paycheck from FOX, Is ABC slowly pushing Regis out the door, or is Regis trying to get the attention of a Mouse?? Outside of a failed NBC morning chatfest in the 80's, Regis has been more or less married to ABC for nearly 20 years.
[quote name=\'tvrandywest\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 07:31 PM\']My question, and it's a question that gets asked in varying forms at casting discussions all the time: Are there many other BROADCASTERS left? Who are the new BROADCASTERS who have those skills?
[snapback]102513[/snapback]
[/quote]
Good Question! I think you can blame the lack of 21st Century BROADCASTERS and/or PERSONALITIES to some part because of all of the reality shows on TV -- the most imprtant talent is the civilians and not the emcees. But most of the blame still is on on the barbaric actions of these large evil broadcasting conglomerates that don't wish to spend money on finding and grooming new entertainment talent.
Just look how Clear Channel & Infinity have killed the radio star...unless you wish to emulate a shock jock, then you may have a chance of getting your own billboards and heavy promotion by your employer, otherwise good luck!
Regis, Larry King & Bob Barker are definitely the last of the Senior League (no pun intended) ballplayers who are left in the media arena. As for the generation before them, Letterman, Bob Costas and Oprah would be representatives of the Junior League of Broadcasters. But beyond that, you're right Randy, the pickings are slim. Most of the MTV-era alumni would just curl up into a ball on camera if they were given shows without any cuecards or teleprompters to make them look good. And IMHO, Ryan Seacrest is not, nor ever will be of that caliber!
-
[quote name=\'TimK2003\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 06:06 PM\']With Regis picking up a paycheck from FOX, Is ABC slowly pushing Regis out the door, or is Regis trying to get the attention of a Mouse?? Outside of a failed NBC morning chatfest in the 80's, Regis has been more or less married to ABC for nearly 20 years.
[/quote]
Really? What has he done with ABC since Millionaire, besides the last New Years?
-
[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 08:36 PM\']
Really? What has Regis done with ABC since Millionaire, besides the last New Years?
[snapback]102527[/snapback]
[/quote]
His daytime gig airs on a lot of ABC O&O's, including WABC in NYC.
-
For what it's worth, Regis did host the Apprentice 2 reunion show for NBC last year.
-
Even back into the '60s and '70s, much of what he did was on ABC (The Neighbors, Almost Anything Goes, Joey Bishop Show). Still, he's allowed to freelance.
I'm just surprised he's on Fox, which is hardly a haven for the older generations.
Side note: it may be their style, but Fox should not be all caps, in my opinion -- unlike the other networks, it's not an acronym.
-
Randy, you must've been eavesdropping on my dinner conversation with my friends from my radio pack. We got together last Friday and discussed this exact question: Are there many other BROADCASTERS left? Who are the new BROADCASTERS who have those skills?
Barker, King, Clark and Reege. I agree with all four of those and would add Ed McMahon and Hugh Downs, although they're both retired for the most part.
Ryan Seacrest came up often in our conversations, mainly because most of us either worked with him or at least crossed paths with him at some point (the group's members are all in/from Atlanta). And all of us were trying to figure out what the hell is so special about him. Hey, he's a nice guy, good voice, pleasant to be around, good-looking I guess. But he now has three of the highest-profile gigs in the country: American Top 40, the KIIS-FM morning show and American Idol. Plus now he'll inherit New Years Rockin' Eve. He replaced Casey Kasem, Rick Dees and Dick Clark in three jobs inside of three years. We all agreed that Seacrest isn't that good, and also wondered if there was anyone on the radar that was any better?
The shared conesnsus was that the practice of voicetracking has single-handedly shut the door for the majority of people who want to get into the business. The standard line for wanna-be rookies is that they should go to Frogballs, TN to get seasoned and experienced and then work their way up to medium and large markets. But now those entry-level jobs are gone, replaced by one guy (or gal) making $30,000 a year to VT five different shifts on five different stations that woould have paid $18,000 a year individually.
Do I understand why VT is used? Sure I do. But while the industry has made itself more profitable short-term, it has also managed to blow up the "farm team" that the next generation would have come from. And based on that , I say that (love him or hate him), Ryan Seacrest is as good as it gets.
Now I'll sit back and admire the longest post I ever wrote on this forum. :)
-
[quote name=\'whoserman\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 05:36 PM\']Really? What has he done with ABC since Millionaire, besides the last New Years?
[snapback]102527[/snapback]
[/quote]
"Live!" is a property of The Mouse.
