![]() ![]() No one individual left a larger imprint on the syndication industry than Roger King. He could dazzle them all-main street retailers or Wall Street financiers-Joe Rielly, president and executive director, New York State Broadcasters Association. Convince them on either basis and you’ll never end up on the bread line.” He used to tell me “people buy for two reasons…out of fear or greed. He was 21, full of energy, enthusiasm and BIG ideas. (“Why don’t you and I buy this station and get the 85 %, not the 15 %”.) He was the most gifted raw talent I’d ever met. I gave him all the accounts nobody else wanted. He sold most of them and gave me nightly headaches as he continually hammered me to “renegotiate” his commission. I am proud to say I knew him when and my heartfelt prayers go out to his family.-Randy Thomas (voice-over artist), voice of Entertainment Tonight/The Insider, CBS-Paramount Television.I hired Roger to sell radio advertising at a small station in New Jersey. I had many lunches with Roger and Michael back in those early days before he took television to whole new level. I can still hear him say: “You sit there and watch and learn my dear.” In between reels I would do live commercials and ask trivia questions and give away free dinners.Įvery few weeks in the middle of the night Roger King would walk through the door and even if I was “live” on the air he would stroll into the studio and tell me to get out of my chair that he was going to be the host for a while. I would sit in a studio with a camera that was in a locked position and a director in the booth, and I would show old movies like the Thin Man series with Dick Powell and Myrna Loy. I had to bring the potential clients a round UHF antenna so we could show them how to find channel 51.Ĭome Friday and Saturday night from midnight to 6 a.m. So I auditioned and got the job, plus I sold air time by day Monday through Friday at $50 a spot. I got the call that they were looking for a weekend host. The owners of that show were Roger and Michael King. Dave would entertain those of us who had a UHF antenna and could actually watch television in the middle of the night. ![]() Every weeknight from midnight until 6 a.m. I was in between radio jobs and I had a dear friend named Dave Dixon who was hosting an all-night television show on channel 51 WKID in Hollywood, Fla. It was 1976 and I was living in Fort Lauderdale. While we won’t see you at this years party Roger, we know you will be there.-Harvey Cohen, retired president and GM of WCIX and WDZL Miami. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |