Golden Years of Television; 103; The Colgate Comedy Hour, Iowa Broadcaster - Bill Turner

Oh. Major funding for this program was provided by friends of Iowa Public Television. Iowa Public Television invites you out a memorable journey through television's first decade live with America's favorite past time when it was young and boisterous live and experimenting relive the golden years of television. Good evening I'm Mike Newell and thanks again for joining us here on the golden years of television. Tonight we'll sample what has become an extinct species in television entertainment. It's the live weekly variety show with heavy doses of comedy dance and song tonight but Abbott and Lucas

take their turn as host of the Colgate Comedy Hour. And yes we have a rare television performance of the radio comedy classic who's on first. Joining Abbott and Costello are opera star John Miller and film Monster Lon Chaney. The Colgate Comedy Hour was network TV's very first commercial series to originate in Hollywood and it was designed to compete against the ever popular weekly on CBS the toast of the town soon to be renamed The Ed Sullivan Show following tonight's presentation. Well this is it with Iowa broadcast pioneer Bill Turner. The year is 1951 and it's Sunday night at 7:00. And if you were tuned to NBC you'd be watching Bud Abbott and Lucas jello on the Colgate Comedy Hour. Will.

Will. Will not be a whopper of a game. I'm going to do you know what I mean I'm honestly one of the boys on the team we have who's on for a second I don't know who's on third. Should I say who's on first What's on second I don't know song. You know I'm telling you that. I met you once I'm

coming to you. I'm not asking you. I don't know what the guy. I don't know. When you got somebody. I mean

you don't want to. Give money to somebody giving me what I am. And you wonder what would have looked to you want to thank you. You know you when you die you. Like

I don't know. What. Do you mean without a pitcher right. You know I mean. You know

at first I don't know that's right. And I'm not.

And I don't. And I'm going to put you in my don't worry about.

The money in the vicinity. I don't want to. Roll over the country is going to try and raise it from here. I'm not going to get the money.

Turner we've got to get that money. What that. You don't know. I mean for me. Because I want. To thank

you. Right right right. Right right. You

think you know what I'm doing. Thank you very much. I got the picture.

They got they got they got a break and they got a big money will just come in. Do you.

Know that. I am. I want. Money. You me. I'm.

You want my hero and I'm going to reward. I'm going to get. Oh you're kidding. I'm going to be for you

if you meet me. I'll be here when you call me. When you get away. If we can we get it.

Believe me I am. I and I am. I am. I am I am. Watching it.

Watch me now where there is money. I was never touched. Find someone.

Find me. I don't do it again. I think that's OK. Now would we. I don't want the money we are going to.

Come with me. I think you will.

Yeah well you're picking me now. What's. Your chin. Oh my oh my. I am gay.

Something more than you might you know on your last customer. I was fine so I enjoyed it very much. Well I'm glad you enjoyed it. You must come sometime and try our rule and think that you know. I certainly think I'm going to get more than that

and I want to go there someday. Thank you very much and I. Really. Mean. God. You are.

Yeah.

Yeah. I. Am.

This was just going to get the metabolic rate this

last raise enough money to finish my USO show. But they're going to sing it if we're going to show a complete unless you're And when you accept and thank you enough. Thanks a million. Now that you've got the money to put your show on I have a little bit to get the money you know just for the work to do on the stage I want to set my everything down there and sing when I can sing then. Yes yes. Oh no.

I am. I am. Just after many trials and tribulations has

finally assembled and. Right.

My rivals turned Hello

hello I was yours truly one. Night. Was. The period.

To reset. Coming here.