-
There are still some of those little stations to get a start at. I can vouch with my current gig, and first in the radio biz, at WSNJ-AM in Bridgeton, NJ. I'm easily the youngest thing at that station...well...next to the computer...and the AP Newswire. I host talkfests, play music, and do board operating for any programs on during my shift recorded or live. I've had my fair share of screwups early on, but it's prolly just jitters.
This Friday I'm on the air off and on from 10a-5p (ET). You can listen online at this website (http://\"http://www.wsnjam.com\") .
But, back to the topic at hand...the true broadcaster is a dying species. I mean think about it. Ryan Seacrest is an okay broadcasting type...he can adlib well, but the bottom line is his looks got him his gig in the end. You either are a jaw-droppingly skilled person or eye candy if you make it big in the business so it seems. A combination of the two and you're a future millionaire. I mean if Seacrest looked like me, would he have gotten the AI gig in the first place? Probably not.
-
Craig Ferguson? (as a future broadcaster)
-
[quote name=\'JayDLewis\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 11:43 PM\']Craig Ferguson? (as a future broadcaster)[/quote]
My feeling on Ferguson (whom I really like) is that he's still an actor playing the part of a talk show host, and not a true BROADCASTER in the classic sense.
Even though he's also mostly an actor, John O'Hurley has a lot of good host-type skills.
Unless I missed it, nobody's mentioned Tom Bergeron yet.
And I've been an apologetical Seacrest fan for a while now.
What most of these guys still lack, though, is the sense of the audience identifying with them (though Bergeron got a little of that with Breakfast Time). With most great BROADCASTERS, we feel like we know them. There was once a weird category for the Emmy Awards which used the phrase "essentially plays himself." That's what the best BROADCASTERS do (or did), but with the world of reality TV making more and more stars out of people who just hang out in front of a camera, it's getting harder to recognize the ones with genuine talent, and harder to recognize that there's a difference between being yourself, and being yourself with the ability to keep a program running.
-
Carson Daly, for better or worse, is also in the running for the "Dick Clark of the Future" title.
Tom Bergeron is a real broadcaster. Sajak's one. Rosie O'Donnell might be polarizing, but I think she's one.
-
[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Nov 17 2005, 08:16 PM\']Sajak's one. Rosie O'Donnell might be polarizing, but I think she's one.
[snapback]102544[/snapback]
[/quote]
Sajak is a game show host, no matter how much he tries to be otherwise. And Rosie is a comedienne. Neither are remotely qualified to hold Bergeron's jock.
-
What would your thoughts be about adding Bob Costas to the list? Would he fit?
-
[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 01:00 AM\']What would your thoughts be about adding Bob Costas to the list? Would he fit?
[snapback]102548[/snapback]
[/quote]
I would...and after he decided to stop talking about the Natalee Holloway case, I realized he even had a conscience. ;-)
-
I'd say add Tom Snyder to the list. When Letterman hired him for the "Late Late Show," I believe the reason he gave for it was "He's a Broadcaster." That's probably why Dave has such an affinity for Reege as well. For the same reason, pencil Howard Stern in there as well.
As for broadcasters of the future, there aren't many. As radio morning-show host friends of mine are quick to point out, there's no "farm team" anymore -- no place for a young broadcaster to get experience and work his or her way up. Too many small and medium markets are relying on syndicated morning shows, not giving anyone a chance.
-
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 02:08 AM\'][quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 01:00 AM\']What would your thoughts be about adding Bob Costas to the list? Would he fit?[/quote]
I would...and after he decided to stop talking about the Natalee Holloway case, I realized he even had a conscience. ;-)[/quote]
Most good sportscasters are good broadcasters. That's why people like Bob Costas and Bryant Gumbel can effortlessly move back and forth. (As off-putting as Gumbel can be, he is the epitome of charm and understated grace when he fills in for Regis on the AM show.)
Going back a way, it's also why Dick Enberg and Vin Scully made decent game show hosts. I remember people being astonished back in 1972 when Jim McKay did such a good job covering the news of the Munich Olympics, but that's another example of good broadcasters being good broadcasters, no matter the genre. (We all know, though few others do, what a great broadcaster Bill Cullen was.)
Thing is, most good sports people are perfectly content being sports people, so we don't get the chance to see them in some other venue. Because of their relatively lower stature, good game show hosts seem to have more of a desire to work in other fields.
Here's a good one nobody's mentioned: Al Roker.
