The Camera Loves Him--Will Audience?

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown is frozen to a chair in his office, eyes riveted on the TV set as he ponders a new talk show host: Himself.

The show--”Willie Brown”--will not debut until March 14, but prototypes already have been shot and the Speaker is studying one intensely.

“There’s not much that intimidates me, but I’m really nervous about whether or not I can actually be as good as (the show’s creators),” Brown says after the tape ends.

“These people are incredible.” He leafs through a booklet that is a combination script and prospectus. “Look how they do this--they’ve got all the dos and don’ts, they’ve got every minute of it right down to the last second.”

Do --”Make sure your guest gets a chance to express his or her opinion.”

Don’t --”Bully . . . or create an atmosphere of hostility.”

Brown’s longtime critics might find ironic humor in his embarking on a career where he must be patient and not bully.

But the Democratic leader says he has become “definitely a lot more tolerant” of people and opinions. As term limits have produced more inexperienced lawmakers, he says, “I’ve had to readjust my mind” and be “more like a teacher . . . in order to get something done around here.”

The talk show, according to the prospectus, will be “an issues-driven, thought-provoking program that utilizes the high public profile and personal magnetism of Willie Brown.”

It was the idea of Jon Kelly, co-owner of Sacramento’s NBC affiliate, KCRA-TV. Kelly pointed out to Brown that by becoming a TV talk star, he could stay in the public arena after term limits force him from the Legislature. The Speaker signed a five-year contract that gives him half ownership of the show. Brown says he still intends to run for the state Senate in 1996.

The show’s goal is national syndication. But first, to get out the bugs, it will run just locally for 13 weeks--at 9 a.m. for a half-hour each weekday.

“Willie Brown brings almost a Rush Limbaugh kind of quality,” says Val Nicholas, the show’s creative consultant. “People either love him or hate him, but all like to watch him. He’s not your standard dry-as-toast TV personality. He’ll say what he thinks. You can agree or disagree, but he won’t be boring.”

*

The fact that this old veteran of countless political wars--who turns 60 next month and has been an assemblyman for 29 years--still has enough dazzle to be recruited as a TV talk show host is a testament to his talent and tenacity. Brown is not a burnout.

He’s always been more candid than cautious. For example, he offered me these observations on the gubernatorial candidates:

Sen. Tom Hayden--”Hurts Kathleen (Brown). He’ll cause her to move to the left and he’ll beat her up. . . . Pete Wilson must be licking his chops.”

Treasurer Kathleen Brown--”You have to stand for something and you have to let people know what you stand for. She hasn’t done it. She’s me-tooing. The quake stuff is a recent example. She screwed up on education. She had a chance to walk away with (the issue).”

Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi--”Garamendi’s campaign is not a winning campaign. He’s going to have to win by somebody else doing it for him. . . . Kathleen could end up losing (by running poorly).”

Gov. Pete Wilson--”Wilson is the favorite. He’s a better campaigner. The Democrats have not given the public a real legitimate reason today to throw out the incumbent. They have not offered an inspirational level of new leadership.”

And yes, Brown says, he’s aware of the speculation that he secretly hopes Wilson will win so he can remain the Capitol’s top Democrat. But that’s ridiculous, he insists: He’d much rather have a Democratic governor to call on for favors, such as appointing a friend to a judgeship.

*

Shooting for the first few “Willie Brown” shows begins Friday, just after the Speaker returns from hosting a two-day education summit in San Francisco. Eventually, he’ll go live.

“There’s an interesting thing that happens in TV,” says consultant Nicholas. “The camera either really likes you or it doesn’t. The camera likes Willie Brown.”

As now planned, Brown will sit at a table with two or three guests. The show has been modeled after such programs as “The McLaughlin Group” and “Capital Gang,” but without the sarcasm. Politicians will be “graded” and there’ll be “predictions.”

Near the end of the prototype, the Speaker looks directly into the camera with a slight grin and says: “My prediction? Willie Brown’s talk show will be a success.”

He’s already a master of short, crisp sound bites.