S4E20 - "Up and Down the Dial" - WKRP-Cast

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, everybody, This is Jerry Sandy and thank you very
much for listening to the wuk Rpcast.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
So just sit right down, relaxed, open your ears real wide, and.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Say weather today in the greater Cincinnati area.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Are you awake? Are you awake now?

Speaker 4 (00:19):
But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could
not explain his nudity.

Speaker 5 (00:24):
Same what Dear God, She's gonna kill us all.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Welcome to the WKRP Cast. My name is Alan Stairs.

Speaker 6 (00:31):
And I'm Donna Stair. This is the fourth and final
season of our week by week, episode by episode.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Rewatch join us for this final season as we're getting
into the music.

Speaker 6 (00:41):
The trivia, and the fun of WKRP.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
So, fellow babies, stay tuned and stay cool. It's time
for the WKRP Cast.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm a WKRP Simpson.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
Welcome back to the WKRP Cast. We're get an all
industry insider this week. What is our episode, Donna?

Speaker 6 (01:05):
We are ready to talk about up and down the dial.
The air date was April twenty first, nineteen eighty two.
Written by Dan Gunselman, executive story consultant Lisa Levin, directed
by George Gaines. The station is finally on the move.
The new book is here in WKRP is ranked number

(01:25):
six overall in the market. Johnny and Venus are both
dominating their time slots, and Art is about to do cartwheels.
The news doesn't seem to be doing as well, but
it's a rock station. That's to be expected. No one
is prepared when a new news director shows up and
Mama Carlson announces plans to change wkrp's format.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
It's April twenty first of nineteen eighty two, and this
is the episode long thought to be the final first
run episode of WKRP. It certainly feels like a season closer,
but not a series closer. If you've heard any of
our coverage, you know this is not the last new
episode of WKRP. The work done by Michael Hernandez in

(02:11):
our additional research here at the WKRP cast has proven
conclusively there are still two more unaired episodes sitting on
the CBS shelf. Each of the last two Wednesdays was
supposed to contain a new WKRP episode. Impossible Dream was
set to run on April seventh and then on April fourteenth,

(02:32):
to air as Human was the original schedule neither aired.

Speaker 6 (02:37):
We first discussed this programming change on what was thought
to be the fortieth anniversary of the final episode. Since then,
the air dates have been changed on IMDb to reflect
what really happened. Why did it happen with CBS wanting
to kill the show or was it programming desperation? Maybe

(02:58):
a little of both. As much as we all love WKRP,
it was struggling as a first run network show. A
lot Dear Liar and Circumstantial Evidence had both placed in
the mid fifties. Fire and Creation of Venus were better,
but not by much.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
The last two weeks. It really looks like CBS panicked.
CBS was the number one network in the early nineteen eighties.
They had Mash Magnum p I sixty Minutes, Lou Grant,
Dukes of Hazard, Dallas, hit after hit, but nothing was working.
On Wednesdays, they reran the Kenny Rodgers movie Coward of
the County April seventh, and a rerun of a two

(03:38):
part Dukes of Hazzard on April fourteenth. Coward was the
second highest rated show in the country last October when
it debuted, and the Dukes were one of the biggest
hits on CBS. They weren't first run, but these fill
in shows did have some legitimate audience potential.

Speaker 6 (03:57):
Somebody in New York thought throwing these two highly rated
properties at Wednesday Night might shake something loose. Nope, this
time around, Coward would only rank number fifty four for
the week, and The Duke Boys were ranked fifty six.
There are a number of conspiracy theories about CBS wanting
to kill WKRP, which may be true, but it's also

(04:21):
possible CBS was just in trouble when it came to
programming Wednesday Night.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
It feels like WKRP goes out with a whimper. This
week's episode the season finale, If not the series finale,
only places number fifty nine for the entire week. It
garners a ten point seven rating, which translates to about
nine million people watching. To put that in perspective, the
highest rated fourth season episode was the season opener, Explosive

(04:49):
Affair Part One. It scored almost exactly double with a
twenty one point seven rating, and if you're looking at
the head of the pack, Mash during this teason was
averaging a twenty three rating per week.

Speaker 6 (05:04):
The official word came down on May seventh of nineteen
eighty two, we found newspaper clippings from all over the country.
The big story was CBS canceling Lou Grant. The Ed
Asner anchored hour had been a five year hit for CBS.
Ratings had slipped in the eighty one to eighty two season,
and Asner had gotten vocal about his opinions on L

(05:28):
Salvador over the winter. The combination made ed a no
go with CBS. Buried in these stories would be mentions
of other quality shows getting the acts, like WKRP in Cincinnati.
Low ratings were listed as the culprit. Little did anyone
know something magical was about to happen during that summer

(05:50):
of nineteen eighty two. We don't want to spoil it
for you here. We'll talk more about it next time.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
Before we get into the episode, we need to put
a spotlight on our director. This is the first time
we've seen George Gaines on the director's line, but it's
not the first time we've run into him on the show.
George was the guy who showed up at Jennifer's place
speaking French in the second season episode Jennifer's Home for Christmas.
George is also the real life husband of Alan Ann McCleary,

(06:20):
who plays arts wife Carmen Carlson. George has ninety acting
credits on his IMDb profile. He's in every Police Academy
movie as Lassard, and he will appear as a series
regular on all eighty eight episodes of Punky Brewster. Like
Gordon Jump, George also only has a single directing credit

(06:43):
this episode, is it? So let's get into the episode.

Speaker 6 (06:48):
We start out in Andy's office. Andy is at his
desk pouring over some data. He finds what he's looking
for and runs his finger across the page to the
end of the row. He stands and with a big smile,
begins clapping. The door to his office opens. Johnny comes
walking in. He's looking down and maybe sleep walking.

Speaker 7 (07:10):
Bailey said you wanted to see me about something.

Speaker 6 (07:15):
In Echoes of the Pilot, Johnny lies down on Andy's couch,
holding his coffee mug on his stomach. Johnny finally makes
eye contact with Andy.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Weren't by any chance listick to My show this morning?

Speaker 6 (07:27):
Where Andy tells him, yeah, he was. Johnny sits up,
suddenly animated. He starts to defend himself.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Well, I just want to say upfront that I meant
no offense to mister Carls's mother.

Speaker 5 (07:41):
I wasn't using bloodsucker in a bad way.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
He's bloodsucker in an affectionate way. Herb comes into Andy's office,
and as soon as Herb clears the door, we realize.

Speaker 8 (07:53):
It's time Herb Darling fashion alert.

Speaker 6 (07:59):
This is a rep outfit, but because it is so
color coordinated and abrasive, it easily earns another alert. Herb
is wearing a shades of blue jacket with a large
cross hatched plaid pattern. The pocket flaps and elbow patches
are a brick red bordering on maroon. They really jump
out at you. Under the coat is a white dressed

(08:21):
shirt and a maroon tie with white dots. The maroon
pants match the patches on the coat and the tie.
Herb's completing the look with his signature white belt and
his signature white shoes.

Speaker 1 (08:34):
It's so color coordinated, but so horrifying. Her puts his
hands in the air as he walks towards Andy's desk.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
All right, all right, what is so important that it
couldn't wait?

Speaker 1 (08:44):
Andy looks at Herb without a smile, with a hard
edge to his voice. He says soon. Herb looks at Johnny,
who's still stretched out on the couch. Herb mouths, what
is happening. Johnny shrugs and draws his pointer finger across
his neck like his throat's being cut. He then points
to herb less.

Speaker 6 (09:02):
Venus and Bailey come into Andy's office.

Speaker 9 (09:05):
And now a special look at this episode's bandage placement
for the five time Buckeye News Awk Award winner less Nessman.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
This is the less Nessman bandage report.

Speaker 9 (09:15):
Now here's Donna Stair with her report hop out less
ness Man.

Speaker 6 (09:21):
Top of head, right of bald spot.

Speaker 9 (09:24):
This has been a look at the bandage placement boys
Silvery Soal and Copper Cob Award winning journalist less ness Man.

Speaker 6 (09:32):
Less greets Andy and then hits Johnny's legs. So let's
can sit on the left end of the couch. Venus
asks Andy, what's going on? Andy asks Bailey where mister Carlson.

Speaker 10 (09:43):
Is He's busy in his office.

Speaker 6 (09:46):
Bailey points to the couch.

Speaker 3 (09:47):
I'll sit here, fine.

Speaker 6 (09:49):
Bailey goes to the couch and sits next to Less
in front of Johnny's bent legs.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
Andy sits behind his desk and addresses them all, all.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
Right, the reason I call this little meeting.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
Less jumps up, places a microphone connected to a small
tape recorder in front of Andy and presses the record button.
He sits back down on the couch.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
He's not called this little meeting is because of the ratings.

Speaker 1 (10:16):
This announcement puts an immediate damper on the room. Less
quickly stops the recorder. He pulls it and the mic
back into his lap. Herb turns his back to the room.
Venus's shoulders slump as he also turns his back and
walks towards the filing cabinets. Johnny turns his face to
the back of the couch, and Bailey is just hiding
her face in her hands.

Speaker 6 (10:36):
Andy continues, that's right, a new book. Bailey says, they
weren't supposed to get it until next week.

Speaker 7 (10:42):
I'll be got it this morning.

Speaker 6 (10:43):
Andy grabs the book and slams it on his desk.
We've only seen one other book arrival during the second
season episode Baby, If you've ever wondered where they got
some minorly good news. Since then, book arrivals seem to
have become dreaded. Andy roughly opens it and begins turning
the pages noisily. Herb comes over and leans on the desk.

(11:06):
Andy pulls the book away from Herb. Always the pessimist,
Herb jumps right in with some station bashing.

Speaker 7 (11:13):
Fanito hot Travis.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
Yeah, I've since it on the street for weeks now.

Speaker 6 (11:17):
Herb turns and looks at the others. Some quick authenticity,
kudos to the props department. What Andy has on his
desk is actually an arbitron book. They were whiter than
they were tall and had distinctive red or blue stripes
on the cover along the edge next to the spine.

Speaker 1 (11:36):
Andy stands, turns the open book away from him and
tosses it onto his desk. He looks at the group,
still trying to act tough, but he's unable to contain
his excitement.

Speaker 7 (11:46):
Number six, we came up to number six.

