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EBERSOL, DICK Mark R. Mcdermott Mark R. McDermott www.markmcdermott.com [email protected] EBERSOL, DICK U.S. Media Executive n his various executive positions Duncan Dickie I Ebersol has contributed several innovations to the NBC television network. He shepherded Saturday Night Live onto the air, then returned as producer to “rescue” the show in the early 1980s. As president of NBC Sports, he pursued several inventive and sometimes risky program- ming packages such as the Olympics Triple-Cast and the Baseball Network. Throughout his career he has been recognized as one of television’s more creative programmers. Ebersol became hooked on television sports when he saw the debut of ABC’s Wide World of Sports in 1963. Later, when that show was shooting in his area, he got errand jobs with the crew. By the winter of 1968 he was working as a research assistant for ABC’s coverage of the Winter Olym- pics in Grenoble, France, and while finishing his studies at Yale, he worked full-time as a segment producer. In 1971, Dick Ebersol following graduation, he became an executive assistant and Photo courtesy of Dick Ebersol producer with Roone Arledge, vice president of ABC Sports and creator of Wide World of Sports. NBC tried to hire Ebersol in 1974 by offering to name dent of Late-Night Programs, with an office in Burbank and him president of their sports division, but at the age of 27 responsibility over every late show that did not belong to he decided he wasn’t ready to compete against Arledge. Johnny Carson. Ebersol had become, at 28, the youngest Instead, he moved to NBC with a new title: director of vice president in NBC history. Weekend Late Night Programming. At that time the pro- By 1977, he had become head of NBC’s comedy and gramming slots following the Saturday and Sunday late news variety programming. Unfortunately, this was a fallow were a dead zone for all three networks. Affiliates made more time for comedy, especially for NBC. Ebersol has said that money with old movies than with network offerings—in his only success in this period was hiring Brandon Tar- NBC’s case, reruns of The Tonight Show. The network tikoff away from ABC to be his associate. After a confron- charged Ebersol with finding something, anything, to tation with new programming director Fred Silverman, replace the Carson reruns. Ebersol quit his position at NBC, and Tartikoff replaced Ebersol conceived of a comedy-variety revue aimed at him. He went into independent production, taking over young adults, an audience generally thought to be away from The Midnight Special and various sports programming. home—and television—on weekends. He assumed enough Shortly afterward, however, NBC asked him to rescue of them would stay home to watch a show featuring “under- Saturday Night Live (SNL). ground” comedians like George Carlin and Richard Pryor, Lorne Michaels had left SNL after the 1979-80 season, especially when supported with a repertory cast picked from and the original cast and writing staff left as well. Replace- new improv-based, television-savvy comedy groups such as ment producer Jean Doumanian’s tenure proved a disaster: Second City, the National Lampoon stage shows or the the show’s daring, edgy satire went over the edge with Groundlings. Ebersol also discovered Lorne Michaels, a sketches like “The Leather Weather Lady.” NBC executives former writer for Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, who had had seen enough with Doumanian’s twelfth show, when cast produced specials for Lily Tomlin and Flip Wilson, and had member Charles Rocket absent-mindedly said “fuck” on the been lobbying for just the kind of program Ebersol was air. Doumanian was fired, and Ebersol agreed to produce the thinking of. show if NBC would end Midnight Special. As Michaels assembled the cast and writers, Ebersol ran Ebersol took Saturday Night Live off the air for a month interference for Saturday Night Live before nervous network of “retooling.” Following this hiatus only one show was management and affiliates. The pair spurned NBC’s sug- broadcast before a writers’ strike in early 1981 halted pro- gestions for safe hosts like Bob Hope and Joe Namath, and duction until fall. Meanwhile, he fired all of the cast except secured Pryor, Carlin and Tomlin for that role. As Saturday rising stars Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy, and hired Chris- Night Live took off, NBC promoted Ebersol to vice presi- tine Ebersole (no relation), Mary Gross, and Tim Horace Newcomb, Editor. The Encyclopedia of Television. Vol. 1, pp. 545-547 Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn (Museum of Broadcast Communications), 1997. Copyright © 1997 by Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers Mark R. McDermott www.markmcdermott.com [email protected] Kazurinsky. He also brought back the head writer from the a labor agreement and no guarantee against another strike, both first season, the brilliant but intimidating Michael networks pulled out