San Diego Talk Shows Require Hosts With Agile Minds . . . and Bodies

Shortly after signing on as co-host of “Sun Up San Diego” two years ago, Kathi Diamant interviewed a guest who had absolutely no understanding of television talk show protocol.

Instead of politely answering each question with a provocative comment or candid observation, this guest responded with a series of menacing snarls.

Then, when the segment was over, this guest didn’t thank Diamant with the customary handshake. Instead, she chased her startled inquisitor around the set.

“Once each week, someone from the San Diego Zoo comes on with an animal,” said Diamant, a trim blonde with the sort of fresh-scrubbed face you see in toothpaste ads.

In Path of ‘Fastest Cat in the Wild’

“In this instance, the animal was a full-grown black leopard, the fastest cat in the wild,” Diamant said. “Apparently, she wanted to get back to her cage, and I was standing in her way.

“When I reacted so quickly, I became a toy. The leopard chased me around the sofa, dragging along her trainer by the leash. It took the trainer two minutes to contain the cat, but it took me the rest of the show to catch my breath.”

Diamant considers this her “scariest moment” yet as a member of San Diego’s television talk show corps, a gabby throng of broadcast journalists whose job it is to elevate the art of conversation into a countywide forum for discussion.

“Sun Up San Diego,” hosted by Diamant and Jerry G. Bishop, is the longest-running of San Diego’s seven locally produced TV talk shows. The hourlong program debuted in 1961 and airs each weekday, starting at 8 a.m., on KFMB (Channel 8).

Fortunately for Diamant, most “Sun Up” guests--usually five per show--are a lot more proper and correct than the surly leopard.

Thousands of Guests

Among the thousands of guests who have appeared over the years are authors plugging their latest novels and politicians plugging themselves; dietitians and beauticians; physicians and musicians; mind readers and cheerleaders.

Topics of discussion are generally light and relative to “what’s going on in San Diego,” said Channel 8 program director Jules Moreland.

“We don’t specialize in controversy,” Moreland said. “We’re more interested in letting our viewers know what’s going on in the county. Most of our guests are local people who for one reason or another are in the news: a new city council member, a new mayor, a health care specialist, an employment counselor, an expert on earthquakes.

“On occasion, we feature celebrities. Just about every big entertainer, like Charlton Heston and Gregory Peck, has been through here at least once. John Ehrlichman comes on every time he writes a new book, and so do lots of other writers.

“But even then, we try to steer the conversation around something relative to San Diego. The heart of our programming is local coverage, and I think our viewers expect that from us.”

Gloria Penner, whose 5-year-old “Gloria Penner in Conversation” airs on KPBS (Channel 15), agrees.

“The value of a local talk show lies in bringing people who influence the lives of San Diegans before the viewers in a very personal way,” said Penner, who spends each half-hour segment with a single guest.

“It’s almost like having somebody like Linda Smith (leader of Mothers Embracing Nuclear Disarmament) in your living room for half an hour, or seeing the energy of (Padres announcer) Jerry Coleman up close. You see these people in their jobs, or read about them in the newspaper, but you never get the chance to sit down with them and just talk.

“As a result, I try to have the same sort of conversation I think our audience would like to have. I enjoy talking to people, particularly politicians, with a philosophy to discuss, with some deep thinking going on.

“I let my guests talk about whatever’s important to them, because it helps them relax. And when they relax, you get a good feeling of who they are as people, not just names in the news.”

(Penner’s show is now off the air for its summer break; during the fall she does programs on local elections called “Ballot.”)

While “Sun Up” avoids controversy and “Gloria Penner in Conversation” tends to shun a confrontational style, a third San Diego TV talk show, “Stanley Tonight” on KUSI (Channel 51) takes a different tack.

Siegel and Strong Subjects

“Our show is bolted on strong subjects,” said Stanley Siegel, whose hourlong program airs each Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m. “We’re not afraid to talk about anything--and on this show, anything can happen.”

The always-animated Siegel, the P.T. Barnum of local television, hosted talk shows in New York and Nashville before bringing his broadcast circus to San Diego, and Channel 51, last August.

Since then, Siegel, in his self-appointed role as ringleader, has mediated--and antagonized--such warring factions as gays and Christian fundamentalists, white supremacists and black activists, and punk rockers and their parents.

“Quite often, what we try to do is take big national issues and localize them,” Siegel said. “When Gary Hart’s problems surfaced, we got some interesting San Diego women, including the wife of former Congressman Bob Wilson, to talk candidly about infidelity.

“Halfway through the show, a doctor in the audience sprang to the mike to defend men, because he thought we were attacking them. Things began to heat up, and we had a real sensational show.