Speaker 1 (11:48):
Stole, What number six is huge? They all realize what
he said and start yelling. Bailey, Herb, and Venus rush
up to the desk. Herb, of course, has turned on
a dime.

Speaker 7 (12:00):
It's good, but nothing like this.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Comes to the front of Andy's desk with a concerned look.
How the news do Venus says Andy about evening drive time.

Speaker 9 (12:08):
I see you're number three overall, you're number one with
women eighteen of thirty five.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Less as again, how the news do? It becomes obvious
Andy is avoiding less Johnny. Johnny holds up his hand.

Speaker 7 (12:20):
Don't tell me number one all the way?

Speaker 1 (12:23):
Pal, Johnny jumps up from the couch.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
You hear that trap.

Speaker 6 (12:28):
Everyone is patting each other on the back, and they're
congratulating Johnny and Venus Les tries for a third time,
raising his voice to be heard over the celebration.

Speaker 3 (12:37):
How the news do?

Speaker 7 (12:38):
And oh man, I don't have to make sales calls anymore.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Just hang around here all day and the phone ring
off the wall.

Speaker 6 (12:43):
We hate to shoot down herbs, no work fantasies, but
it's not quite that easy. First off, how's anyone gonna
know about it unless you're out there telling them. Sure,
account execs for the highest rated stations in a market
make more money, but the job isn't any easier. They're
still out on the streets hustling. Top stations become targets.

(13:05):
Other stations will label them as overpriced, or say they
run too many commercials in an hour, or they're always
sold out. Sorry, herb. Even if you were working for
the number one station in town, you've still got to
be out there.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
Hustling really speaks up now, echoing less any how good
news do Candy looks at less?

Speaker 3 (13:25):
Yeah, well, last look news never does that go on
a top forty rocker.

Speaker 7 (13:29):
Don't worry about it.

Speaker 1 (13:30):
As we've mentioned before, radio surveys measured audience averages per
quarter hour over the entire broadcasting day. They didn't measure
specific programming, especially something as short as a newscast. A
news program that last fifteen minutes or longer would be measured,
but it still wouldn't be identified as news.

Speaker 6 (13:50):
Jennifer comes into the office and says Andy's name. The
happy air staff starts bragging tour.

Speaker 7 (13:56):
Jennifer, I'm number one with women.

Speaker 3 (13:57):
Of course you are.

Speaker 6 (13:59):
Andy runs over to Jennifer, how would you.

Speaker 9 (14:01):
Like to hug the program director of the number sixth
station in Sinseiah.

Speaker 6 (14:05):
Andy grabs Jennifer by her shoulders and spins her in
a circle.

Speaker 11 (14:08):
There is a man in the lobby who says he's
been hired as our new news director.

Speaker 6 (14:13):
What Jennifer is sure it's what he said.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
We'll get rid of it.

Speaker 6 (14:17):
Andy tells Jennifer it's crazy he didn't hire anyone.

Speaker 10 (14:20):
What do you say, hire a nym Anyways, Mama Carlson.

Speaker 6 (14:23):
Andy looks at Jennifer for a moment, then hurries out
of the office. Johnny turns around, holding the book and pointing,
which brings us to.

Speaker 11 (14:32):
The line of the episode.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Wow, look what I'm doing with teenage boys?

Speaker 1 (14:40):
And this is the one line I remember from this episode.
It has been easily thirty years since the last time
I saw it, but I remember Johnny shouting that line.

Speaker 6 (14:49):
And as Johnny thinks about rephrasing his comment, we head
into our theme UKRP.

Speaker 7 (14:57):
Censon.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
We come back from commercial. In the lobby, there's a
tall man holding a briefcase and standing at Jennifer's desk.
We haven't really met him, but already he seems a
bit pushy. He's looking through the daily flip calendar on
Jennifer's desk. Andy enters the lobby.

Speaker 7 (15:18):
May I help?

Speaker 1 (15:18):
The man quickly pulls his hand away from the calendar
and he turns to face Andy. He puts his hand out.

Speaker 7 (15:23):
Charles von Saker. Yes, Andy, Travis, I'm the program director.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
Andy tells him, perhaps they should talk somewhere in private,
mister von Sanker suggests Andy's office.

Speaker 7 (15:33):
Right in here.

Speaker 1 (15:34):
Andy motions towards Carlson's office door.

Speaker 6 (15:36):
Andy steps into Carlson's office only to see the big
guy lying on his couch, snoring away. Andy quickly comes
back out into the lobby.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
Mister von Sanker, what is this story I hear about
your being.

Speaker 6 (15:50):
The new news to Von Sanker looks at Andy with
a confused expression.

Speaker 12 (15:54):
Story, I don't understand, uh, missus, Carlson hired you.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
In two weeks, I flew in early to find a house.

Speaker 9 (16:04):
My wife is packing, and Fargo kids are saying goodbye
to their little chums.

Speaker 6 (16:09):
Andy is looking at von Sanker with an expression of cluelessness.
Von Sanker realizes Andy is not in the loop.

Speaker 7 (16:17):
Not a word.

Speaker 6 (16:18):
Andy tells him.

Speaker 1 (16:19):
No, Mon Sanker said he's coming from Fargo. Fargo, North Dakota,
is the city of one hundred and twenty five thousand
according to the twenty twenty census. It's located in the
southeastern corner of North Dakota. Fargo is a growing metropolis,
adding more than thirty thousand people since two thousand. If
there's a downside to Fargo, it would be the weather.

(16:40):
In twenty eleven, Fargo won the Weather Channel Award America's
Toughest Weather City. Thanks to hot, humid summers and incredibly
cold winters. Fargo averages fifty one inches of snowfall a year,
and they normally average forty three days a year below zero.
For our Canadian friends, you'll probably chuckle at this. We're

(17:03):
talking about one hundred and thirty centimeters of snow and
forty three days below negative eighteen celsius. Fargo's nine hundred
and forty miles from Cincinnati, which is about a fourteen
hour drive.

Speaker 6 (17:14):
Charles von Sanker is being played by Nicholas Horman. This
is fairly early in Nicholas's career. He'd had a great
performances appearance in nineteen seventy five, but his career really
took off in nineteen seventy nine with a TV movie
called Stone. Also in seventy nine, Horman will appear as

(17:34):
an interviewer in the Academy Award winning Kramer Versus Kramer.
Horman has a total of seventy four acting credits, both
in movies and on TV. He's also appeared on Broadway
and off in more than one hundred different plays. Nicholas
is still working and has two projects currently in post production.

(17:55):
Nicholas Horman will forever hold a place in the cultural
zeitgeist for two appearances he made on Seinfeld in nineteen
ninety two. In ninety three, He's the guy who played
Calvin Klein. He hired Kramer as his underwear model.

Speaker 13 (18:12):
He's a sexual, athletic and without a trace of self consciousness.

Speaker 7 (18:17):
His poddocks are blood.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
Less comes into the lobby looking for Andy. Andy tells
Less he's busy, yes, but this is important. Less notices
mister von Sanker and introduces himself.

Speaker 7 (18:28):
Less nessa news director.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
Oh Lesson von Sanker shake hands. Andy leads Less by
the arm to the other side of the lobby. Andy
quietly asks Less what he wants.

Speaker 10 (18:37):
Is it true my news ratings are sucking canal water?

Speaker 1 (18:41):
He tells Less, you never said that. We could have guessed.
But Les tells Andy Herb said it well. He was
stupid for saying so. Less reminds Andy how he told
him not to worry. Andy wants Less to go to
his office and wait for him. There. Also, don't talk
to herb anymore.

Speaker 14 (18:59):
Fine, but remember this good ratings didn't get this newsman
where he is today.

Speaker 6 (19:06):
After Less leaves, mister von Senker is chuckling?

Speaker 7 (19:09):
Is it he the fellow I'm replaced? Well, no one
is replacing anyone just yet. You want me to tell him?

Speaker 6 (19:15):
Wow? This von Sanker is a bit mercenary. Andy says
he'd like to talk with Missus Carlson first.

Speaker 7 (19:22):
A charming woman, would you tell her?

Speaker 6 (19:25):
I said that, not just mercenary, but also a suck up.
Mister Carlson comes out of his office yawning. Andy asks
Von Sanker to go somewhere else, to wait, somewhere other
than the station. He asks if he should go to
his hotel. Andy doesn't care. The sucking up continues.

Speaker 7 (19:43):
Missus Carlson was generous enough to pay for that.

Speaker 1 (19:46):
In fact, in my entire life, I've never met a
woman as honest and kind and straightforward as Missus Lilyan Carlson.

Speaker 6 (19:53):
Later, Von Sanker leaves the lobby. Andy turns to look
at mister Carlson, who has heard these final comments.

Speaker 3 (20:00):
Oh that poor boy.

Speaker 6 (20:02):
Carlson goes back into his office.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
We cut to the studio After a couple of weeks
of no changes to the posters, we've got movement. It's
time for a studio poster. Or wise yay over to
the far left. We still have the tubes under the
record library and Bob Seeker is still hanging out under
the window. But from the door over there's a lot

(20:26):
to talk about. To skip the poster, watch fast forward
six minutes.

Speaker 6 (20:30):
Up high above the Cincinnati map is a cutout of
a single word LaRue. This is a promo for the
six man Louisiana band led by singer and guitarist Jeff Pollard.
Their fourth studio album, Last Safe Place, has just come
out in January of nineteen eighty two. It was the
band's first release since dropping the word Louisiana from their

(20:53):
name and signing with Our CAA. Last Safe Place becomes
LaRue's most commercial successful release. It includes the single Nobody
Said It Was Easy No. It peaked at number eighteen

(21:30):
in February of nineteen eighty two. The cut Last Safe
Place on Earth, also from this album, won't go top forty,
but it will make the Hot one hundred, peaking at
number seventy seven by the end of May.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
The Crazy Red pink and orange burst on the studio
door as a promo for the Canadian rock quintet Red
Rider's second studio album called As Far As Siam. This
album features the band's most famou song, but there were
no hits. This is the album that gave us the
incredible cut Lunatic Fringe. It was written by lead singer

(22:07):
Tom Cochrane about what he saw as an alarming rise
in anti Semitism. Although it was never released as a single,
Lunatic Fringe would receive widespread play on album rock stations.

