Another Case of Talk Show as Tribunal

After the newest controversy in the pop world broke last week, when former music director and producer Gregory McPherson claimed that teen sensation New Kids on the Block were lip-syncers, the superstars went on the offensive and decided to take their case straight to the highest court in the land.

Well, at least the highest court in their land. Tonight on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” New Kids will perform live a medley of hits and their new single, “If You Go Away,” in an effort to prove to adulatory fans that they are, indeed, the real thing.

“I think it’s going to be a one-word interview: sing,” Hall said Monday. “I can ask all the questions about interrupting their concert tour to fly back here and if they’re sick of having to prove themselves. I’m going to ask all that. But more importantly, I’m going to say, ‘Sing,’ and then in the middle of the song put my hand over their mouths and see what happens.”

New Kids on “Arsenio” (at 11 p.m. on KCOP Channel 13 and XETV Channel 6) is the latest example of celebrities or public figures choosing--often upon the counsel of advisers or public-relations specialists--an established TV talk show or news program as a podium to address a pressing issue in their personal lives.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Arkansas Gov. Bill and Hillary Clinton used “60 Minutes” to discuss allegations of marital infidelity. Ex-L.A. Laker Earvin (Magic) Johnson showed up on “Arsenio” to spread his safe-sex message after disclosing that he had acquired the virus that causes AIDS. Patricia Bowman, the woman who accused William Kennedy Smith of rape, brought her post-trial story to Diane Sawyer on “PrimeTime Live.” Roseanne and Tom Arnold regularly share their woes with “Sally Jessy Raphael.”

Which show is chosen depends upon a number of factors, ranging from the targeted audience to familiarity with a particular host to hardball negotiations.

In the case of New Kids on the Block, “our first thought was to get ‘PrimeTime Live,’ ‘20/20’ or ’60 Minutes,’ if possible, to deal with this subject, and have one of their correspondents come to a New Kids concert and go through the actual day of the concert with the group,” said Gary Stromberg, public relations consultant for the singing group.

However, upon further reflection, Stromberg advised the New Kids to play it cool and not “milk” the situation for publicity. He wanted to zero directly in on his pop phenomenon’s key audience, and he knew exactly where to find it.

“I just think the demographics for Arsenio’s show are the hippest of the late-night shows. He’s got a reputation for hipness,” he said.

In order to make tonight’s “Arsenio” taping, New Kids had to interrupt a worldwide concert tour and postpone a performance in Brisbane, Australia, to fly 18 people--the group, its six-man band and a support crew--to Los Angeles for a day. They will return Thursday to Australia, and then move on to Jacarta, Indonesia.

Stromberg denied the suggestion that New Kids chose “Arsenio” because Hall will likely be easier on the performers than, say, Mike Wallace on “60 Minutes.”

“There was no thought to that,” Stromberg said. “I don’t even want them to talk. I want them to get on stage and sing. It’s not about finding a format and a host who’s going to be sympathetic. It’s being afforded a chance to perform.”

“Arsenio” does have a solid reputation in the music industry as the premier late-night venue for musical acts, which are required to perform live on the show. Last week, C+C Music Factory dropped by the show and performed live, after winning five American Music Awards, to dispel rumors that lead singer Zelma Davis was guilty of lip-syncing.

Of course, what’s good for the goose is generally good for the gander. Arbitron’s February ratings sweeps begin today, and New Kids will undoubtedly provide “Arsenio” a boost. Meanwhile, the “Arsenio” staff is already working ahead to lock up the first genuine singing performance of admitted lip-syncers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, formerly Milli Vanilli, when their first single is released in March.

Some pop acts have chosen a hard-news approach to get their message across. In 1990, Madonna appeared on “Nightline” to discuss the controversy over her erotic video, “Justify My Love,” after it was banned by MTV. In the past, “Nightline” has been the first TV outlet to feature appearances by such controversial figures as Oliver North, Robert McFarlane and Jim and Tammy Bakker.

“I had talks with several different shows,” said Liz Rosenberg, vice president of publicity for Warner Bros. Records, who helped arrange Madonna’s appearance. “Because the issue had become so inflamed, I thought the best place for Madonna to get her message across clearly without the interruption of a personality like a Phil Donahue was to do it for ‘Nightline.’ ”

Public-relations executives stress that there is no one TV program that is ideal for all clients. Each case differs, depending on the personality of the celebrity, their audience and what information they are trying to communicate.

“With the high-profile contacts we work with, you have to look at their style,” said David Brokaw of the Brokaw Company, which handles Bill Cosby and Roseanne Arnold. “And that’s the hallmark, really. Because let’s face it, when you get into the realms of Larry King or Arsenio Hall or Johnny Carson or ‘Good Morning America’ or ‘Today,’ there’s an argument for each and every one of them.

