Dr. Johnny Fever was my inspiration when I deejayed at a bar in my hometown for two years. Now he has left us to go deejay in a better place. R.I.P. Howard Hesseman, you will be missed!
man what i would give to have these kind of independently owned rock and roll stations again. with the real DJ's choosing their own music and just having a great time.
I remember those days back when I was young, when The Washington Team was called the 'Washington Redskins' and there was Murphy in the Morning to listen to. Those were the days. The Joy Boys of Radio were a great after school radio show to listen to with Willard Scott, now with PC, Anifa, BLM, BO - Barrack Obama, Dopey Joe, Krazy K and Dr Fasli I feel those days are long gone.
I lived all over the country growing up, so I got to hear a lot of radio stations in the 70s. The most WKRP-like ones I can remember are WRIF in Detroit and WTAK AM in Huntsville, AL. WTAK is now a standard FM twofer-Tuesday "classic rock" station, but back in their AM days they were awesome and unique, at least for Huntsville.
The Who never even knew it happened and were criticized for continuing the concert. This show pointed out the fact that they weren't told about it until after the show. That was very cool of them to do that.
There is not one single radio DJ, Host, or Personality from my generation ( X ) that didn't grow up idolizing Dr. Johnny Fever. This was one of the last, genuine, "rolling on the floor in pain with tears and snot bubbles shooting out of my nose"- TV shows that my parents and I could watch together and just flip out.
Jan Smithers really was hot. They had her downplay it in the first few episodes of the first season and then it really began to manifest when she started dressing differently in the later seasons. Much, much prettier than Loni Anderson.
@WannaBeatle Is Jim Ladd still around? I grew up outside of LA and in the 70's he was on KMET radio. They went off the air years ago but remember Jim very well. Late night DJ
My Dad was in his early 40s when this show was on. He was in a band and a bit of a stoner. He looked and sounded so much like Dr Johnny Fever, that people would actually stop him and ask for his autograph! He passes away 4 years ago, but watching these clips from WKRP are like a time capsule. Our family loves this show. Every year on Thanksgiving, we always say to each other, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"
What??!!? Herb??? *googles* Awww, geez that bites. 😢 I was listening to The Rheostatics’ song The Tarleks around the time he died, too. Haven’t listened to the album in quite some time.
Ever look at the TV schedule for the '78-79 season? For every WKRP there's a Who's Watching the Kids, plus most of those 'great' shows weren't as good as you remember¹. Reality TV also isn't a new thing, it existed back then as well. Although the smaller size of the overall schedule meant that what would now be a series would be a single episode in a show like Real People². 1: This will be a combination of you being younger when you watched them and from you remembering, (or only ever seeing if you watched in syndication), the better episodes. 2: "Look at these people/jobs" style reality TV is about the only kind where the average quality has dropped over the past few decades. As I implied, this is mostly due to simply having more programming hours to fill, (in 1978, most US markets had somewhere between 80-120 hours of TV a day, now it isn't strange for there to be that much _per hour_ available).
@@psyberian Shows like Real People _weren't_ scripted. They were like the various "look at these people do their job" shows except what is a multi-season show now would have been a single episode then.
@@mondoshredder5783 that line stuck with me for some reason since watching the reruns in junior high in the early 80's. Ha ha I guess I was into politics then.
@@BeeWhistler it was in the original intro theme just before the song kicked in. . . probably like the first season and maybe not the later episodes that season.
I tried to watch reruns a decade ago. I forget which station was running them. They had cut out all the original music because of licensing agreements. Or lack there of. I realize that the music didn't take up much time over all, but it wasn't the same with some generic muzak playing instead
Old friend of mine was a DJ in the 1970s. He guaranteed me that if he didn't live a WKRP script, he knew people at the station that did. I just did college radio, but even I recognized its realness from that alone.
Dr. Fever is so FM lol. I miss this era so much. Me and my sis were kids during this time. We all sit around the radio and phone while our babysitter would call in requests to the local station. My parents would be out partying with friends lol. This was a time when parents actually had lives and interests outside of the kid's every comfort.
Yeah, I think that was why the next generation decided that after being neglected by their parents, maybe they should spend some time with their kids. Great show, though. It was high on the list of the many, many shows that stood in for my parents.
Oh shit man that was 42 years ago, I’m fucking old but if this show were to be digitally cleaned up and put on tv today it would still be a smashing hit and I would watch it again for sure
John C you’re not seriously comparing mork and mindy to taxi and WKRP, are you?? Sure, Robin Williams was a comedic genius, but the show was nowhere near the level of the other two.
