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That's Television Entertainment: the History, Development, and Impact

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That's Television Entertainment: the History, Development, and Impact That’s Television Entertainment: The History, Development, and Impact of the First Five Seasons of “Entertainment Tonight,” 1981-86 A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Sara C. Magee August 2008 © 2008 Sara C. Magee All Rights Reserved ii This dissertation titled That’s Television Entertainment: The History, Development, and Impact of the First Five Seasons of “Entertainment Tonight,” 1981-86 by SARA C. MAGEE has been approved for the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Scripps College of Communication by Patrick S. Washburn Professor of Journalism Gregory J. Shepherd Dean, Scripps College of Communication iii Abstract MAGEE, SARA C., Ph.D., August 2008, Mass Communication That’s Television Entertainment: The History, Development, and Impact of the First Five Seasons of “Entertainment Tonight,” 1981-86 (306 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Patrick S. Washburn The line between news and entertainment on television grows more blurry every day. Heated debates over what is news and what is entertainment pepper local, national, and cable newsrooms. Cable channels devoted entirely to entertainment and a plethora of syndicated, half-hour entertainment news magazines air nightly. It was not always so. When “Entertainment Tonight” premiered in 1981, the first daily half-hour syndicated news program, no one thought it would survive. No one believed there was enough celebrity and Hollywood news to fill a daily half-hour, much less interest an audience. Still, “ET” set out to become the glitzy, glamorous newscast of record for the entertainment industry and twenty-seven years later is still going strong. But the legacy of entertainment as news is only one of its many facets. The creators of “ET” developed a unique delivery system that revolutionized satellite syndication and it popularized the cash-plus-barter system of selling syndicated programs. The first five years of the program, from 1981 to 1986, were seminal in creating these facets that would provide the backbone for the success of the program and much of syndicated television for the next two decades. The philosophies and principles for producing the program that emerged during these years provided a stable base upon which “ET” would evolve into the leader for entertainment news on television. This dissertation uncovers what it took to create a pioneer in syndicated television and a show that today can bill itself as “television’s most iv watched entertainment news program”. The story of the first five years of “ET” is told in this dissertation through the personal interviews and reflections of the producers, reporters, anchors, and executives who brought “ET” to life, as well as contextual analysis of a sample of early shows and published reviews and articles. Television news directors in local and cable markets who remember when “ET” premiered also explain the impact it had on television news. By understanding how “ET” began and why it survives, we can better understand where news and entertainment are headed today and how syndicated television programming developed. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Patrick S. Washburn Professor of Journalism v Acknowledgments Special thanks to Professor Patrick Washburn for his assistance, guidance, and support throughout the writing process and for the invaluable historical research and editing knowledge he provided. Special thanks also to Associate Professor Mary Rogus for her incredible knowledge of the broadcast news industry and her willingness to share it with me as well as her belief in this research topic. And special thanks to Professor Joseph Bernt for his support of this topic and keeping me calm through moments of stress; Professor Gregory Newton for fostering my interest and knowledge about the broadcast and syndication industry and for being my “technical support;” and Professor Sherrie Gradin for encouraging me to delve into the rhetoric of broadcast writing and news and listening to my wild ideas about news and entertainment. Also warmest thanks to Jennifer Kowalewski for her editing skills, incredible support, and for being my voice of reason when it was needed. This dissertation would not be possible without all of you. vi Dedicated to my parents, Joel and Barbara Magee, for their unfailing love, support, and encouragement throughout this process and throughout my life. Also dedicated to my sister Mary Davis, and my brothers Charles Magee and Bernard Davis for their advice and love; and to Marty and Sheryl Nantus for being my sanity and the best support system anyone could have. vii Table of Contents Page Abstract.............................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Let Me Entertain You........................................................................................ 1 News vs. Entertainment .................................................................................................. 3 Technology, Production, and Marketing ........................................................................ 6 Historical Analysis.......................................................................................................... 7 Notes Chapter 1................................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 2: That’s Entertainment!...................................................................................... 16 The Early Years ............................................................................................................ 18 Radio & News............................................................................................................... 21 Television...................................................................................................................... 24 Masini’s Great Idea....................................................................................................... 32 Forming a Show............................................................................................................ 38 The Big Concern........................................................................................................... 41 The Pilot........................................................................................................................ 43 Notes Chapter 2................................................................................................................. 48 Chapter 3: Breaking New Ground: The Sales and Distribution Process .......................... 56 Cable & Satellite........................................................................................................... 58 Satellite Distribution..................................................................................................... 64 Sales & Advertising...................................................................................................... 68 Notes Chapter 3................................................................................................................. 75 viii Chapter 4: Into the Fire..................................................................................................... 79 Hiring the Staff ............................................................................................................. 81 Creating a Format and Template .................................................................................. 86 News Versus Glitz and Glamour .................................................................................. 95 Lights! Camera! Action!............................................................................................... 98 Onward and Upward? ................................................................................................. 102 Notes Chapter 4............................................................................................................... 106 Chapter 5: Moving Forward............................................................................................ 112 Life After Friendly...................................................................................................... 113 Bringing In Bellows.................................................................................................... 119 Getting the Feel of Things .......................................................................................... 124 Death and Credibility.................................................................................................. 131 Notes Chapter 5............................................................................................................... 137 Chapter 6: Settling In...................................................................................................... 143 A New Face ................................................................................................................ 144 Reviewing Maltin ....................................................................................................... 151 Promotional Consideration ......................................................................................... 154 Making Music............................................................................................................
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