Ken Ober in control of ‘Remote Control’

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It took The Times a while to discover ‘Remote Control,’ the MTV game show hosted by Ken Ober, who died Sunday at age 52.

The show debuted in 1987 but the first significant mention in The Times is May 22, 1988, when Beth Ann Krier wrote about ‘Remote Control’ during a visit to Dayton Beach, Fla. Krier labeled the show ‘apparently sacred stuff to college students’ who had come to Daytona Beach for spring break.

The satire of game shows ‘isn’t even remotely in control. In fact, it’s trying to be the sassiest series ever to appear on national TV,’ Krier wrote.

She called Ober ‘a nice but decidedly smart-aleck host’ who had become such a hit he was mobbed at a recent Bruce Springsteen concert.

--Keith Thursby