The Many Interviews of Dobie Gillis
Last week we chronicled NBC’s promotion/publicity campaign to make TV audiences aware of its eight-hour miniseries, “Noble House.”
Included in our survey: All the interviews done by leading lady Deborah Raffin, who did lots of talking about the series, and leading guy Pierce Brosnan, who did less talking but still lots.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. March 20, 1988 Imperfection
Los Angeles Times Sunday March 20, 1988 Home Edition Calendar Page 103 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 22 words Type of Material: Correction
The number of ABC Radio Network affiliate stations is 2,135, not 150 as was reported in Pat H. Broeske’s “The Many Interviews of Dobbie Gillis” on Feb. 28.
It was Raffin’s listing that got a CBS publicist to bragging that star-producer Dwayne Hickman had done lots more interviews for the TV movie, “Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis,” which ran opposite the opening-night installment of “Noble House.”
He was right.
At least judging from the interview schedule compiled as a joint venture of CBS publicity, 20th Century Fox TV publicity and Anita Alberts & Associates, which is Hickman’s personal publicist.
It included:
National Television
“Entertainment Tonight,” syndicated
“Good Morning America,” ABC
“This Morning,” CBS
“Hour Magazine,” syndicated
“PM Magazine,” syndicated
“Entertainment Report,” syndicated
“Hollywood Insider,” USA Network
“Show Biz Today,” Cable News Network
“Sonya’s Place,” Cable News Network
“The Wil Shriner Show,” syndicated
“Crook and Chase,” Nashville Network
“Win, Lose or Draw,” syndicated
“Super Password,” NBC
“Blackout,” CBS
Channel 9, Australia
Local Television
“A.M. Los Angeles,” KABC, L.A.
KCBS News, L.A.
KTTV News, L.A.
“Live at 5,” WNBC, New York
WCBS News, New York
Channel 9 News, WOR, New York
Newspapers
New York Daily News
Los Angeles Times (Outtakes)
Los Angeles Herald Examiner
Boston Globe
Philadelphia Inquirer
Dallas Morning News
Chicago Sun Times
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Detroit Free Press
New Orleans Times Picayune
Daily News, San Fernando Valley
Milwaukee Centinel
Orange County Register
USA Today
Daily Review (Bay Area)
L.A. Weekly
Hollywood Reporter
Daily Variety
Beverly Hills 213
Wire Services, Syndicates
Associated Press
UPI
United Features
N.E.A.
TV Update
TV Data
TV Key
Gannett Newspapers
Knight-Ridder
National Radio
ABC Radio, servicing 150 stations
UPI Radio, 1,000 stations
Associated Press Radio, 1,000 stations
“Larry King Show,” 500 stations
Westwood One, 1,000 stations
Copley Radio, 1,100 stations
Cutler Productions, 800 stations
Master Control Radio, 900 stations
Bonnie Churchill, syndicate
Radio New England, 90 stations
Canadian Broadcasting, syndicate
Plus these CBS, ABC, NBC and independent stations throughout the country:
WNBC, New York
WZFM, New York
KFWB, L.A.
KRLA, L.A.
KMPC, L.A.
WLUP, Chicago
WLS, Chicago
KNBR, San Francisco
KGO, San Francisco
KING, Seattle
KIRO, Seattle
KLIF, Dallas
KOA, Denver
KNUS, Denver
WJNO, Fort Lauderdale
WQFM, Milwaukee
WJR, Detroit
KARN, Little Rock
KRMG, Tulsa
WWL, New Orleans
CJOR, Vancouver
KXL, Portland, Ore.
KMOX, St. Louis
KTOK, Oklahoma City
WDHA, Rochester, N.Y.
WSPD, Toledo
WDWS, Champaign, Ill.
KFRU, Columbia, Mo.
WQMI, Portsmouth, N.H.
KORD, Pasco, Wash.
WFAD, Middlebury, Vt.
KVEN, Ventura
KHSL, Chico
WJBC, Bloomington, Ill.
WROK, Rockford, Ill.
Magazines
TV Guide
People
Los Angeles
Woman’s World
Teen Tiger Beat
Star
National Enquirer (for this one, Hickman revealed his most embarrassing moment!)
Globe
L.A. ‘Star Weekend’
For this three-day gathering, CBS flew out reps from the following affiliated TV stations (they stayed at the Sheraton Inn in Redondo Beach), then had them meet stars--including Hickman--via in-person, round-table interviews. Hickman also did on-air promos (“Hi, this is Dwayne. Join me later tonight for . . . “) for those in attendance.
WTKR-TV, Norfolk,
WISH, Indianapolis
WSPA, Spartanburg, S.C.
WBMG, Birmingham, Ala.
WOWK, Huntington/Charleston, W. Va.
KCCI, Des Moines
KWTV, Oklahoma City
WCCSC, Charleston, S.C.
WTVT, Tampa
WUSA, Washington
WNEV, Boston
KDKA, Pittsburgh
WKRG-TV, Mobile, Ala.
KFMB, San Diego
WTVJ, Miami
KSL-TV, Salt Lake City
WBNS, Columbus
KIRO, Seattle
WREG, Memphis
WRGB, Albany, N.Y.
WCCO, Minneapolis
KMGH, Denver
KCTV, Kansas City, Mo.
KOIN, Portland, Ore.
WHIO, Dayton
WBTV, Charlotte, N.C.
WTVF, Nashville
KTSP, Phoenix
To boot, CBS Entertainment had Hickman tape on-air promos for 65 other affiliates that hadn’t sent reps to the gathering!
In January Hickman also showed up at CBS’ annual media relations press tour in L.A., where he dished with TV editors/writers of 80 newspapers from across the country.
So what did all this media schmoozing get “Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis”?
Ratings-wise, it came in third. But considering the humongous hype generated for ABC’s Winter Olympics coverage and NBC’s lavish “Noble House,” “Dobie” didn’t do badly at all against the Goliaths. It got a 15 rating (each rating point represents 886,000 households), not that far behind the Olympics (18.2 rating) and “Noble House” (17.9).
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