of the venture. O’Donoghue (who was fired by next January). In the past several years, Dick has often been named Critics considered Ebersol’s SNL an improvement over among the most influential people in sports by the Sporting the previous season, but the ratings were still lower than in News. His name had been bandied about to possibly become the Doumanian era. The show’s guest hosts devolved from the next commissioner of baseball, but he preferred instead hip comedians to NBC series players or stars of current to sign a contract to continue as president of NBC Sports. movies to plug. —Mark R. McDermott No Sleep Productions, Ebersol’s production house, had brought Friday Night Videos to NBC in 1983, where Michael dick ebersol. Born in Torrington, Connecticut, U.S.A., Jackson’s groundbreaking “Thriller” video debuted. The 1947. Graduated from Yale University, New Haven, Con- next year, Ebersol took over Friday Night Videos full-time, necticut, 1971. Married: Susan St. James, 1982; three chil- and shared the reins on Saturday Night Live with Bob dren. Began broadcasting career as researcher, ABC Sports, Tischler. For the 1984-85 season, the two shored up SNL’s 1967; segment producer, ABC Sports, 1969; executive ratings with experienced comics like Billy Crystal, Harry assistant to Roone Arledge, ABC Sports, 1974; director, Shearer, Christopher Guest and Martin Short. Afterward, late-night weekend programming, NBC-TV, 1974; vice Ebersol quit to spend more time at home, and Brandon president, late-night weekend programming, NBC-TV, Tartikoff, now his boss, hired Lorne Michaels as producer. 1975; vice president, comedy, variety, and event Ebersol continued to produce Friday Night Videos for programming, NBC-TV, 1977; independent producer, NBC, while his wife, the actress Susan St. James, starred in 1979; executive producer, Saturday Night Live, 1981; CBS’s Kate and Allie with Jane Curtin. In 1985, he pro- president, NBC Sports, since 1989; senior vice president, duced The Saturday Night Main Event, a series of World NBC News, since 1989. Address: NBC Sports, 30 Wrestling Federation matches, to rotate in Saturday Night Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, New York 10112, Live’s off weeks. In 1988, he produced the very late-night U.S.A. Later with Bob Costas. Ebersol returned to NBC in April 1989 as president of TELEVISION SERIES (executive producer) NBC Sports. That July he was also named senior vice 1981-85 Saturday Night Live president of NBC News, a position that paralleled the 1983 Friday Night Videos situation of his mentor, Roone Arledge, at ABC. As the 1985 The Saturday Night Main Event executive for the Today Show, Ebersol presided over Jane 1988 Later with Bob Costas Pauley’s removal from the anchor desk in favor of Deborah Norville. He took the heat for the resulting bad publicity, FURTHER READING and was relieved of his Today Show duties. Clark, Kenneth R. “Reincarnated: In Susan Saint James’ Ebersol has enjoyed much greater success in sports New Life, She’s Betty Aster, Radio Star.” Chicago Tri- programming. He helped NBC snare several Super Bowl bune, 1 June 1993. contracts, then brought the National Basketball Association Hill, Doug, and Jeff Weingard. Saturday Night: A Backstage back to network television at the height of its popularity. History of Saturday Night Live. New York: Beech Tree, NBC’s coverage of the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona 1986. received excellent ratings, but the network lost money, Holtzman, Jerome. “On Baseball.” Chicago Tribune, 13 largely from its “Triple-Cast” coverage offered on three June 1993. pay-per-view cable channels. Corporate parent General “Live from New York—it’s Dick Ebersol.” Broadcasting Electric expressed its commitment to the Olympics, though, (Washington, D.C.), 4 December 1989. when they announced Ebersol would be executive producer Mandese, Joe. “‘There’s a Lot Left for Me in Sports.’” of the 1996 Atlanta games. Advertising Age (New York), 6 September 1993. Ebersol aided in the formation of the Baseball Network, Niedetz, Steve. “On TV/Radio Sports.” Chicago Tribune, an unusual joint venture between NBC, ABC and Major 23 January 1995. League Baseball. The league produced its own coverage of Shapiro, Mitchell E. Television Network Prime-time Pro- Friday or Saturday night games; ABC or NBC alternated gramming, 1948-1988. Jefferson, North Carolina: scheduling Baseball Night in America, and affiliates chose games McFarland, 1989. of local interest to carry. The Baseball Network opened after the 1994 All-Star Game, but was cut short by that year’s players’ See also Arledge, Roone; Saturday Night Live, Sports and strike. In 1995, as the delayed baseball season opened without Television Horace Newcomb, Editor. The Encyclopedia of Television. Vol. 1, pp. 545-547 Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn (Museum of Broadcast Communications), 1997. Copyright © 1997 by Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.
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