WTEV: Due To Circumstances Beyond Our Control...

Written by Bob Bassett

February 27, 1995

Hi Jim:

Your letter and cassette were joys to read and listen to! I'd completely forgotten about that Red Sox / Pawtucket game; Johnny Carson as Art Fern and his other characters was always a delight. In fact, my wife bought me the Carson Collection (4 videos), that are priceless!

The Newscope 6 theme music brought back bittersweet memories. Here's a story that Clynes can verify - he was there. Vance called a meeting one night of the entire news staff, including photographers, stringers and writers. He wanted a fresh approach to the news image, starting with a name for the program. We were all told to think about a title for the news and present our suggestions a week later. The meeting was held and various names were offered - all rejected. It then became evident that this was a practice in futility, because Vance had a title that he intended to implement at once - his own. When he mentioned "Newscope", he asked our opinion of his decision. Ed Onge, a stringer-photographer said "It sounds like a mouthwash". Vance, in his usual quiet manner, stared at Ed, as if he had betrayed Jesus Christ. (Ed is now a practicing attorney, as you may know.)

You described yourself as "a minor character of little impact". Not so. You, Zappe, Bob Neary, Kyle Schaefer, Bill Robinson, Dennis Texeira, Frank Clynes and others were a group of very talented and in some cases, gifted individuals who were never appreciated or utilized to their full ability by management, especially Tanner. I believe he could not recognize artistic imagination; instead he surrounded himself with the Wayne Baileys and the Theo Okines of this world.

Steve Dottin is a minister in Kansas City, Kansas. I haven't heard from him in three years, but I do know that he came back to New Bedford when his father died. I liked Steve, and many a night he spent at my Cottage Street pad, dead drunk on the floor, after an evening with a chick from Elm Street. I'm at a loss to explain the event or time that led to his "calling". Jon Foley, Dennis and I went to his wedding and reception. Talk about an instant family!

Bob Zappe, to this day, did the best impression of a young, slick, hip, black dude that I've ever seen and heard. He turned a 3 minute nondescript weather show into a beautiful little schtick. His flipping the chalk became his trademark and was imitated all over town. The last I know of his whereabouts was Cleveland where he was co-hosting a morning talk program. This was 10 years ago and after his ill-fated sojourn to Phoenix. That was a mistake on his part. How did he know that he'd be replacing an institution? Here was this glib, energetic young man taking the spot filled for years by a folksy, laid-back elderly guy.. The town just didn't know better and ran poor Zap out on a rail.

I can't recall the "Richard" black guy you spoke of, but vaguely remember his stringing his tie on Steadfast.

(Jim's note: after our last day of work when four of us received our layoff notice, cameraman Richard strung his "mandatory" tie around the eagle statue called "Steadfast" in the parking lot, and he burned his tie with a cigarette lighter. A final act of defiance!)

Bop continues: I nearly was a tenant of Don Leung as well, before finding the apartment on Cottage Street. Don was a beautiful man. When I was broke and hungry, he'd give me dinner and never asked for reimbursement, although I always did. One day, I gave him a check which promptly bounced as high as The Great Wall. Don's response: "Don't worry about it, Bob. I'll take care of it." And he did. I regret that his son who was given the restaurant, never pursued the business. But the way the city has deteriorated, perhaps he was farsighted.

In fact, in preparing my funeral, I had planned on being buried in Rural Cemetery where I have family, but now I'm having second thoughts and am contemplating donation of my body to Johns Hopkins for ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease research. A New Bedford memorial service could then be held.

I worked briefly with Hank Bouchard at 12, before coming to WTEV. He was distant and difficult to know. I was surprised at this death.

Despite some pathetic topics, the "Community" show was a delight to me. I broke in more directors and camera people than I can count, but we all learned the joys and pitfalls in doing the program for almost 17 years - the longest show of its type in New England. I proposed a panel discussion on prostitution; another on homosexuality; another on race relations and several more so-called "delicate" subjects. This was in 1964, and when I took my suggestions downstairs to the then Program Director Mann Reed, he looked at me with a withering expression, told me it was impossible, and would always be so. I was made to feel like an inmate of Bedlam. Many years later, with John Robinson as PD, I did ONE program and ONE only, dealing with Lesbianism.

Can't agree with you on Howard Stern. I find him a blight on the industry's historical stature. However, I collapse with laughter at George Carlin and in my disc jockey days, used to play Lenny Bruce. Howard is a weak imitation and talentless. But I would love to have had him hired - sight unseen, by Tanner. (Jim update: I can't stand Stern now.)

Dennis Texeira has been very ill for a long time and has undergone several operations.

I heard about the Gene Almeida debacle.

A year before leaving WTEV, I had a brief but rewarding fling with a sixteen year old, who the station employed as a weekend receptionist. No scandal. Just a 35 year age differential - I was her father figure.

Ben Schneider is the most intelligent man I've ever known. He retired this past July. Were were very close, and I still have the comedy spots we did for Dart Travel. They were done in almost one take; we practically ad-libbed the copy, and I felt we could have done more commercial work as a team. The bits were directed by Guy Pepper, who has gone on to direct Dateline NBC. Ben was a wonderful Bozo, and he had so much talent that went totally under-appreciated and unrecognized by management. Our Dart Spots were suddenly yanked by Mann Reed (by now Regional Sales Manager), because he felt they took away my credibility as a sportscaster! But it was all right in his mind, for me to play the buffoon in a cage pulling out postcards as "Bobby Bicycle" and two minutes later, be standing at the sportscaster table!

One afternoon, Maryanne Kane, Truman Taylor, myself, Mann Reed and Maurice Wynne were guests of the New Bedford Rotary Club for a luncheon at the Skipper, now the Seaport Inn. We all spoke before the nearly all-male gathering and when it came my turn, I said, "Our news ratings have improved significantly since Maryanne Kane joined us. The only time the ratings drop is once a month when she calls in sick for three days." It got a huge laugh, and Maryanne's face was scarlet. I don't know whether she was that sheltered and naive or whether she was putting all of us on.

The WTEV patch has an honored spot in my memories. Thank you for the gift.

Back to Don Leung for a moment. I was a regular customer at the Bunny Shoppe, and one early evening the conversation went as follows:
Don: "Hey Bob, where's Warry? I haven't seen him around."
Bob: "Sorry, Don. I didn't get that name."
Don: "Warry. Warry!"
Bob: "Run that name past me one more time, Don."
Don: "Warry - with the cowboy hat!"
Bob: "Oh, Larry - Larry Upton."
Don: "That's what I said. Warry Upton!"

Then I remembered. Orientals have a difficult if not impossible task in pronouncing the letter "L". I never saw Don angry or rushed. He never had to ask a waitress to repeat an order. He had a phenomenal memory and kept his cool to a near-science.

Thanks, Jim, for your letter, the cassette and the patch. Hope we meet the next time I get back to New Bedford and that you enjoy good fortune at the station!

Bob