(22:49):
It also appears on the nineteen eighty five soundtrack to
the movie Vision Quest. Even though the song was never
released as a single, it was listed at number eighty
two on VH one one's one Hit Wonders of the
Eighties special from two thousand and nine.

Speaker 6 (23:04):
Directly under the Red Rider poster is a young lady
with big hair sitting cross legged. This is the album
cover for Irene Kara's nineteen eighty two debut called Anyone
Can See. The World had been introduced to Miss Kara
when she contributed her voice to the Fame soundtrack. She
scored with both out Here on My Own and the

(23:25):
title track This is an attempt to cash in on
her name recognition, but it winds up being a bit
of a stumble. The title track will peak at number
forty two in November of nineteen eighty onety one. She

(23:51):
comes back big next year with the title cut to
the Flash Dance soundtrack and it goes to number one.

Speaker 1 (23:58):
The poster over the Cincinnati Map is a biggie. This
is a promo for the new Jay Giles album, Freeze Frame.
It's their tenth studio album and it will be Peter
Wolfe's last album as lead singer. This one is going
to be huge. Freeze Frame. The album goes to number
one in February of nineteen eighty two and stays there
for four weeks. Freeze Frame. The title cut peaks at

(24:21):
number four on the Hot one hundred. The real story
from this album is the first single, Centerfold. It would
become the biggest hit ever for the Jay Giles band.
Centerfold goes to number one in the US in February

(24:42):
of nineteen eighty two and stays there for six weeks.
Centerfold it is also number one in Canada and Australia,

(25:02):
number two in Belgium and Ireland, and number three in
the UK. In twenty eighteen, Billboard magazine rank Centerfold at
number sixty six on their list of the all time
top songs.

Speaker 6 (25:15):
Under the Cincinnati Map All the Way under the Bulletin
Board is a promo poster for the September of nineteen
eighty one Little Riverband album Time Exposure. This album was
a hit machine for LRB. The first three cuts on
Saday were the first three US singles. Night Owls Will
peak at number six on the US Hot one hundred

(25:44):
stag Take It Easy on Me goes to number ten
and Man on Your Mind Will go to number fourteen.

Speaker 3 (26:05):
You Got Away.

Speaker 6 (26:16):
Although this was a huge album for the Little River Band,
the poster we're seeing in the studio is rare. We
could not find that specific poster for sale in any
collectible shop. We did see the graphic in a print
ad for one of their concerts.

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Venus and Johnny are in the studio when Herb walks in.
Venus is sitting on the stool flipping through the ratings
book while Johnny is over by the carts. We hear
Frosty by Albert Collins playing out over the air. Venus
asked Herb what he wants.

Speaker 7 (26:47):
I just thought how to hang out with you guys.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Herbs sits in the DJ chair and puts his feet
up on the console. As he leans back, Johnny asks
why us Venus wants to know if Herb doesn't have
some work to do.

Speaker 7 (26:58):
No, you can.

Speaker 13 (27:00):
As soon as those ratings get out, my phone will
be ring off the wall.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
Minifa turn this down.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
Herb flips the switch on the console and things go silent.
Johnny comes running over in a panic. That's not the speaker,
it's the entire board. Johnny flips the switch back up.

Speaker 7 (27:16):
You auto mark those things.

Speaker 6 (27:24):
The song Herb Turned Off was Frosty by Albert Collins.
Albert Collins, also known as the Iceman, was an American
electric blues guitarist and singer from Leona, Texas. Collins had
a distinctive guitar style, marked by powerful playing and the
use of altered tunings and a capo. Collins had a

(27:45):
long association with the Fender Telecaster, to the point he's
been called Master of the Telecaster. This instrumental cut comes
from his very first studio album, nineteen sixty five's The
Cool Sound of Albert Collins, which was also reissued as
Truckin' Collins is considered one of the shapers of modern blues.

(28:21):
Rolling Stone magazine ranked the Iceman as number fifty six
on its list of the one hundred greatest guitar players
of all time.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
Bailey opens the studio door and leans in, Hey.

Speaker 3 (28:41):
How about if we all celebrate at lunch. We'll get everybody,
even her.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
Johnny tells Bailey he doesn't think she should get too
carried away with this. Bailey asks, why not now? Venus
mimics Johnny. She says she's making lunch reservations anyway. Herb
tells Johnny he really should enjoy this.

Speaker 7 (29:01):
Sure as hell can't last.

Speaker 1 (29:03):
Johnny says they're coming out, meaning the song is about over.
Herb nods but doesn't move. He rearranges his feet on
the console and doesn't get up. Johnny gives Herb a
disgusted look.

Speaker 3 (29:15):
You're in the way, no problem, breaks.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
His feet down from the console. Rather than vacate the
chair so Johnny can have a seat, Herb rolls it
back next to Venus.

Speaker 6 (29:27):
Johnny chairless rolls his eyes as he grabs the mic.

Speaker 4 (29:31):
Alright, fellow, baby is the rock and Roll Clinic is
open for business?

Speaker 7 (29:35):
So it's time for your morning physical. Get on your.

Speaker 1 (29:38):
Dance and shoes and take those clothes off.

Speaker 6 (29:40):
Herb is cracking up as he slaps Venus on the leg.

Speaker 7 (29:44):
And for those of you who are ladies listening in,
be not ashamed. I am a doctor.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
You're not even the bug.

Speaker 6 (29:49):
John Johnny goes into a whole lot of shaking going
on from Jerry Lee Lewis. Then he turns and he
looks at her.

Speaker 7 (29:57):
I went out over the air. What are you doing
in here, Tarlie.

Speaker 14 (30:01):
I just want to join in the festive move.

Speaker 1 (30:03):
Herb hanging in the studio illustrates a division that has
existed in most radio stations. Sales and management were very
separate from programming. In news air people would rarely interact
with sales reps. The most contact they might have would
be a node on a script or written specifics about
a remote. Sometimes the sales office would even be physically

(30:26):
removed from the studios. Account execs might be in a
building downtown because it was easier access to clients while
the air studios were out away from city congestion.

Speaker 6 (30:38):
Even with this separation, the sales staff feels a sense
of pride about the programming. They want to feel a
part of it, even if they don't create any of
the on air content. This comes through in a lot
of ways. An account exec like HERB hanging around in
the studio or around the air staff is a pretty
common reaction. Wearing a bunch of stations and swag or

(31:01):
logo ware is another. Account execs wanting to get their
voice on remotes was also pretty common.

Speaker 1 (31:07):
Now. We heard that during hold up, Herb wanted to
do the remote for me down at Dell's place. As
stations became more automated in the nineties, this split changed.
A lot of air staff also started working as account
execs and vice versa. Modern stations are mostly automated, Many
air people now do double duty. An air host might

(31:30):
cut voice tracks in the morning for their midday show.
Cutting tracks for a four hour music show can take
less than half an hour. The tracks then run during
their shift while the air personality is out on the
streets selling.

Speaker 6 (31:43):
We transitioned to a shot from outside the studio in
the hallway. Venus opens the studio door wide and stands
to the side. The djchair, with Herbs still sitting in it,
comes rolling out. Herb is dumped out onto the hallway floor.
Venus closes the studio door. Herb sits up, still not getting.

Speaker 10 (32:03):
It what you guys want to power out?

Speaker 6 (32:05):
The studio door opens and herbs Arkansas razorback coffee mug
is placed outside the door. It shuts again.

Speaker 1 (32:13):
In case you didn't get the hint from being pushed
out in the chair, here's your mug. Wow. We are
only in the hallway for a few seconds, but they
have loaded it up. Everything is new. We'll palle around
with Herb here in the hall because it's time for
hallway poster. Wise. Ya big thanks to Michael Hernandez, the

(32:33):
account of rock. We had to throw it to Aoar
who helped us find a couple of these because they
were hard and there were a lot of them. Want
to skip the poster? Watch it's a long one, but
we should warn you if you skip it, you're gonna
miss hearing lawn chairs. Your call to skip fast forward
nine minutes and thirty seconds down.

Speaker 6 (32:53):
Low on the angled Wall is another one of those
band name cutouts. This one says Prism. Prism was Canadian
rock band formed in nineteen seventy seven in Vancouver. The
history of this band could fill a week's worth of
behind the music episodes. Members died, members quit, members got fired.

(33:13):
At one point the band was down to no original members,
but somebody still owned the name, so they reformed.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
It's like a business with no employees. They just had
the name Prism, and somebody said, oh, let's make a
band again. So this cutout is promoting their nineteen eighty
one album Small Change. It would yield PRISM's only Top
forty hit, Don't Let Him Know, written by Jim Vallance
and Brian Adams. Yes, that Brian Adams. It would peak

(33:44):
at number thirty nine on the US Hot one hundred
right about the time this episode is eric. Amazingly, Prism

(34:11):
is still active with a four person lineup. A band
with only one top forty hit is still out there touring.
None of the current members were there in the eighties,
and the band bio lists twenty former members.

Speaker 6 (34:26):
Or any of the band members were they born after
the eighties?

Speaker 1 (34:29):
I think some of them in the current band, yes,
were born around the time the first Prism was out
there doing their thing.

Speaker 6 (34:35):
Above Prism to the far left is Jim Photoglow. A
nice catch from Hernandez. This is Jim's second studio album
called Fool in Love with You. The album will go
to number one hundred and nineteen on the US Album Chart,
and it will also yield Photoglow's second Top forty hit,
the title track. It goes to number twenty five in

(34:58):
April of nineteen eighty on.

Speaker 11 (35:03):
Now that I Got It Good, I'll I'm just a
food in love with you You.

Speaker 6 (35:19):
Photo Glow is an accomplished musician and songwriter, but he's
the kind of guy who was more successful writing and
playing for other people. He worked extensively with Dan Fogelberg
in the eighties and nineties as a bass player and
backing vocalist in his touring band. As of twenty sixteen,
photo Glow was working as a sideman playing bass and

(35:42):
acoustic guitar for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's fiftieth anniversary tour.

Speaker 1 (35:47):
It amazes me, as we have done the research for
the show, how many musicians are out there and for
forty and fifty years have been making a living at music.

Speaker 6 (35:57):
And we've heard them and not even known.