“A friend of mine once said, ‘If you have a great horse, give it a great ride.’ The best broadcasters have a sense of drama in them, and if they have a great story, they’re not afraid to give it the great ride it deserves.”

Lewis Takes Phone Calls

Another local talk show host who welcomes controversy is Fred Lewis, whose “Conversation With Fred Lewis” can be heard each Wednesday from 7:30 to 8 p.m. on KCOX (Channel 4), available only to Cox Cable subscribers.

A former radio broadcaster, Lewis said his intent has always been “to give the community the chance to talk with important people about important issues.”

Viewers may do so by simply picking up the telephone, since Lewis is the only local talk show host who accepts calls on the air.

“We’ve done several shows on AIDS, and just a couple of weeks ago we did one on the Market Street controversy, with (San Diego City Councilman) William Jones as our guest,” said Lewis, who began his show in 1973. “I’ve also had Tom Metzger, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, on the show a couple of times.

“These are all issues San Diegans would like to talk about, and people San Diegans would like to talk with. But except for shows such as this, they very rarely get that chance.”

In addition to these four general-interest TV talk shows, there are three others with more specialized formats.

“Newsmakers,” which airs on KGTV (Channel 10) each Sunday at 12:30 p.m., concentrates exclusively on the day’s top news stories--and, appropriately enough, on top local newsmakers.

“I suppose I’m a purist, but I wouldn’t even categorize ‘Newsmakers’ as a talk show,” said John Beatty, who has “moderated, not hosted” the half-hour program for 14 years.

“It’s a news interview show, with one guest and one topic,” he said. “Our guests aren’t a bunch of silly authors; they’re people who are in the news because they’re making news.”

Recent “Newsmakers” have included San Diego Police Chief Bill Kolender, Gov. George Deukmejian and San Diego State University President Thomas B. Day.

“In some ways, we’re modeled after such national news interview shows as ‘Meet the Press’ and Ted Koppel’s ‘Nightline,’ ” Beatty said.

Focus on Local Problems

“But those national programs don’t deal with growth problems in San Diego, or controlling campaign contributions, or the growing crime rate, or other current topical issues.”

The two remaining local TV talk shows, Channel 8’s “Saturday Morning” and Channel 10’s “Spectrum,” are geared toward minorities. Maria Velasquez’s “Saturday Morning” can be seen each Saturday from 7 to 8 a.m.; “Spectrum,” hosted by Fred Norfleet, is on Sundays from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

“We provide an opportunity for all people of all ethnic backgrounds to be on TV,” said Velasquez, who has hosted “Saturday Morning” for more than two years. “We’re very community-oriented, focusing both on information and on culture.”

“We’re simply trying to provide some positive information about and for the different ethnic groups in San Diego,” added Norfleet, who began hosting “Spectrum” nine years ago. “For the most part, these communities don’t have the opportunity to be on TV on a regular basis.”

Recent guests on “Saturday Morning” include Chicano journalist Ernesto Torillo, who spoke about a high school journalism workshop for minorities; Linda Nolan of a federal agency, who discussed discrimination in the local housing market, and Dr. Danny Scarborough, founder of San Diego State University’s Black Repertory Dance Troupe.

“We’re trying to provide San Diego’s ethnic community with information they might not be able to get anywhere else,” Velasquez said. “That’s what it really boils down to.”

Norfleet agrees. Among his recent guests have been Stephen Harding, executive vice president of the Southeast Economic Development Corp., and Victoria Garrison, education manager for the San Diego Zoo.

“Victoria came on to talk about the zoo’s summer school program for kids in the 1st through 12th grades,” Norfleet said. “That program has nothing to do with black, brown, or Asian issues. It’s one that a lot of our ethnic communities might find interesting and useful, but probably didn’t know about until they watched our show.

“We try to provide our viewers with the type of information they just don’t get on a regular basis. And I hope that because of my interview with Victoria Garrison, the zoo’s summer school program will have a far better cross-section of ethnic groups than in the past.”

Talk shows on San Diego television aren’t big winners in the ratings.

According to the lastest Arbitron survey, the average audience for each locally produced talk show numbers 3% or less of San Diegans who own television sets--a figure roughly equivalent to 22,000 households.

National talk shows don’t fare much better. Even Johnny Carson’s “Tonight” show rarely attracts more than 4% of the local television audience, while “Late Night With David Letterman” and “Face the Nation” generally pull in 2% or less.

In contrast, “The Bill Cosby Show,” the most popular network series in the country, is regularly viewed by 37% of San Diegans with TVs--about 271,000 households.

“We’re not in the business to build ratings with our talk shows,” said Channel 10 program director Don Lundy. “We’re quite content with a small but loyal audience. As broadcasters, one of our charges is to not just entertain, but to educate, to discuss public issues that are of interest to the community.”

‘Special Purpose’

“Talk shows aren’t intended to get you lots of viewers,” added Brad Warner, program director of Channel 15. “They serve a special purpose, which is to probe, or examine, matters of concern to the community at large, or to specific segments of the community.”

Channel 8’s Moreland agrees. “Most local talk shows won’t sustain themselves commercially, because their audiences aren’t big enough to warrant the expense,” he said. “For one to survive, you have to have support from the big guy upstairs.

“Fortunately for us, we have that support, because this station’s management realizes how important local programming is toward maintaining Channel 8’s image as being a part of this community, of providing services and information not readily available elsewhere.”

Moreland said that, if he was to replace “Sun Up San Diego” with a nationally syndicated game show or sitcom, he could save as much as 75% of the $150,000 it costs to produce a year’s worth of “Sun Up” episodes.

“We would also probably make more money, but lose a lot more in terms of good will,” he said. “In television, image is extremely important. Talk shows might not be cost-effective from a financial standpoint, but they certainly are in terms of showing the community that you’re concerned about their needs.”

Sharing those views is Bill Moore, Channel 51’s station manager--even though “Stanley Tonight” recently was cut back from five nights a week to two.

“We might have cut back Stanley’s schedule, but we haven’t cut back our commitment to his show,” Moore said. “We’re simply looking for ways to maximize his audience, and we’re hoping he’ll do better later at night and on the weekends.”

Like Moreland, Moore said Channel 51 could save money by dumping “Stanley” and filling that time slot with a nationally syndicated series.

“But the future of independent TV stations lies with local programming,” he said. “It ties you into the city a little better, and helps set you apart from the competition.

“Besides, the cost of syndicated programming is going up, while the quality--and the quantity--is going down. Network series don’t last as long as they used to; a rarity is a show that runs for three years.

“And once that show goes into syndication and you strip it in five nights a week, you’ve got about 15 weeks before you start getting repeats.”

Rosy Forecast

As a result, Moore said, he predicts good things ahead for locally produced talk shows.

“I’m a firm believer that localism is becoming increasingly important in this medium,” he said. “Look at the growth of local news shows. Fifteen, 20 years ago, local newscasts were losing money, and everyone was asking why stations even bothered.

“But today, local news shows are among the biggest moneymakers in San Diego television. There’s very little national or hard news; most of their programming consists of soft, people-oriented features of interest to San Diegans.

“And that’s exactly what locally produced talk shows offer as well--which is why we’re so enthusiastic about the future.”

San Diego Police Chief Bill Kolender estimates he has appeared on local TV talk shows nearly 60 times. He has talked about crime statistics on “Stanley Tonight,” discussed police relations with minorities on “Saturday Morning,” and baked zucchini bread with his wife, Lois, on “Sun Up San Diego.”

“I’ve been on every talk show in the city, and we’ve always had a good discussion,” Kolender said. “Some, like ‘Sun Up,’ are light and fun; others, like ‘Conversation With Fred Lewis,’ can really keep you on your toes because you take calls from viewers, live in front of the camera.”

Stanley Siegel, Kolender added, “is pretty sincere, but he hollers at you.” John Beatty, of “Newsmakers,” “really knows what’s going on, and asks you some pretty tough questions.”

“If local talk shows are lacking anything, they need to be a bit more informal and probably more humorous,” Kolender said. “Take national shows like Carson or Letterman--even serious subjects are handled lightly, and that puts the audience more at ease.”

Hedgecock Favorites

Another veteran of every TV talk show in town is former San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock. “My two favorites are ‘Gloria Penner in Conversation’ and ‘Newsmakers’ because they focused on real issues and tried to present an in-depth look at important topics,” Hedgecock said.

“My least favorite? ‘Stanley Tonight.’ Compared to the other shows, appearing on ‘Stanley’ was like going to CMH,” the County Mental Health hospital.

Kind words for Siegel come from Dave Butler, president of Western Aviation. Butler appeared on “Stanley Tonight” in January to talk about the recent series of emergency landings by light aircraft.

“I had never been on live TV before, and I was impressed with how much energy Stanley used in doing his show, how much energy it takes in person to come off on TV the way you’re supposed to,” Butler said.

“I’m also amazed by how many people watch local TV. For months after my appearance, people I don’t even know were coming up to me and telling me they had seen me on ‘Stanley Tonight.’

“I guess there’s something about local talk shows that national ones just can’t offer. You get local people talking with local hosts about local issues that are important to you.

“They really make you feel at home.”