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from Jim Donnelly
I was born and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts, graduated from Grahm Junior College in Boston, Massachusetts, 1974, majoring in Television Production. I was on duty working at the Zayre Department Store in Waltham, Massachusetts when I received a call from Lee Tanner saying there was a part time opening at WTEV. I turned him down, saying I was looking for full time work. After I hung up, I began pacing the floors of the store, unable to work, wondering if I had made the right move. I called Mr. Tanner back, asking if the opportunity was still open. I traveled to New Bedford for the interview and was hired to work three days a week." At first, Tanner was going to put me on the crew for the Saturday evening and late newscasts, and then the Sunday morning bowling show, "Duckpins and Dollars". At the last minute, he instead assigned me to the Sunday newscasts instead. Thank God, that bowling remote looked like a ballbuster, lugging sets and huge videotape machines in and out of trucks. Studio camera by comparison was a cakewalk." "I remember running camera on my first newscast. I was so nervous before airtime, I went to the men's room to urinate three times in the last ten minutes before the program. I did just fine with the camera. It was an exciting time. I'll never forget the words of fellow studio cameraman Steve Dottin: The novelty will wear off in a couple of weeks. "I commuted from Waltham to work at WTEV on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and on Saturday nights, I transformed the downstairs lounge into my private apartment. I learned of the joys of a an oven-toasted submarine sandwich, drenched with cheese from Ma Raffa's. (They don't put subs in the oven where I come from...)" "After three months of commuting, Lee Tanner promoted me to full time. I moved to New Bedford to a basement apartment at the corner of Spring and Seventh street, spitting distance from the WTEV "Television Center". I was 21 and on my own!" I worked at WTEV in New Bedford as a studio cameraman and weekend film processor/editor for a grand total of 6 months from September 1974 to March 1975. So why am I the webmaster for this site? WTEV is in my blood. You always remember your first... "A short time after coming on full time, the "union" voted on a contract that would combine the production technicians (we camera operators) with the other engineers in the back rooms into a single pool of engineers. There was a promise of no layoffs, and we thought it would give us an opportunity to learn new skills in Master Control." "Three months after moving to New Bedford I received my layoff notice. My career at WTEV was suddenly over." "I collected $57 a week in unemployment compensation. My landlord was Don Leung, who also operated "The Bunny Shop" restaurant a block over on Union Street." Don was a kind man and he reduced my rent including utilities to $25 a week. I had enough left over for food and "fun", and I played a lot of tennis at Buttonwood Park during that time." "I worked a couple of half-years of "vacation relief" as a studio cameraman at WPRI in East Providence Rhode Island, before joining the New Bedford cable TV company in 1976, where I've stayed ever since. I'm now a huge fish in a puddle." "There are new opportunities opening, as some of my work is cablecast regularly over a New England regional channel, as well as other areas of the country. In the late 80s and early 90s, I became proficient in using personal computers, and in 1995, when the rest of the country started taking an interest, I began dispensing computer tips on TV in short and long form programming entitled "world@your.pc". If you want to pick up a few computer tips, of course I've got a website to look at!" "Some of my favorite people from the WTEV days were Steve Dottin, Dennis Teixeira, Bob Bassett, Jon Foley, weatherman Bob Zappe and weekend sportscaster Dave Sweet." "When a number of WTEV alumni gathered in New Bedford in July of 2000 for Bob Bassett's memorial, I was most excited to see Steve Dottin to talk about the old days. Also, I'd been waiting for forty-five years to tell Steve Dottin: "The novelty hasn't worn off yet..." | |
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Stories We Heard Gets Bullied By A Boxer Bob Bassett Letter to Jim, Feb 1995 | |
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Pictures
Jim's layoff notice WTEV Jacket Patch Official Lee Tanner Stationery (that we made ourselves) | |
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