Speaker 1 (35:59):
We've heard them an known it, or we've never heard
them or heard of their band. Yet they've got enough
of a following out there to sustain him. It's kind
of amazing. Above the prism cut out to the right
is a poster promoting the Memphis funk outfit Ebony Web.
That's Ebony with two e's instead of a y at
the end and Web with two b's. This is their

(36:21):
first studio album on Capitol Records. This is another band
that went through several personnel lineups and a couple of
different spellings of the band name. No chart action from
this one, and they appear to have broken up in
nineteen eighty four.

Speaker 6 (36:36):
Down low on the wall to the right as a
promo poster for Jay Ferguson's sixth and final studio album,
White Noise. Ferguson achieved chart success with his band Spirit
in the sixties. His nineteen seventy eight solo album Thunder
Island would score a number nine hit with the title
cuts the Cool same making.

Speaker 5 (37:02):
Under.

Speaker 6 (37:16):
After this album, Ferguson decided to become a soundtrack composer
for movies and television. It was a good move. Since
nineteen eighty three he's done the entire score to more
than fifteen movies and dozens of TV shows. You probably
already know. One of Ferguson's best known compositions, the theme

(37:37):
to the American Office after the Pandemic, downloads on Netflix.
The Office theme is considered the most played television theme

(37:59):
in history.

Speaker 1 (38:03):
Directly above Jay Ferguson is a poster promoting the nineteen
eighty one album release from Quincy Jones called The Dude.
Quincy Jones is not a singer or songwriter. Sometimes he
does backing vocals, he might play a keyboard, he'll co write,
but he's just not a solo artist. This is Q
doing what he does best, arranging and producing. He's really

(38:27):
like a musical architect who builds hit songs. Lead vocals
on this album are from either Patty Austin or James Ingram,
depending on the track. The musician list is a who's
who of studio heavyweights from the era. All Q has
to do his call and they come running. The Dude
produces three top forty hits. Just Once goes to number seventeen,

(38:51):
one hundred Ways to number fourteen, and I Carrida peaks
at number twenty eight. Just Once and one hundred Ways
are the debut of vocalist James Ingrams.

Speaker 11 (39:04):
Then we found Away to find Me, Make It to
Make the madic Glass for move and just wann.

Speaker 3 (39:18):
We Gets.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
Oh We Could Make through Ingram wins the Grammy for
Best Pop Vocal Performance Male for his performance on Just Once.

Speaker 6 (39:31):
The poster closest to the window on the right hand
wall is a promo for the EP Digital Cowboy from
Our Daughter's Wedding. Our Daughter's Wedding was a synth pop
trio formed in New York, but two of the three
were from California. In nineteen eighty one, they independently funded
and released a single called lawn Chairs.

Speaker 3 (39:54):
Chair Everywhere.

Speaker 6 (40:05):
Long Jezzy, They're kind of like a California craftwork. Lawn
Chairs made it to number thirty one on the Billboard

(40:25):
Disco Chart and hit the UK Singles Chart on the
basis of that one song. This five song EP was produced,
which included Lawnchairs, but not a song called Digital Cowboy.
They had a song called Digital Cowboy, they just didn't
record it. ODW gets to produce an actual album called

(40:48):
Moving Windows in nineteen eighty two, then they break up
in nineteen eighty four. Amazingly, Our Daughter's Wedding reformed in
twenty twelve with a new label and a new release.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
Another band out there is still in business that I've
never heard of. And finally, through the door at the
end of the hallway you see the right half of
a poster promoting Chasm, the debut solo album from Utopia
Bassis and Todd Rundgren collaborator Chasm Sultan. Sultan is a
bassist for hire, playing on more than one hundred studio

(41:21):
projects and touring with dozens of rock's biggest bands. Chasm
played bass on meetloas nineteen seventy seven debut album Bat
out of Hell.

Speaker 10 (41:50):
The Good alcome.

Speaker 15 (41:53):
Calling that team as a solo project, Jack, this one
didn't do much for Chasm, but you really should pull
up his Wikipedia entry and see who Chasm has played for.

Speaker 1 (42:08):
You've heard him play at some point in your life,
you just didn't know it. And woo. The hallway poster
watch is over.

Speaker 6 (42:17):
Back in the programming office, Jennifer has her hands on
Lessa's waist. She's pulling him down off the table. Less
seems to be considering getting out on the ledge again.
Jennifer tells him to not be silly.

Speaker 5 (42:31):
Less No one is ready to grind what's left of
your miserable career into fertilizer.

Speaker 6 (42:36):
Jennifer guides Less over to Andy's couch. She pushes on
his shoulders to get him to sit down. Andy comes
into his office. Jennifer asks Andy to tell Less he
has nothing to worry about.

Speaker 7 (42:47):
You got nothing to worry about.

Speaker 3 (42:49):
Would you tell him his job is safe?

Speaker 7 (42:51):
Yeah, your job is safe.

Speaker 6 (42:52):
Andy grabs his jacket and puts it on.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
Will you swear to him that there is not a
conspiracy to replace him with a real newsman.

Speaker 6 (43:00):
Andy stops in his doorway, buttoning his jacket. He can't
answer this one, so he says again, your job is safe.
Andy quickly makes his escape.

Speaker 1 (43:11):
He says a terrified expression as he looks up at Jennifer.
Jennifer sits on the arm of the couch next to
Less with her arm around his shoulders. She laughs nervously.

Speaker 3 (43:20):
You met her.

Speaker 1 (43:20):
Bailey comes into Andy's office.

Speaker 3 (43:22):
Okay, we've got the party room at the Cricket.

Speaker 1 (43:25):
Noon, be there, Jennifer says, yes. Mister Carlson comes into
Andy's office. He's up from his nest.

Speaker 3 (43:31):
Why why didn't somebody wake me? This is great news.

Speaker 6 (43:35):
Bailey smiles at him, saying they are number six.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
Yeah, but if we were on the bottom of the ratings.

Speaker 13 (43:40):
Nobody be tiptoeing around if it's bad news. Somebody always
wakes me.

Speaker 6 (43:43):
Bailey tells mister Carlson to wait until he sees the
new book. She tells him they have it in the
DJ booth. Jennifer comes over to mister Carlson and apologizes.

Speaker 3 (43:53):
Mister Carlson, I'm sorry.

Speaker 5 (43:55):
Even if there's a chance of good news from all on,
you'll be awakened. It's fine, but only you know you
really share.

Speaker 1 (44:02):
We transitioned to missus Carlson's house with a shot of
the living room. Ian Wolfe and his final appearance as
Hersh appears in the foyer wearing a full length purple apron.

Speaker 6 (44:13):
Since this is Ian Wolfe's final appearance on the series,
we wanted to say thanks and goodbye with a couple
of bits of ian trivia. He was eighty five when
he first appeared on WKRP. To that point, he'd made
more than three hundred movie and TV appearances, but he
considered Hirsh his most recognized role. He wrote and self

(44:36):
published two books of poetry in his life. He was
married to his wife Elizabeth for sixty eight years, and
they had two children.

Speaker 1 (44:46):
Hush Hersh is running the blade of a very long
kitchen knife across a metal sharpening rod. The whole scene
is a bit unnerving, and I think that apron adds
to it. We hear the doorbell rang. The lovely lilting
voice of Mama Carlson can be heard from upstairs.

Speaker 14 (45:05):
Hirsh, yes, Madam, answer the damn door on the double Madam.

Speaker 1 (45:12):
Ersch leans against the door jam, continuing to sharpen the knife.
He's in no hurry. The doorbell rings again. Hirsh points
the sharpener up, waiting for Mama to yell again, and
he is not disappointed.

Speaker 10 (45:27):
Do I have to let mister Travis in my set?

Speaker 1 (45:29):
Parsh laughs as he walks to the door. Anything to
torment the lady of the house.

Speaker 6 (45:36):
Hirst tells Andy, good afternoon. Andy asks how he is.

Speaker 14 (45:40):
Oh, I can't complain. Madam will be down when she's
get and ready. Might I get you something?

Speaker 3 (45:45):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (45:45):
No, no, thank you? Hirst.

Speaker 6 (45:47):
Hirst says he must return to his chores. He walks away,
continuing to sharpen the knife as he goes. Mama Carlson
descends the stairs and comes into the living room.

Speaker 16 (45:57):
You said something about a major problem and tells her, yeah.

Speaker 10 (46:01):
It's my son. Done this time.

Speaker 6 (46:02):
Andy says it's not her son, Charlie. Andy tells her, no.

Speaker 7 (46:06):
No, ma'am Charles Van Sanker.

Speaker 1 (46:09):
Mama walks over to the fireplace and leans on the mantle.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
Oh dear, Yes, he walked into the station this afternoon
and announced he was the news director and that was
news to me.

Speaker 1 (46:19):
Andy's upset, so he might be getting his times wrong.
Johnny was on the air and Bailey was planning lunch
when Andy left. Von Sanker was there in the morning,
not afternoon. Mamma tells Andy she's sorry.

Speaker 7 (46:31):
You were eventually going to tell me right.

Speaker 1 (46:33):
Mamma tells him this was a very difficult decision for
her to make.

Speaker 7 (46:37):
As this dictator's remorse.

Speaker 1 (46:38):
She'd plan to discuss this with him next week.

Speaker 6 (46:42):
Andy tells missus Carlson he'd like to discuss it right now.

Speaker 2 (46:46):
Can you give me three solid reasons why Less should
be fired without hesitation?

Speaker 10 (46:49):
Mama replies, yes, he's incompetent, unprofessional, and very weird.

Speaker 6 (46:55):
Andy nods and says, yeah, it's hard to argue with
her reasoning. Missus Carlson tells Andy she does not plan
to fire less. She wants to show Andy something.

Speaker 10 (47:06):
Are you familiar with Settler, Selman and Cordone.

Speaker 6 (47:10):
Andy tells her he is very familiar with them.

Speaker 7 (47:13):
So there are a bunch of programming consultants.

Speaker 1 (47:15):
Sus Carlson picks up a thick book and pats it.

Speaker 16 (47:19):
Very expensive, bunch of programming consultants.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
Pomis, it's down in a chair facing Andy.

Speaker 16 (47:24):
Six hundred and sixty five pages on the Cincinnati market
and wkrp's place in it.

