As I've written here before, the Fall 82 CBS schedule had room for one more sitcom. It chose "Alice." Great choice! 'Nuff said.
WKRP had a lot going for it. Anyone who worked in radio can tell you they've encountered Johnny Fever types, along with Les. Above all, Frank Bonner really nailed the sales manager role. I worked with that guy, at several stops in my career.
Andy and Venus were the relatively calm ones in the sea of insanity.
Jennifer is an attractive woman, but I was always a Bailey fan.
And, I did work for the real Arthur Carlson, who was an executive with the company that owned my old radio station.
In past WKRP discussions, I noted that I always found WKRP to be uneven. Many episodes were okay, at best. Several put you on the floor in laughter. Some, like my personal favorite "Baby, It's Cold Inside," are touching.
Plus, who could forget the legendary "Turkeys Away!" episode.
CBS never did right by this series, bouncing it all over the schedule.
Thank heaven for reruns and You Tube.
One more TV note before I hit the "publish" button...
Jim Hartz died last week. 82. He was a local news anchor and did two years on the "Today" show from 1974 to 76. Warm. Folksy. Down to earth. Hartz had the misfortune of anchoring "Today" when "Good Morning America" was starting to get noticed. NBC retooled "Today." Hartz out. Tom Brokaw in. NBC put Hartz out on the road for a year. He then left for a local anchor job in Washington and did quite well. He was good on "Today,"but ABC started doing a better morning show, and NBC placed the blame on Jim Hartz. He deserved better.