“Who does the talent or celebrity feel comfortable with? Who’s going to tell the story or help platform it in the proper manner? That’s the key. For example, (Patricia Bowman) wanted to make a statement to the nation and to the world, and she chose ‘PrimeTime Live.’ She did so because she likes the way Diane Sawyer handles a topic. That’s why Diane Sawyer got that interview.”

Celebrities also must be careful in making their choice on a “hot” story because very often TV producers are seeking “exclusive” interviews, so that agreeing to do one program can mean being excluded by the rest, at least for a time.

“If you have an invitation from the three network morning shows, and you decide you want to do one of the shows on a Wednesday morning, then the other two are not going to want you on Thursday morning,” said Tom Conroy, deputy press secretary for New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. “There’s a decent interval of time you have to go through before they’ll put you on after you’ve been on another network.”

Clinton, for example, in exchange for the guaranteed ratings of the “60 Minutes” broadcast following the Super Bowl, had to promise CBS an exclusive interview, which meant canceling previously scheduled appearances on CNN’s “Newsmaker Saturday” and ABC’s “This Week with David Brinkley.”

“We felt that ’60 Minutes’ on Super Bowl Sunday offered the broadest audience and the toughest forum for Gov. and Mrs. Clinton to level with the American people and show them they loved each other,” deputy campaign manager George Stephanopoulos said. “ ’60 Minutes’ is a tough forum, and therefore the most credible forum.”

“60 Minutes,” indeed, has what it calls “safeguards” to prevent subjects from using the program as a platform. “One reason the broadcast is taped and edited is to prevent anyone from trying to use the broadcast for their agenda, as opposed to answering the questions we plan to ask,” said “60 Minutes” spokesman Roy Burnett.

“Anytime a politician goes on, you know, they’re looking to use the medium. It’s the reporter’s responsibility not to let that happen. It’s the reporter’s responsibility to ask the questions and not just give that particular person free rein for what would in essence be a free commercial,” Burnett said.

But many interview subjects are looking for a free commercial. And some programs, especially late-night and afternoon talks shows, are not bound by the code of ethics under which most news programs claim to operate. Ratings concerns take precedence over tough questioning.

“I can say to you that it’s very competitive out there,” said one principal of a large public-relations firm in Los Angeles. “TV shows, after all, are faced with the endless job of lining up guests on a year-round basis. So the top stars and big names, who don’t do many shows, mean ratings points to a program.

“You’ll find that some of these show hosts will pick up the phone and call you themselves. They all have talent people working for them, but when it gets down to the crunch, they’ll call you directly and send flowers to your client to get them to come on.”

On the afternoon talk circuit, the race is often to nab guests first after they have become national headlines to explore their story in depth. When Kitty Kelley’s unauthorized Nancy Reagan biography came out last April, the “Donahue” staff was campaigning hard to land Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, who claimed to be misquoted in Kelley’s book. Davis, however, had a novel of her own coming out several months later and did not care to promote Kelley’s book.

“We had no interest, nor did Patti Davis, in simply refuting the allegations in the Kitty Kelley book,” said Fern Edison, publicity director for Carol Publishing in New York. “Patti’s interest and (our) interest really lied in promotion--letting the public know that Patti Davis had her own book coming out. However, no publisher wants to promote a book three or four months before it’s available in stores.”

So an agreement was struck. According to Edison, Davis consented to do “Donahue” live and talk about Kelley’s allegations, and in exchange Phil Donahue agreed to ask questions about Davis’ book and then rebroadcast the program several months later to coincide with its publication.

“Everyone has their own agenda,” Edison said.

Friendship and familiarity also play an important role in which show a celebrity chooses to speak his or her piece. Michael Landon, suffering from cancer, made his last talk-show appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Carson, his longtime friend and neighbor.

After Roseanne Arnold manhandled the national anthem in San Diego, and later when she accused her father of incest, the sitcom star turned to “Sally Jessy Raphael” to talk about it. Husband Tom Arnold said the couple has an “extra-special relationship” with Raphael. “She even attended our wedding,” he said.

Lon Rosen, Magic Johnson’s agent, said that Johnson immediately looked to Hall after his retirement from basketball because they are such close friends. “He feels very comfortable with Arsenio Hall,” Rosen said. “I mean, ‘Nightline’ is very effective, but he doesn’t know Ted Koppel, so it would have been very difficult for Earvin to answer questions from him.”

Because of Hall’s unique place inside pop culture--he’s the self-professed Johnny Carson for the MTV generation--his relationships perhaps go the furthest in bringing contemporary guests to his show.

“I have been lucky to have the show that came along at the right time, and became kind of the mouthpiece and focal point of youth and pop culture,” Hall said. “Younger people get into these controversies and want to talk about them and straighten them out.

“If there’s a controversial Eazy-E album where he shoots a prostitute and pushes her out of the car, and that’s on everyone’s mind, then this is the place he’s going to come talk about it. If Sinead O’Connor decides not to go on the Grammys, then this is going to be the place where she comes to tell. Not to mention when she boycotted the Grammys, I was taking her out to dinner that night, anyway. So it worked out perfectly.”