Speaker 1 (47:30):
Andy looks at missus Carlson unimpressed.

Speaker 7 (47:33):
So it's a thick book.

Speaker 1 (47:34):
Mammaline's forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she
holds the book. She asks Andy if he would like
to read the last paragraph of the recommendations chapter. No,
I would not promise. It's up straight in her chair.

Speaker 10 (47:49):
Well, then I'll read it.

Speaker 16 (47:51):
Wkrp's top forty audiences at its peak, the sound quality
of the AM signal cannot compete with FM stations.

Speaker 10 (48:00):
KRPS.

Speaker 16 (48:01):
To remain profitable in the long run, we recommend changing
to a non music format all news.

Speaker 6 (48:09):
Andy slowly raises his head to look at Missus Carlson.

Speaker 7 (48:13):
All news, Well, I don't know the first thing about
programming an all news station.

Speaker 10 (48:19):
That's why I hired mister Von Sanka.

Speaker 6 (48:21):
Andy's mouth is open, but nothing is coming out, and
the screen goes to black as we head to a commercial.

Speaker 1 (48:29):
We come back from commercials, still in Mama's living room,
Andy has found his voice.

Speaker 7 (48:34):
All news.

Speaker 1 (48:36):
All News.

Speaker 9 (48:37):
That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard since Herb
Tartic's Dancing Duck promotion.

Speaker 6 (48:43):
And if you want to know more about Herb's Dancing
Duck promotion, check out our podcast episode Real Families.

Speaker 5 (48:51):
The ducks danced on a little stage made of aluminum foil.
We discovered that under that mister Tarlik had placed a
hot plate. He would turn it up and the ducks
would dance, and he'd turn it off, and the ducks
would go on about their business.

Speaker 1 (49:03):
Urban the Ducks. Andy walks over and takes the book
from Missus Carlson, asking her if this book.

Speaker 15 (49:10):
Says Cincinnati already has an all news station.

Speaker 1 (49:14):
Mama tells Andy she understands they'll be losing money for
the first eighteen months.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
We're finally making some profit here.

Speaker 7 (49:22):
We just got the ratings book.

Speaker 1 (49:23):
We're number six, Okay, Andy, maybe making a bit of
a jump here. Being number six doesn't guarantee profit. Herb
still has to get out there, hitting the streets in
order to turn a number six ranking into actual dollars.
Herb doesn't seem too motivated to do that right now.

Speaker 6 (49:39):
Missus Carlson tells Andy it doesn't matter. Andy tosses the
book on the coffee table, where it lands with a
loud thud.

Speaker 7 (49:47):
This does not make any sense. We're finally making some
money here with news I.

Speaker 10 (49:52):
Can make mook.

Speaker 6 (49:53):
Andy asks, by turning the station over to Charles von Senker.

Speaker 7 (49:57):
What does he got besides adnoids?

Speaker 6 (49:58):
Mama tells Andy, mister von Sanker comes very highly recommended.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
And he asks from where Fogo Fargo?

Speaker 3 (50:06):
From Fargo? Yes?

Speaker 10 (50:09):
And where did I hire you from?

Speaker 14 (50:11):
From Santa Fe Well, it's one of the top seventy
markets in the United States of America.

Speaker 1 (50:18):
And he has his hands on his hips looking at
Missus Carleson. Missus Carlson walks over to Andy, her hands
clasped in front of her. She asked Andy if he's.

Speaker 7 (50:27):
Through, Why you tell me?

Speaker 1 (50:29):
Missus Carlson's expression tells him yes, he's through.

Speaker 6 (50:32):
With all of this market talk, we wanted some rankings.
We decided to go to an authoritative source for market info,
the Radio Advertising Bureau. There are three hundred and six
listed radio markets in the US. These are the rankings
for the markets they were discussing. According to the RAB
as of twenty twenty two.

Speaker 1 (50:54):
The Fargo Moorhead market in North Dakota is the smallest
of the ones they mentioned. It's listed as the one
hundred and ninety fifth largest radio market in the US,
with a total market population of two hundred and sixteen thousand,
seven hundred.

Speaker 6 (51:09):
Santa Fe does not have its own market. Santa Fe
is listed as part of the Albuquerque, New Mexico market.
Albuquerque is about sixty miles away, so this market covers
a big area. Andy was right on when it comes
to ranking. Albuquerque is the sixty ninth largest radio market
in the US with a population of seven hundred ninety

(51:31):
four thousand, two hundred.

Speaker 1 (51:33):
Landing a gig in Cincinnati was a big step up
for both Andy and Charles. Cincinnati is the thirty third
largest radio market in the United States, with a total
population of one million, eight hundred and ninety four thousand.

Speaker 6 (51:48):
We do a cut to Andy's office where Andy has
a cardboard box in his chair and he's tossing things
into it. The door to his office opens and Jennifer
sticks her head in.

Speaker 5 (51:58):
Here.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
He is, you missed quite a celebration, and the best
part is Herb got stuck.

Speaker 3 (52:03):
With the bill.

Speaker 6 (52:04):
Bailey comes in and points at Andy.

Speaker 10 (52:05):
There's a guest of honor.

Speaker 6 (52:07):
Johnny and Venus comes staggering in.

Speaker 3 (52:09):
We know you good.

Speaker 6 (52:10):
Johnny has some kind of a pennant on a stick
stuck in his glasses. It's sticking straight up in front
of his forehead. At first I thought that was his
hair sticking up.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
It looks weird.

Speaker 6 (52:22):
He's carrying a bottle of what might be Corvassier. Oh yeah,
you say that again, Kangynac. Venus has a seat on
the couch. Bailey tells Andy it was great.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
Even Johnny toasted old lady girth and gracious Bloodziger.

Speaker 1 (52:39):
Herb comes through the door. Herb not happy.

Speaker 3 (52:42):
I expect twenty two fifty three from each of you. Andy,
you don't have to faint.

Speaker 1 (52:45):
I just walks into the office and he hands Herb
a check. Well, he doesn't really hand it to him.
He kind of pushes it in Herb's face. Less maybe
a bit tipsy, thinks, and Less normally does not drink.
You remember in the bar at the Cricket when the
Flim building was going to be demolished, he had an
ice cream while everyone else had a drink. When he
and Jennifer went on their date, she finished the night

(53:07):
with a cocktail, but Less had a hot chocolate and
Johnny's good bye dinner, Let's had iced tea. But I
think that may have been because he was going to
be speaking that night. He did down that enormous cocktail
at Jennifer's house the night he met Steel, but that
one made him sick. Normally, seeing Less drink is a
rare sight.

Speaker 6 (53:27):
Andy tells everyone he wants to say something. He's still
in shock after visiting Mama, so he decides to rain
hard on their parade.

Speaker 3 (53:35):
We want to just go back from Missus Carlson's. It
seems to be over starting next week.

Speaker 7 (53:40):
She wants to change the format next week, more.

Speaker 1 (53:42):
Rock and roll.

Speaker 6 (53:43):
They all begin to laugh, thinking he's kidding.

Speaker 1 (53:46):
I wish I was.

Speaker 6 (53:48):
The room goes quiet as they realize he's serious.

Speaker 1 (53:52):
This is Gunselman getting dark. Gunselman likes to go dark
with stuff. So Andy's very solemn.

Speaker 7 (53:58):
It's business decision.

Speaker 1 (53:59):
Herb holds up both hands. We need something reassuring, We
need something heartfelt, Herb, what do you got for us?

Speaker 3 (54:06):
Wait?

Speaker 2 (54:06):
Wait a minute, how does this affect met?

Speaker 1 (54:15):
Herb gettle. Herb never disappoints. The group stares at Herb.
Venus looks back to Andy an ass what kind of format?
Andy leans forward with his hands on his desk.

Speaker 7 (54:24):
Twenty four hours a day of news.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
Ooh less. He's rubbing his hands together in front of him.

Speaker 9 (54:31):
I'm supposed to tell everybody that you're welcome to stay
and be a part of the new WKRP, the information station.

Speaker 7 (54:38):
There's jobs for all of you.

Speaker 6 (54:40):
Andy mentioned in all news format for the new WKRP.
All news for AM had been around for about twenty
years at this point. The twenty four hour news format
was first introduced in the US during the turbulent nineteen sixties,
where news seem to be constant and urgent. The half

(55:01):
hour on TV each evening wasn't enough to cover the
ongoing Vietnam War, assassinations and protests. It all made for
great programming in a twenty four hour news format. San
Francisco tried one in nineteen sixty. It failed, but the
idea was solid. In Washington, DC, broadcast pioneer Arthur w

(55:23):
Arundel established WAVA All News in January of nineteen sixty one.
WAVA is considered the first successful all news station in
the world.

Speaker 1 (55:36):
Newspaper strikes nearly sixties led to several stations going all
news while papers weren't being published. Owners saw the format
was viable and realized it could be profitable. Some stations
stayed with all news even after the strikes were settled.
By nineteen seventy five, NBC Radio had established the first
all news radio network. Local stations reported a mix of world, national,

(56:00):
and local news. Today, you can find twenty four hour
news format stations around the world, although there are a
few FM all news outlets. The consultants were right about
the importance of sound quality when it came to music,
knowing they couldn't compete with the musical clarity of FM.
The vast majority of all news stations are on the

(56:23):
AM band.

Speaker 6 (56:24):
Jennifer asks Andy, can they do anything? Bailey's ready to fight,
She's always looking for a cause, and she might still
be a little drunk from lunch.

Speaker 10 (56:34):
Yea, let's walk, Let's shut her down.

Speaker 7 (56:37):
Look, I already told her. If we didn't do things
my way, I was gone.

Speaker 6 (56:39):
Jennifer looks at Andy with wide eyes, and Andy answers
by picking up his name plate from his desk and
tossing it into the cardboard box. They all sit with
their heads hanging down.

Speaker 1 (56:53):
Art enters Andy's office holding a piece of paper. He's
singing and dancing as usual. He's oblivious to what really happening.

Speaker 6 (57:02):
Boom, I like that song, Chicky chicky.

Speaker 1 (57:08):
Boom boo boom bob bob. Yeah. He looks around the room,
seeing the gloom. He stops his dancing and singing.