Thank. You. You know you

hear that. Iowa has been blessed with a number of bright and energetic broadcast executives whose insight and direction has successfully guided the radio and television outlets so capably serving the Hawkeye State and well beyond. Cities Bill Turner is one of those executives. We welcome him tonight as an Iowa broadcast pioneer. Bill Turner is president and general manager of TV in Sioux City where he has been most active in civic business and broadcasting affairs on behalf of the board of directors of forward communications parent of two cities Channel 9. Will the

mantle above the fireplace is cluttered with a host of distinguished service awards. Hall of Fame honors and citations from a broad range of civic foundations educational institutions broadcast organizations and charitable causes. Bill is a past president of the Iowa Broadcasters Association and I be a Hall of Fame honoree. He currently serves as vice chair of the television board of directors of the NABJ and is chair of the television and radio political action committee. Bill we welcome you and in going through your biography and going through all the things you've done how do you find time to get all these things done. Well Mike I think you're gracious in your opening remarks but I think it's a discipline the time when one of the things that I was felt that we had to do is discipline our time and take advantage of the time we have and tried to do the very best job we can for our profession. Forty one years in the business as a broadcast executive and I know you had one. One thing up front when you got started in Sioux City and that is to serve the community you serve four

states actually. Yes we do and one of the responsibilities we felt that we've always had as a commercial broadcaster is to operate in the public interest and when we finish our day's operation I think what we'd like to really analyze have we done the job we were expected to do for the four states that we're covering. And if we say yes we have then we can be feel very comfortable with our profession out of the many things that you have on the Bill Turner bio down through the years you've been very close to ABC television through the network and through the National Association of Broadcasters. Tell us of your involvement in the film and the affiliates board. Well Mike I had the opportunity of representing all the ABC stations in the years 1976 and 77 I came from the smallest market ever to be. Chaired this committee and also I followed in some great footsteps of Joe Hall at the from over in Cedar Rapids Here's two of us have been chairman of this organization. It allowed us to have some input on what the network was doing as far as commercial television was

concerned but also try to look down the road and see what direction our profession might be in. Bill there's also a thing called Tire pack which has been shortened to an acronym of course. It is the television and radio political action committee. In this day and age it has served broadcasters well to have their voice heard. Yes it has a mike and one of the criticisms that's been leveled at political action committees is it's a mechanism some people anticipate might be an opportunity to try to buy a candidate's vote. That's not the situation at all basically the political action committee. Is able to obtain funds from broadcasters who out the United States and root those two candidates who have some vital interest in needs in order to provide the funding to properly campaign. It also allows us the opportunity to go in and sit down to talk to the congressman or senator and explain to him our position on a specific item. We're not asking them to always back us but at least say know where we're coming from

and what our responsibilities are. And when you say that the voice is heard and when you say hour and as you're speaking of commercial broadcasters all together not necessarily gentlemen. No I'm talking about the entire broadcast industry I've got the responsibilities of handling the chair for their political action committee this represents all of the network all of the independents as a matter of fact some of our people who participate are also in the public sector. They also can contribute. We pool our resources and hope that we're effective force in our lobbying efforts. Well let's roll the calendar back for just a moment 41 years in the broadcasting business. You've seen a lot of changes what was it like when things got underway for you in this business. Well you know for my friends here and I make no secret about it I'm proud to be 55 going on 56 but I was one of those individuals who got hurt playing sports in high school and I wanted to stay close to the sporting field so I talked myself into being a color commentator Mike and you know what sports

is with a local radio station in my hometown of Britain Connecticut and the callers were w NBC subsequently sold to the National Broadcasting Company and the individual who hired me at that time was an individual. Peter Kenny who recently retired as the Washington counsel for NBC so I had an early start and I did call around all of the high school sporting events in our hometown through four decades of service to your community and service to the broadcast community. You certainly have noticed that the broadcast business draws to a different individual. I think you're right. Those of us who like excitement those of us who like to be in the mainstream a thing those of us who like to have an impact on their community belong in this profession. If you've got the dedication in time and really are concerned about what happens in your state in your community or in your country then the broadcast profession is a very very excellent focal piece and you have seen first hand of course as a civic and community leader in the upper northwest area the