-
Bob Costas, or Tom Snyder for that matter, will not be a complete broadcaster in my book until he hosts a game show. Howard Stern, I believe, secretly wants to host a mainstream game show.
-
How about Meredith Viera...
Conducting compelling interviews in journalism, talk show guests and game show contestants and providing suspense.
-
[quote name=\'pianogeek\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 11:30 AM\']How about Meredith Viera...
Conducting compelling interviews in journalism, talk show guests and game show contestants and providing suspense.
[snapback]102563[/snapback]
[/quote]
She doesn't provide much suspense on Millionaire, at least not in the ballpark Regis used to.
-
I'd like to add Al Michaels to this group. His switching to a news correspondent role as soon as that earthquake hit San Francisco during the 1989 World Series was unforgettable. He was seen on World News Tonight and Nightline for many days after that.
-
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 12:02 PM\']I'd like to add Al Michaels to this group. His switching to a news correspondent role as soon as that earthquake hit San Francisco during the 1989 World Series was unforgettable. He was seen on World News Tonight and Nightline for many days after that.[/quote]
Absolutely. Hey, check out whom fellow sportscasters consider the ten best EVER, and note how many of them were mentioned in our discussion:
http://www.americansportscasters.com/top10.html (http://\"http://www.americansportscasters.com/top10.html\")
-
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 08:52 AM\']Hey, check out whom fellow sportscasters consider the ten best EVER, and note how many of them were mentioned in our discussion:
http://www.americansportscasters.com/top10.html (http://\"http://www.americansportscasters.com/top10.html\")
[snapback]102569[/snapback]
[/quote]
Wow, it's nice to see a list like this that doesn't have Tim McCarver on it.
(Yes, I've seen lists like this with Tim McCarver on them.)
-
[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 01:00 PM\']Wow, it's nice to see a list like this that doesn't have Tim McCarver on it.
(Yes, I've seen lists like this with Tim McCarver on them.)[/quote]
Whenever somebody talks about McCarver as a best-ever, I'm reminded of his on-air meltdown during an Atlanta Braves locker room celebration when someone dared try to douse him with the bubbly.
-
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 11:25 AM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Nov 18 2005, 01:00 PM\']Wow, it's nice to see a list like this that doesn't have Tim McCarver on it.
(Yes, I've seen lists like this with Tim McCarver on them.)[/quote]
Whenever somebody talks about McCarver as a best-ever, I'm reminded of his on-air meltdown during an Atlanta Braves locker room celebration when someone dared try to douse him with the bubbly.
[snapback]102573[/snapback]
[/quote]
There's a fine line between joyous celebration when sportscasters are caught in champagne celebrations just by being in the "wrong place at the wrong time," so to speak, and what Deion Sanders was attempting to do (he was shooting the champagne at McCarver out of spite because McCarver said some negative things about him on air).
Not to exonerate Timmy, mind you--McCarver is one of the best "masters of the obvious" analysts ever. He adds very little that is actually insightful.
Doug
-
How about Brent Musburger? He did local news in L.A. besides being the first and best pregame show guy. Costas is better at play-by-play, but nobody said, "you are looking live" like Brent.
Jane Pauley is a broadcaster, too, despite the failure of her attempt to do Maury's show.
And Bryant Gumbel's brother Greg is both smooth and likable.
-
I've had the feeling that, among women, Robin Roberts could excel at anything given to her. She is so comfortable with the camera, so articulate and so intelligent that she could do anything in television.
And if given the right venue (and neither "ESPN Hollywood" nor "Cold Pizza" are/were that), I think that Thea Andrews could impress. She's comfortable with the camera, smart and has a likable personality. It's not her fault that she was saddled with a mediocrity and a lamebrain (guess who was which, kids--and I'm not talking about Woody Paige!) and that she's currently doing a show that has no business being on the Sister Total Sports Network. Oh, and she's working with a "Saved by the Bell" refugee now, too. (And yes, Zach, we know he did a game show, so keep still. Thea did a relationship show in Canada, too.)
-
First of all his name is "Chevrolet's Tim McCarver"...has been since his show debuted, lol.
Second of all, I'll always remember hearing him ruining one of the greatest moments in Phillies history. Game 5 - 1980 NLCS - 10th Inning...a punch shot is hit to centerfielder Garry Maddox. As the great Harry Kalas makes the call, McCarver starts laughing hysterically and drowning out Kalas for like 90 seconds - 2 minutes. See, even back in 1980 people knew he sucked!