Speaker 7 (57:16):
All right, what did I miss A?

Speaker 1 (57:19):
Art looks at everyone. Herb snatches that paper from Carlson.
It's the check for twenty two fifty three he owed
Herb for lunch.

Speaker 6 (57:27):
We fade into the studio, where Johnny is laying on
the console, still perusing the ratings book. Venus is seated
behind the mic, drinking from his coffee mug. We hear
something playing over the monitors, but we have no idea
what song this is. We're looking at a new camera
angle very low into the side This is possibly a

(57:48):
choice from new director Gains. We also get a nice
dolly back. Johnny snaps his fingers and points at the clock.

Speaker 1 (57:56):
What do you think's in Venus's coffee mug? I don't
think it's coffee.

Speaker 6 (58:00):
I don't think it's coffee the way they're both acting.

Speaker 1 (58:03):
Rather than pull the mic down to his mouth, Venus
decides to stand and put his mouth up to the mic.
He has difficulty. He's standing. He prompts himself up with
his elbows on the console.

Speaker 7 (58:13):
It's seven thirty pm.

Speaker 6 (58:15):
Here, my children, this is Venus on KRP for a while.

Speaker 1 (58:20):
At least we get a shot of Andy sitting on
the stool to the right of the studio door. Venus
turns the volume down, pushes the mic down, and sits
back in the chair.

Speaker 6 (58:30):
Johnny asks Andy if Missus Carlson said, how much profit
is enough? Johnny puts one of the green, long necked
booze bottles from lunch to his lips and takes a swallow.

Speaker 7 (58:41):
He just kept tapping his thick book as if it
had all the answers.

Speaker 6 (58:44):
Johnny points a finger at Venus.

Speaker 4 (58:46):
Statistics right, I don't trust him statistically speaking, anybody who
has led the kind of life that I had should
look completely wasted.

Speaker 6 (58:59):
Johnny removes the sunglasses to reveal a pretty wasted looking guy.
He has half closed, kind of crossed eyes, with dark
rings and sagging skin all around him. He looks at
Venus and Andy triumphantly, as if he's made some great point.

Speaker 1 (59:15):
Venus turns in his chair to look at Andy.

Speaker 7 (59:17):
So there is money in news. I don't want any
part of that.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
Andy tells them there's no money. She ain't gonna make
any money for the least for the first couple of years.
He takes another drink from his cup of Kanyac. Maybe
come on, she's gotta lose your skirt. Johnny brings up
his pointer finger again.

Speaker 7 (59:32):
I'll tell you another statistic. Did you know?

Speaker 4 (59:35):
Supposedly three out of four teenagers in America today think
that Chuck.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
Barray was the host of The Gong Show.

Speaker 1 (59:45):
Shout out to w Kretpycauz listener Glenn Stone, who nominated
this one as his line of the episode. Sorry, Glenn,
we had to go with the teenage boys comment, but
we really enjoyed your suggestion.

Speaker 6 (59:55):
We don't know about Johnny's three out of four number.
But we do know there's always a funny crossover between
the name of the famous rock guitarist and the host
of the most bizarre game show to ever go on
the air. Chuck Barry played the guitar. Chuck Barriss was
the host of The Gong Show.

Speaker 5 (01:00:16):
All not at all of that.

Speaker 1 (01:00:19):
It's the Gong Show.

Speaker 5 (01:00:26):
Oh no, ladies, gentleble b used.

Speaker 4 (01:00:32):
To show.

Speaker 6 (01:00:55):
Chuck Barriss is one of the most weirdly entertaining purveyors
of slight lea scandalous TV to have ever hit the airwaves.

Speaker 1 (01:01:04):
Charles Hirsch Barris was born in June of nineteen twenty
nine in Philadelphia. He got his start in television at
NBC as a page, then later a staffer. He was
hired by ABC in Los Angeles to do daytime programming.
His job choose what game shows got to go on
the air. He told his bosses the game show ideas
he was seeing were a whole lot worse than his own.

(01:01:26):
The brass at ABC suggested Barris should quit programming and
go into producing. He did. He formed Chuck Barris Productions
in nineteen sixty five and had his first hit that
same year. Barris was the brains behind the slightly naughty,
addictively watchable dating game with host Jim Lang.

Speaker 6 (01:01:45):
The next year, Barris had his next hit with The
Newlywed Game. It would go for nineteen full years, the
longest running of any Barris production, and as a parody
of The Newlywed Game. In college, we had the Roommate Game.

Speaker 1 (01:02:01):
We did the same thing, yeah, and.

Speaker 6 (01:02:04):
It was a lot of fun. Actually, my roommate and
I won.

Speaker 1 (01:02:07):
I remember they tricked us when we played. They asked
the question how many pencils are on your roommate's desk?
And then when they got when they got back out,
they changed it to how many weeks has it been
since your roommate changed their sheets?

Speaker 6 (01:02:20):
Yes, yeah, they so if you.

Speaker 1 (01:02:22):
Said, like seven pencils is like seven.

Speaker 6 (01:02:24):
In nineteen seventy six, creator Chris Beard brought Barris his
vision of a comedy parody talent fiasco known as the
Gong Show. It was designed to be weird, with contestants
who were intentionally chosen for their head scratching lack of talent,
mixed in with those who were mildly competent. When the

(01:02:47):
performance has got so bad you couldn't stand it anymore,
one of the celebrity judges would hit the huge gong
sitting behind them. Yeah, and didn't the audience like, weren't they.

Speaker 1 (01:02:58):
Yelling at shirt, yelling at the trying to get him
to hit the gong. It was it was nuts. I
read one report one of the talent coordinators for the
Gong Show said they got a lot of the hookers
coming in from Hollywood Avenue because they said they got
paid a talent fee if they were cast to do something.

(01:03:18):
So these hookers came in and they said they could
make more in two minutes on the Gong Show than
two weeks out on the streets because they'd get that
talent fee that one time. So it was the weirdest
conglomeration of freaks. You catch.

Speaker 6 (01:03:30):
Talent made them more money than than going out and
going out and getting work at John's.

Speaker 1 (01:03:37):
Barris had hired a host for this circus. His name
was John Barber, and I feel really sorry for John.
Barbara somehow misunderstood the gig. He thought it was supposed
to be a straight talent show. He didn't get Barris's
vision of an off kilter parody of a talent show.
Barris replaced Barbara at the last minute with himself. He'd

(01:04:00):
I didn't want to, but they needed somebody. Barris had
never hosted, and he tended to be camera shy. It
was an NBC executive who suggested Bearris should host it
because they didn't think a traditional host would get the assignment.

Speaker 6 (01:04:16):
Barris turned out to be as quirky as any act
on the show. He was the anti host. He would
scratch his unruly, curly gray hair, squint constantly, laugh nervously
without warning, clap loudly at odd times, and he liked
to hide behind huge hats and other costume items. The

(01:04:38):
Gong Show would only last for two years on network
from nineteen seventy six through seventy eight, and four years
as first run syndication from nineteen seventy six until nineteen eighty.
There were a couple of years in there where you
could actually see The Gong Show twice a day if
you cut the syndication airing, then the network version if

(01:05:01):
you wanted to do that twice the day.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
I remember in college during the eighty six eighty seven
television season, one of those stations was carrying them in
syndication over the noon hour and would run two episodes
back to back. I was late for a one o'clock
class several times because I had to catch the end
of the second second episode of The Gong Show. Although
it only lasted four years, the Gong Show's impact on

(01:05:25):
comedy and parody would be felt for decades. It's a
cult favorite that still has a huge following today. The
Gong Show stopped production in nineteen eighty, but it did
continue to air in syndication throughout the nineteen eighties, and
there have been a couple of revivals. The revivals have
been mildly successful, but The Gong Show without Chuck Barris

(01:05:49):
just isn't the same.

Speaker 6 (01:05:50):
Fun tie to WKRP, Chuck Barris produced a number of
his shows, including The Newlywed Game, at Gene Autry's kti
LA Studios. He was there while w k RP was
also in the house. Autry almost kicked Barris out of KTLA.
The very conservative Autry didn't like the naughty nature of

(01:06:13):
some of Barris's shows, Random Chuck Barris Trivia. He was
never a guitar player, but he did write the nineteen
sixty two Freddy Cannon Top twenty hit Palisades Park.

Speaker 1 (01:06:40):
The studio Door opens and mister Carlson tentatively steps in.

Speaker 3 (01:06:44):
Andy, Right, just a hell talk with mom.

Speaker 7 (01:06:48):
Mother, who here you go?

Speaker 1 (01:06:52):
Johnny holds out his bottle and offers it to Art.
Carlson tells Johnny, no thanks, I'm still gone.

Speaker 13 (01:06:59):
Huh well exactly, mother, like for you to stay hon
as a public relations director KRP.

Speaker 7 (01:07:04):
Keep kidding.

Speaker 1 (01:07:05):
Andy rolls his eyes.

Speaker 4 (01:07:06):
Why choice assignment like krp's traffic reporter.

Speaker 3 (01:07:09):
Well, Venus has got that job.

Speaker 1 (01:07:13):
This makes a noise and sits up as if he's
just been shocked. Carlson puts his arm out and looks
at Venus.

Speaker 6 (01:07:22):
Only during the rush out, mister Carlson tells them all,
Mama isn't trying to hurt them.

Speaker 7 (01:07:27):
She just wants us to be number one.

Speaker 3 (01:07:28):
I know what's wrong with that.

Speaker 6 (01:07:30):
Venus has a sour look on his face.

Speaker 7 (01:07:32):
I hate traffic.

Speaker 6 (01:07:33):
Mister Carlson continues to defend Mama, saying she just wants
them to be up there at the top.

Speaker 13 (01:07:40):
My mother said to me once, she said to me
a dozen times at Arthur, I want you to be
the general manager of the number one radio station in
this set.

Speaker 6 (01:07:47):
Andy looks up at mister Carlson.

Speaker 7 (01:07:49):
So you're leaving too.

Speaker 1 (01:07:50):
Huh. Sorry. It gives Andy a very stern look.

Speaker 13 (01:07:54):
Look, you have us being number one is the American way,
but look at our Bengals for example, Venus pipes up.

Speaker 7 (01:08:01):
We lost the Super Bowl.