tremendous growth of this city television market. We think this city television market is very competitive as a matter of fact we're the only city in Iowa that has three commercial stations and one public television station operating in that community. I'd like to explain that in the Des Moines market one of the stations is up in Ames and three of them are here in Des Moines are four of them here in Des Moines in Cedar Rapids one is in Waterloo two in Cedar Rapids over in the Quad Cities are all in different areas. So Super City is one of the most competitive markets in the in the state of Iowa and we like it that way because we think it hones all of our skills. And on the bottom line you get a chance to see television from all over the country local television I'm speaking of course and I guess I'm kind of proud of the fact that Iowa's television industry its communication industry is far fire advanced than most people think it is. And compared to other states Mike one of the things I think of people travel much and go around the country and look at what is being done we can be proud of what's being

done here and I would for instance see excellent responsibility and cooperation that I've personally enjoyed with Iowa Public Television with Larry Patton and with Dan Miller and going back to the original group of people. We always had a cooperative effort. There were some public television programs that were not seen in the Sioux City Iowa market we carried them on our station because we felt it was important. That programming prior to the building of your state white network belonged in Sioux City. So we had a cooperative effort and I think that's the way the profession should be. Bill there's a certain amount of social responsibility that goes with the person who gets into the broadcast business you've seen it through the founding of the Broadcasters Association through the N A B and the future of the broadcast business probably depends upon how socially responsible responsible our commercial broadcasters are. I think it's one of the greatest charges we'll have in the next decade. There are some individuals right now who are putting pressure looking at the

television and radio industry as one that has proliferated that there is an abundance now of signals coming into the home. We have cable. We have a lot of independent stations around the country we have here and I was the excellent public television network and I think we have to look at is we can all complement each other and basically our responsibility is how can we better serve the public. And if we can meet that challenge then we're all going to be successful. So how do you define an individual's station's responsibility to its public to the community it's yours. Well we felt that let me talk about Sioux City because I'm most familiar with that. And with my association and that's Association of Broadcasters with my responsibilities as vice chair of the television board we had some great concerns that we would try to do something about drunk driving on our highways during the holiday season. We put together a campaign and had all interested parties from the three states to get together. We

are running a series of announcements on the air giving them prime time exposure there not lost somewhere. And this past holiday season we had a less number of arrests for drunk ing drunk driving we had less fatalities. We had a lot of things in the law enforcement people felt that that was the combined effort of the media that made this possible. If you look in the state of Iowa the Department of Transportation recently issued Iowa had one of the lowest number of fatalities during 84 as part of the statement that was made the combined effort of the media has made the awareness and that the educational aspects of it. And I think that's what's important. Many of our viewers of course know that Bill is the executive producer of the coverage that brings you the annual Iowa boys high school basketball tournament. That's a big change in recent years. This is not necessarily available at all times to all people in the past. I guess what I'm asking the past 40 years have brought on a lot of changes. What are the next 40 have for us.

I think we're going to look at the combination of groups of stations for instance more cooperative efforts here in the state of Iowa. The Iowa television network and what they're doing with the focus in the University of Iowa is an important ingredient I think in our state. I think the cooperate if efforts that are being made for instance in the region recent coverage of the murder trial in Sioux City we will provide the cameras in a court room we did the pool feed stations from throughout the state could come in pick off what portion he needed we turned over our editing facilities. I think you'll see more cooperative efforts now with the expansion of the satellites we can now deliver signals to a very very restricted area and do a better job in our state. I will broadcast pioneer Bill Turner and Bill thank you for your contributions to the television industry and your contributions to the state of Iowa. Nice being with you. Thank you Bill. Next time on the golden years of television we'll get a look at a pair of television institutions. First up is Ralph Edwards who took them by surprise. This is your life. This time around he captures that comedy

duo Laurel and Hardy who make a rare out of character live television appearance. Then it's the incomparable Ernie Kovacs video pioneer and video genius who hosts his very own show called TAKE A GOOD LUCK. Poet Percy dubbed outsold is but one of several wacky Kovacs creations to take us back to TV's in 50 years. That's next week. And the golden years of television. Until then I'm like Noelle and thanks for joining us on our journey through TV's past. We hope you've enjoyed a little trip through TV's purse deck you will be back with more of the fabulous 50 years when we once again bring you the golden years of television. I am.

Major funding for this program was provided by friends of Iowa Public Television.