Speaker 13 (01:08:03):
Well, well yeah, but DC football is still the number
one spectator sport in the world.

Speaker 1 (01:08:07):
Andy corrects him.

Speaker 7 (01:08:10):
Soccer.

Speaker 1 (01:08:10):
Andy nods his head.

Speaker 7 (01:08:12):
Were you this effective with your mother? Art? Face?

Speaker 11 (01:08:18):
Is?

Speaker 1 (01:08:18):
Johnny telling him He's just trying to make a point, So.

Speaker 7 (01:08:21):
I excuse me.

Speaker 1 (01:08:23):
Johnny walks out of the studio, slamming the door behind him.
Art's left standing there, not knowing what to say.

Speaker 6 (01:08:28):
Super Bowl sixteen featured the Cincinnati Bengals against quarterback Joe
Montana and his San Francisco forty nine Ers. They played
at the Pontiac Silver Dome on Sunday, January twenty fourth
of nineteen eighty two, back when the Super Bowl was
still played in January. The forty nine Ers won it
in what turned out to be a close contest, twenty

(01:08:51):
six to twenty one. Montana was the game's MVP.

Speaker 1 (01:08:55):
As of twenty twenty one, website Baller Status list soccer
as still far and away the most watched sport in
the world. Half the planet, three point five billion people
watch professional soccer. Number two is cricket, with two point
five billion fans. The Cricket World Cup can draw two

(01:09:15):
hundred million viewers, which is about double the audience for
the Super Bowl. Number three in the world is basketball,
with two point four billion people. Basketball is on track
to become the most watched in the US, picking up
faster gains than either baseball or football. And what about
American football? It barely made the top ten, squeaking in

(01:09:37):
at number nine with a measly four hundred and ten
million fans. Weird fact it takes the hides of six
hundred cows to make one season's worth of footballs used
by the NFL.

Speaker 6 (01:09:51):
M thank you for that. We fade into the living
room of Mama's house. Hirsh is reclining on the couch,
reading a magazine and drinking from what looks to be
a sniffcher of brandy. The doorbell rings. He slams down
the magazine.

Speaker 3 (01:10:07):
I'll get it.

Speaker 6 (01:10:12):
He walks to the door. There's a beat. Then we
see hersh walking backwards, saying, oh, not believing. Then we
see Johnny come walking in his hands in the pockets
of his hoodie.

Speaker 7 (01:10:25):
Just tell her, Johnny Fever drop by for a little chat.

Speaker 6 (01:10:27):
Hirsh relaxes a bit.

Speaker 14 (01:10:29):
Johnny Fever, you're the DJ who's called her so much
discomfort over the years.

Speaker 6 (01:10:35):
Johnny is leaning on the door jam As he nods
his head, Hirsh perks up.

Speaker 3 (01:10:39):
Please make yourself comfortable.

Speaker 6 (01:10:43):
Hirsh sees Johnny as a fellow combatant in the ongoing
war against Mama.

Speaker 1 (01:10:48):
Hirsh motions to the living room with both hands. Johnny
points at hersh us me.

Speaker 14 (01:10:54):
The houseboy, I'll interrupt Madam's meda on the veranda.

Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
Hees hersh. The eighty five year old houseboy turns back
to Johnny.

Speaker 3 (01:11:06):
It is doctor Johnny Fever.

Speaker 1 (01:11:07):
Johnny bows to hersh yeah. Hersh opens the door leading
to the veranda. He addresses Mama through the opening.

Speaker 3 (01:11:14):
Madam, your physician is here.

Speaker 1 (01:11:19):
Another strong contender for line of the episode. Laughing, Hers
quickly makes his exit.

Speaker 6 (01:11:25):
Mama comes through the.

Speaker 10 (01:11:26):
Door, Doctor Tyler, how nice.

Speaker 6 (01:11:29):
Mama looks up to see Johnny Steve. Mama is less
than thrilled. Johnny takes off his sunglasses.

Speaker 2 (01:11:36):
Carlson, I uh just happened to be on the wrong
side of the tracks.

Speaker 7 (01:11:40):
Is that it drop by?

Speaker 6 (01:11:41):
He hangs his sunglasses on the neck of his t shirt.

Speaker 16 (01:11:45):
If you're here to make the humanitarian appeal, forget it,
Travis Beecher to it.

Speaker 6 (01:11:49):
Johnny looks at her with a small smile.

Speaker 7 (01:11:52):
No, I never try that with you.

Speaker 6 (01:11:53):
Mama tells him good night.

Speaker 2 (01:11:55):
Generally until I said, what's on my mind?

Speaker 10 (01:11:57):
What mind?

Speaker 2 (01:12:00):
Okay, till you're ready to listen, I'll just stretch out
here on the coffee table.

Speaker 1 (01:12:04):
Very chrome, very prone. So Johnny lays down on the
coffee table and puts his feet up on a stool.

Speaker 10 (01:12:14):
I'll fire you.

Speaker 1 (01:12:15):
Johnny looks up at Mama with a sneer like this
is a threat.

Speaker 2 (01:12:18):
Oh, come on, I've been fired by some of the
best people in the radio.

Speaker 1 (01:12:23):
Mama has his seat on the arm of her couch.

Speaker 10 (01:12:25):
Hey make it short and get off my table.

Speaker 1 (01:12:30):
Johnny stands and begins to pay.

Speaker 3 (01:12:32):
Well, just by the way, I have an icebreaker.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
Johnny looks up and he sees the painting above the fireplace.
This is the Ncia's painting that Bailey first commented on
in the episode A Simple Little Wedding.

Speaker 3 (01:12:45):
These paintings are by ncwire.

Speaker 10 (01:12:48):
Isn't that Andrewier's father?

Speaker 3 (01:12:49):
Yes, that's correct.

Speaker 10 (01:12:51):
They're very nice, Thank you.

Speaker 6 (01:12:54):
This one is.

Speaker 3 (01:12:55):
Of a hanging.

Speaker 10 (01:12:56):
Yes, I'm particularly fond of that.

Speaker 1 (01:13:00):
It looks like it should be called the Hanging we
discovered in that episode. Its title is actually the Gibbit.

Speaker 6 (01:13:06):
Johnny realizes what he's looking at and pauses. He regains
his composure and then turns towards Mama.

Speaker 2 (01:13:13):
I realized that changing formats was a business decision.

Speaker 6 (01:13:16):
Mama tells him that's right. Johnny goes on, saying, she
didn't do it to hurt anyone.

Speaker 2 (01:13:21):
Probably the first thing from your mind was the people
who work for you.

Speaker 10 (01:13:24):
You're pushing it.

Speaker 6 (01:13:25):
Mama has a frown on her face.

Speaker 2 (01:13:27):
You're not a vicious crown with a twisted desire for money.

Speaker 6 (01:13:32):
Yeah, he's really pushing it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:34):
Mamma tells Johnny to hold it. She says every employee
at wkre P will be offered a job in the
new format. In her mind, this means nobody gets hurt.

Speaker 10 (01:13:43):
Now, I didn't have to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:13:45):
Johnny plops down on the couch.

Speaker 2 (01:13:46):
Oh, come on, how long do you think any of
us are going to last.

Speaker 7 (01:13:50):
At those jobs?

Speaker 4 (01:13:51):
Now?

Speaker 7 (01:13:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:13:51):
Mama tells him. If you're an announcer, you can announce,
but the reality is they're not gonna last very long,
not like.

Speaker 7 (01:13:57):
A real news jockey. No, if you want this news thing.

Speaker 1 (01:14:02):
Go, we're gone, he tells Mama. If extra profit is
all that counts.

Speaker 10 (01:14:07):
The prophet is not all that counts. You feel Okay,
It's not quite that simple.

Speaker 1 (01:14:13):
Now we get into the real heart of the matter.
Why Mama would mess with seeming success.

Speaker 6 (01:14:20):
She explains, profit and loss are merely theoretical terms in
a diversified conglomerate like Carlson Industries.

Speaker 16 (01:14:29):
It's not the plus and minus, mister Feva, it's the
plus and plus if the minuses are played correctly.

Speaker 6 (01:14:36):
Johnny tosses his arms in the air. He's nodding his
head slowly, his mouth forming an oh but no sounds
coming out.

Speaker 10 (01:14:45):
You don't understand, and I don't expect you to.

Speaker 7 (01:14:47):
No, No, I understand, believe me. This is so deeply warped.
Even I get it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:56):
KRPY is not supposed to make money.

Speaker 10 (01:15:00):
What's the deal.

Speaker 7 (01:15:00):
We're set up to lose, but we.

Speaker 2 (01:15:03):
Didn't, and that's why you're changing the format so you
can lose money for two more years.

Speaker 6 (01:15:09):
Mama looks at Johnny. You can see from her manner
Johnny has figured it out. Any conglomerate needs a couple
of losing divisions to help protect the profits of the winners.

Speaker 10 (01:15:22):
Good night.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
We hear the doorbell ring. Mama turns her back on
Johnny and comes downstage towards the camera. Fever walks up
behind her.

Speaker 7 (01:15:29):
You're telling your.

Speaker 2 (01:15:30):
Own son that you want him to be the general
manager of the number one station of the market, and
you'd be happier if.

Speaker 7 (01:15:37):
It was sixteen.

Speaker 1 (01:15:38):
Johnny asks Mama how she thinks her son would feel
if he knew why she even kept the station. Mama
swivels around to face Johnny with her hands on her hips.
The doorbell rings again. Hersh comes into the entryway, and
Hirsh is hilarious with his comment as he passes.

Speaker 3 (01:15:56):
Very interesting turn. Don't you think.

Speaker 1 (01:16:02):
Hersch was eavesdropping? As usual? He goes to answer the door.

Speaker 6 (01:16:07):
We hear mister Carlson before we see him first.

Speaker 3 (01:16:10):
Is she here, Mama?

Speaker 6 (01:16:12):
He comes into the living room, telling his mother, Andy
and Venus are out in the car. He begins talking
quickly when he notices Johnny standing over by the couch.

Speaker 13 (01:16:21):
I was telling him, trying to explain what you told
me about being the best and death.

Speaker 6 (01:16:25):
He pauses when he sees Johnny Fever.

Speaker 13 (01:16:27):
What are you doing here?

Speaker 6 (01:16:27):
Johnny tells mister Carlson, they were just chatting. His mother
has high hopes for KARP.

Speaker 7 (01:16:34):
Being number one, not quite Seva.

Speaker 6 (01:16:36):
Johnny knows he's touched a nerve.

Speaker 7 (01:16:39):
Oh is our little conversation confidential.

Speaker 1 (01:16:41):
Art can feel the tension in the room.

Speaker 7 (01:16:44):
Don't believe I'm following this.

Speaker 1 (01:16:46):
Mom is staring at Johnny.

Speaker 10 (01:16:47):
Are you threatening me?

Speaker 1 (01:16:48):
Carlson thinks the comment was directed at him. He looks
quickly at Mama.

Speaker 7 (01:16:52):
No, no, no, heck no, boy, I'll tell you something.

Speaker 2 (01:16:56):
May see your mother does not want you or w KRP.

Speaker 10 (01:17:01):
All right, Feva, that's quite enough.

Speaker 1 (01:17:03):
Mama Cross is to the other side of the room.

Speaker 13 (01:17:05):
Would somebody like to explain something to me? I'm a
pretty good listener.

Speaker 1 (01:17:11):
Johnny looks at Art, then to Mama. The room is silent.
Then missus Carlson looks to her son, Atha.

Speaker 10 (01:17:20):
I want you to keep KRP just the way it is.

Speaker 3 (01:17:25):
Number six.

Speaker 1 (01:17:25):
No, there's a long pause after number six. They let
that one build and it grew into a pretty nice laugh.

Speaker 16 (01:17:39):
The fall mat O, Well, what about the American way that.

Speaker 6 (01:17:44):
Johnny puts his hand on mister Carlson's back.

Speaker 10 (01:17:47):
Wait' had Ace, I think your mother is saying she
believes in you.

Speaker 6 (01:17:51):
Johnny is patting mister Carlson on his back. He turns
to address missus Carlson.

Speaker 10 (01:17:57):
Am I right.

Speaker 6 (01:17:58):
Mama is standing arms crossed in front of her chest.
If looks could kill, Johnny would be a dead man.
Johnny begins walking to the door, and he decides to
get a few more shots in. Johnny puts his hand
over his heart.

Speaker 3 (01:18:14):
I'll just.

Speaker 7 (01:18:19):
It's deeply moving to see something like this.

Speaker 6 (01:18:26):
Johnny puts his hands up to his eyes to wipe
away the tears.

Speaker 1 (01:18:30):
Man, he is on a roll.

Speaker 6 (01:18:32):
Well she deserves it.

Speaker 1 (01:18:33):
Yeah, she's really earned all of that. Johnny covers his
face with both hands and runs towards the foyer. He
passes Venus and Andy, who are on their way in.
Venas and Andy comes staggering into view. Oh man, the
control room drinking seems to have continued. They stop in

(01:18:55):
the doorway to the living room and they are both
very drunk. But Andy really looks like he might be
the worse off. Venus is trying to prop Andy up.
Andy looks over at Missus Carlson with a slack expression.

Speaker 3 (01:19:12):
Miss Carlson, I tire your crud.

Speaker 6 (01:19:19):
Language. That is totally We get a reaction shot from Mama.
Venus adds a supportive yeah. He thought Venus was the
more stable of the two, but the yeah seems to
be more than he could take. Venus passes out. He

(01:19:40):
slides down Andy's arm and then collapses onto the floor.
Andy is amazingly still standing, but he's very wobbly.

Speaker 3 (01:19:49):
I got four things that I want to send you.

Speaker 6 (01:19:53):
Oh, mister Carlson is worried about what might come out
of his mouth.

Speaker 10 (01:19:56):
Next Tott Travis.

Speaker 1 (01:19:59):
In his head, Andy must have said something number two
and this is all Andy can take. He falls face
down on the floor with a loud thump. And you
mentioned his hair.

Speaker 6 (01:20:14):
He falls forward and the hair on each side of
his face whies out like wings or something.

Speaker 1 (01:20:21):
So Art's wanting to smooth things over as he looks
to his mother.

Speaker 13 (01:20:25):
You know, mommy, I don't think we've all had a
chance to get together like this.

Speaker 1 (01:20:31):
Before the screen gets to black and we head into
our final commercial.

Speaker 6 (01:20:37):
Break, he calls her, Mommy.

Speaker 1 (01:20:39):
Mommy, you know, mommy.

Speaker 6 (01:20:42):
We returned from commercial break for our capper scene. In
Andy's office, it must be the next day. Andy's at
his desk holding a cloth to his head. His eyes
are closed. Bailey enters carrying a large glass of what
looks like tomato juice with a celery stalk in it. Groaning,
Andy reaches up and takes the drink from Bailey.

Speaker 7 (01:21:06):
You're gonna go to heaven for that.

Speaker 6 (01:21:10):
Less enters Andy's office. He places his tape recorder on
the floor in the center of the room and presses record.

Speaker 1 (01:21:17):
What Bailey brought Andy is called a bloody Mary. The
bloody Mary, like the mimosa, is an excuse to drink
in the morning. The hair of the Dog theory says
you can blunt a bad hangover by getting yourself just
a little drunk the next morning. The bloody Mary was
created to do just that. It was most likely named

(01:21:37):
after entertainer George Jessel's friend Mary Garrity, who was known
to nursa hangover with a picture of bloody Mary's.

Speaker 6 (01:21:46):
A traditional bloody mary includes spicy tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce,
hot pepper, sauce, salt and pepper. Garnishes like celery are important,
but they can very on your bartender. In addition to celery, pickles, olives, bacon,

(01:22:06):
and shrimp are all popular as bloody mary garnishes. Yum, yum.
The vodka is what makes it a merry. With any
other alcohol, it's no longer a bloody Mary Tomato juice,
and tequila is called a bloody Maria tomato juice, and
jen is a red snapper.

Speaker 3 (01:22:24):
Let's go on.

Speaker 1 (01:22:25):
Art and Johnny come into the office. Andy continues wiping
his head and neck with the cloth as he talks
to mister Carlson and Johnny.

Speaker 3 (01:22:33):
Hey, you guys, thank you very much for turn on
missus Carlson.

Speaker 1 (01:22:38):
Johnny points at Art with both of his pointer fingers
to give him all the credit. Everyone's being very quiet
as they come in. Jennifer comes to the door. She
looks at them.

Speaker 3 (01:22:48):
Not yet, I can't find Venus.

Speaker 6 (01:22:51):
We hear noises coming from behind the couch. Venus slowly
pulls himself up so we can see his head. He
drapes both arms over the couch to keep from falling
back onto the floor. So was he there all night?

Speaker 1 (01:23:04):
I don't know. He may have slipped on the floor
behind the couch.

Speaker 6 (01:23:07):
Jennifer smiles and yells it's time. Andy asks again what's
going on as Herb comes through the door holding a cake, sid.

Speaker 3 (01:23:19):
And are you skipped out on your party last night?

Speaker 7 (01:23:23):
But we got you.

Speaker 1 (01:23:24):
Don Herb walks towards Andy's desk to set the cake
down in front of Andy, the guest of honor. And yes,
we see Herb's outfit, but he's got cake. We don't
want to bother him right now. With an alert, Herb
doesn't see less his tape recorder. As he's crossing the room,
he trips and falls over Andy's desk.

Speaker 8 (01:23:49):
The cake plans dead zetter in the middle of Andy's chest.
Herb stands up from the desk because see Andy is
covered in cake. It's all down his face, his hands,
There's even some in his hair. Herb is holding the
now empty cardboard cake plate, looking a little stunned.

Speaker 6 (01:24:09):
And Andy is looking stunned as well. Herb turns to
leave and once again trips over the tape recorder. Herb
finally exits the office. One by one. They all leave
in silence. I guess the party's over. Mister Carlson is first,
followed by Bailey, then Jennifer Les bends down to retrieve

(01:24:29):
his tape recorder and he hurries out. We see Venus
on all fours. He's crawling out the door. Johnny has
been standing by the door jam with a hand over
his mouth, laughing. Once everyone is out of the room,
Johnny walks up to Andy and grabs a fistful of
cake from Andy's stomach. He has a bite and then

(01:24:50):
jogs out of Andy's office. The studio audience is going nuts.

Speaker 1 (01:24:55):
And that's going to do it for Up and Down
the Dial, which very definitely felt like a season ender,
but still leaving it open to come back next year
with a fifth season. It would be another week or
ten days before they found out Nope, no more WKRP.
So this becomes our last episode, but not really. We've

(01:25:17):
still got those two sitting on the shelf. So, Donna,
what is up for our next episode?

Speaker 6 (01:25:24):
We will be discussing to air is Human? A stand
up point of sale ad for one of the station's
sponsors is supposed to picture Venus. Due to a herb
based mix up, the image on the ads isn't Venus,
but a smiling herb at the grill. The sponsor wants
to drop them. Jennifer offers to talk to the client.

(01:25:46):
Her obvious charms should convince him to not dump the station.

Speaker 1 (01:25:51):
That's going to do it. For this episode of the
WKRP Cast. If you'd like to watch along with us,
make sure to check our show notes. Find us on
social media. You can follow our Facebook page at WKRP
Cast and for more WKRP fund become a patron, go
to patreon dot com slash WKRP Cast from behind the scenes, fun,

(01:26:14):
full interviews and more.

Speaker 6 (01:26:16):
Got a question, comment or correction Let us know about it.
Write us WKRP Cast at gmail.

Speaker 1 (01:26:23):
Dot com and remember to please rate and review us
on Apple Podcast. Thanks for listening.

Speaker 16 (01:26:29):
Bye, Now may the good news be yours.

Speaker 12 (01:26:40):
The WKRP Cast is not endorsed by MTM, Enterprise, use
Shot Factory, or CBS. This podcast is intended for entertainment
and informational purposes only WKRP in Cincinnati. The WKRP logo
and all names, pictures, and audio of WKRP and Cincinnati
characters are registered trademarks of MTM, CBS, Shout Factory, or

(01:27:01):
their respective copyright holders.

Speaker 3 (01:27:10):
Almost got them babies. Booker

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S4E20 - "Up and Down the Dial"

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}S4E20 - "Up and Down the Dial"