@@MrJett1971 The point was not to compare them, I don't know where you got that from. Just a very impressive week for TV to launch three such shows. Personally I prefer Taxi far and away to the other two.
I knew I was going to be a fan of the show from this very first episode. I was 16 that evening when I watched a Kiss poster going up on the wall and then heard Terrible Ted blasting Queen of the Forest as the first song for the new format! I was hooked, like so many of my friends. There was nothing on TV at the time where you could hear rock music, except Don Kirshner's Rock Concerts and Midnight Special, both on late night Saturdays (if you were lucky). WKRP brought the music of the day into our homes with such great characters and great humour...at times, intelligent and at other times, stupid, but it was always funny! We would watch every week just to hear what music was going to be played. Imagine my sense of excitement when I actually got to hear Pink Floyd "Dogs"...ON MY TELEVISION!!!! WoW! Way Too Cool!
Man, I'm from your generation, watched the first episode, and had (and have) an extensive vinyl collection. But no Nuge albums, so I didn't recognize this song until you named it. So thanks! Solid Midwest choice, going with a deep cut rather than some obvious Stones thing.
Preaching to the choir here! I was a junior in high school, Ted Nugent's album was still pretty new, I'd seen him in concert, this show comes out...god I miss the 70's. Now I'm an old fat f*ck LOL.
@@asmith7876 yeah I'm one too the old fat part I was a junior in high school when WKRP came on also laughed so hard sometimes my mom would ask what are you watching? the turkey episode was a classic . and I have to agree with the other comments bailey was a fox.
@@Doggeslife The world changes. It HAS to. But it is remarkable how many good things we've thrown away for the sake of 'change'.... and the change is not always for the better. In fact, it's SELDOM for the better. A lot of people are convinced it's 'better', but in the end, it's just 'different'.... not 'better'.
That’s why I am involved with a pirate FM station 150:watts of pure digital sound with two servers a mixer and a dozen external hard drives we use a compressor to avoid over driving the audio section plus we have a really nice 150 watt transmitter in true stereo been at it for 5 years even the local police listen to us LOL have a burn phone from the hood as out request line with a mic on it for on the air talk and a kill switch if some one drops a F bomb but we tell people that they have to watch their mouth on air We dot play rap or and other crap I think thats why we dont get hassled we keep it clean and pro sounding we cover about 13 miles with a 50 ft tower and .95 wave antenna we involve local schools and churches with programming like ball games and services live with the China virus A lot of people tune in to hear Sunday services Good PR !
The 70's were such an amazing time- records that came out stayed on the charts sometimes for 5, 10, even 15 years. " Dark Side of the Moon" stayed in the Top 100 for 14 years.
Remember that first attempt to have it on DVD, but with almost every song changed around? The song done was something that sounded similar but they sang, "You're too much. You're much too much."
The producers and writers asked Howard Hesseman and Tim Reid to provide suggestions on what music to include in the episodes, and their choices actually helped boost the sales and popularity of these songs. I think one of them was Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”.
@riflemanusa I still have all the regular-issue Blondie LPs I bought before there were CDs. And I also have the cassettes I recorded them onto so I could play them in the car.
Tim suggested Earth, Wind and Fire's "After the Love Was Gone" and the group got their first gold record. The Gold LP was presented yo the cast and it hung on the wall behind Bailey's desk.
First question I heard in a college radio broadcasting course was how two DJ's could run an entire radio station like on WKRP. Without batting an eye, my teacher responded "the real trick is having a station that apparently only has one salesman who's not that good."
We invested in the complete set of DVDs. I think we've been through the whole series at least three times. Well worth the investment. Heck, the turkey episode alone is worth the price...
Loved watching this back in the day. I still remember when they did the moment of silence at the end of one episode for those that died at The Who concert.
This show was an absolute trailblazer during its run. WKRP went against all the establishment norms and the comedy was historic. But it also had the guts to take on some of the most important issues within the music industry. Such as Fiesta seating at concerts. But overall, my vote goes to Bailey and Mary Ann.
A really good show. Great comedy, great writers, and great characters. The show touched on a couple of social issues too. Most notable was the episode about the deaths of 11 concert-goers who were crushed to death in a crowd while attending a Who concert in Cincinnati in 1979. The WKRP episode helped bring an end to what was known as "festival seating" a.k.a. general admission seating. The show only ran for 4 seasons but was well watched and really funny. Some great one-liners.
I experienced the crush of a crowd waiting to get into a AC/DC-UFO concert at the Armory in Springfield, Illinois. We were waiting for the doors to open and I was right up front. As people saw them coming to open inside, the crowd surged forth and I was almost smashed through the glass. Zero control or ability to counter the force in any way. I've made sure to try and stay out of that situation since.
I went to a Triumph Allied Forces concert in 1987 at London Gardens in London, Ontario. It was ALL festival seating. I spent the night beside the left tower of speakers against the stage. Terrific concert, but should have worn hearing protection.
In Kansas City, in the mid to late 70s I found the danger of GA seating was directly related to who was performing. For instance, the crowd at the ELO concert was extremely mellow and I had no trouble walking quickly to obtain 3rd row floor seats. While just a few months later near riot-like conditions broke out around KC’s Municipal Auditorium waiting for a new band on their first tour called Van Halen! The auditorium people, seeing the crowd, got scared and delayed opening the doors until extra security could be brought in. As you can imagine craziness insured...🤟
@@kutzbill I was there, too. After the show, we headed over to the apartment that belonged to a friend that was within walking distance of Riverfront. On the way we're all singing Who songs and having a great time. We walked in his door, and he was sitting there staring and pointing at the tv. We looked at what he was pointing at and saw Al Schottelkotte on the Channel 9 News talking about the deaths. We knew the crowd was bad going in, but nobody had any idea of how bad.
Always Bailey. Always. Jennifer was that Lamborghini that few could afford, and those that could found out it was far too troublesome and expensive to keep up, not nearly as fun and fulfilling as they thought, and sure wasn't worth what it cost them. Bailey was that perfect everyman's Trans Am; great looks, great performance, right price, and you could have it right til this day and never be sorry for your choice.
I loved WKRP during its original run--CBS moved it around so much that it was often hard for viewers to find it--ultimately when it was cancelled and went into syndication the show became one of the most popular shows on the air (more so than Mary Tyler Moore show etc etc)
Except in syndication they couldn't use the original versions of the songs, because they didn't want to pay for the copyrights. So to me the show lost a lot of it's charm when it went indication
david graham Too many old geezers at CBS trying to kill it by constantly moving slots.... it worked.... too bad, it probably had at least three more solid seasons left in it....
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ once a show passes 100 episodes the network will often kill off the show as it can now take the show to syndication-and that's where the money is--nevertheless CBS/MTM productions were "floored" by how popular WKRP became in syndication--if they had continued making new episodes they would have had more shows to sell and more profit. Interestingly they tried to revive WKRP as the "New WKRP" a few years later but it wasn't as well received at all
urban renewal, the payola scandal, cold war politics (defection), race relations, treatment of the handicapped, education - how many of us learned about the atom from Gordon "Venus Flytrap" Simms? The show was not afraid to shy away from current topics
Jeesh, if you had just stopped me on the street, said that too me, and walked off then I would have been tortured all day. I KNOW THAT PHRASE! But where was it from!? Thanks for posting that here, where I could quickly remember without any trauma. ;)
It's not that anyone rates WKRP down, but that such ubiquitous schlock is overrated nowadays. Not that there wasn't always schlock around, just not to the degree that there is now.
Just stumbled across this again. My cheeks hurt from smiling and tears of some kind filling my eyes. Giggly glad I can still see it here and sad it is gone. God what a show!
In the early 70s I work at an FM station in Longview Kelso Washington. The format was dinner music... Jackie Gleason, big band music. Then we switched the format to rock and roll. But I never said booger.
😃 "...fellow babies..." That always made me *LAUGH!* 😆 I loved Howard... Fantastic cast all around. And "The Big Guy," Gordon Jump was always so contentedly oblivious to much of anything going on in the station. 😏
Word was that WKRP had such a short run in syndication because when the show was made they refused to compromise with the music. They played the real thing. After the original contracts ran out and the show was popular, the fees became so high they had to overdub with sound alikes which contributed to the show's demise. Reruns and box sets today don't have the original music.
@@stephenriggs8177 - there are, but they're hardly ever written in perpetuity - almost always for a specific time span. You can renew them, but once a show is a hit the owners know they have leverage and ALWAYS ask for more to renew. Sometimes for ridiculous amounts of money, which for a production company repackaging a show like this can mean more for the licensing agreements than they'll make on the entire DVD run. This is usually the number one blocker for re-issuing older shows on DVD.
Similar instance with That 70s Show. First season used all original music for scene changes, etc. Second season they went generic. They also replaced the first season version of Big Star's "In The Street" by Todd Griffin with a tamer version by Cheap Trick.
Anyone who taped this has gold. Music rights made it prohibitively expensive to air reruns now. So if you have copies, hold on to them, transfer them, have video parties, because it's not coming back to TV or DVD.
I heard when they do air reruns, the music is changed to some general type music. I recall watching an episode and had no idea what song they were playing. Figured they probably changed the music to air the show. I would love to see the show as it originally aired.
The vast majority of the original music was restored in Shout Factory's DVD set. The righthand column of this spreadsheet tracks what is in/out. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14x1AnN8KV1MH3RYlnKR6FgOFuZ_-Qm-OUvuZo8G38kE/htmlview?usp=sharing#
This is right off the Piot episode, don't matter loved the show. Great series I was only six years old when this started in 1978 LoL, and the actor who plays Johnny feaver just turned 80 years old earlier this year and both the producer and Gordon jump have passed away :(. Great show
@@653j521 almost lol I'm actually supposed to be dead in all honesty. I'm 48 years old now and a stroke and cardiac arrest survivor was born with a whole in my heart. Had a blood clot which caused a stroke on my left side and then on September first of '08 I didn't wake up that morning my heart stopped which both my cat Nemo and my then wife Angy saved my life.
60sTeen Edit Didn’t realize WKRP was AM. But to my knowledge AM never played Album Oriented Rock like a lot FM became in mid 70s. I recall am music in the early 70s. A lot of “Rose Garden” “ I am woman” “Billie Dont be a hero”. Theme from SWAT, Disco Duck. Don’t get me wrong, I loved me some AM radio back in the day.
@@Changesonemack WKRC was an actual station in Cincinnati (still is). Was talk format, as were most others (or else oldies/easy listening). But there was ONE rock and roll AM station at the time in Cincy - WSAI, iirc. I assumed the show took its inspiration from WSAI's format and WKRC's name. WSAI - "The station ended up becoming Cincinnati's AM Top 40 powerhouse during the 1960s and 1970s" [Wikipedia]. Yep... that matches my memory.
I agree. I bought the DVDs for my dad because we used to watch the show together and we’re both music fans. And sometimes the music was a critical part of the scene, like the one in this clip. Would the scene have as much impact if it was generic sound bank music instead of Queen Of The Forest” by Ted Nugent? Or the Pink Floyd scene? It’s ridiculous. Corporations quibbling over pennies.
While the rest of the male world went gaga over Loni Anderson my eyes were always on Jan Smithers.
Indeed
My eyes were always on Jan Smithers...on Loni Anderson. G on G action.
Same.
Mary Ann of Gilligan's Island counterpart.
Google her in 2020, scary...
Dr. Johnny Fever was my inspiration when I deejayed at a bar in my hometown for two years. Now he has left us to go deejay in a better place. R.I.P. Howard Hesseman, you will be missed!
I loved Dr. Johnny Fever too. A worthy product of his time & can never be replaced.
I majored in Radio Broadcasting in Jr. College because of him.
He was one of my heroes too!! Rip to the goat 🐐 of djs
@noahpartic7586 him, Arthur fonzarelli, randy savage, Charles bronson, peter steele, gene simmons are my heroes!!!!!
man what i would give to have these kind of independently owned rock and roll stations again. with the real DJ's choosing their own music and just having a great time.
I remember those days back when I was young, when The Washington Team was called the 'Washington Redskins' and there was Murphy in the Morning to listen to. Those were the days. The Joy Boys of Radio were a great after school radio show to listen to with Willard Scott, now with PC, Anifa, BLM, BO - Barrack Obama, Dopey Joe, Krazy K and Dr Fasli I feel those days are long gone.
I also miss independent sports talk radio. Atlanta has the best guy in the country in Mike Bell, but he was so much more fun on independent radio.
Small stations do but it's not the same.
I lived all over the country growing up, so I got to hear a lot of radio stations in the 70s. The most WKRP-like ones I can remember are WRIF in Detroit and WTAK AM in Huntsville, AL. WTAK is now a standard FM twofer-Tuesday "classic rock" station, but back in their AM days they were awesome and unique, at least for Huntsville.
@ItsStillRealToMe DamnIt There's just something about radio. Especially AM radio. Magic.
It was a great show... and then came the Who concert tragedy... and then it became Legendary for its courage and understanding.
True great episode I was 13 when I saw that and it was legendary you touch my heart peace out
The tribute was way cool❤❤❤❤
Art imitating life
The Who never even knew it happened and were criticized for continuing the concert. This show pointed out the fact that they weren't told about it until after the show. That was very cool of them to do that.
There is not one single radio DJ, Host, or Personality from my generation ( X ) that didn't grow up idolizing Dr. Johnny Fever. This was one of the last, genuine, "rolling on the floor in pain with tears and snot bubbles shooting out of my nose"- TV shows that my parents and I could watch together and just flip out.
Arguably the DUMBEST thing I've heard in years
IT’S THE PHONE COPS!!!!!
@@BAKER22-l4uI award you no points. May you step barefoot on legos!!!
RIP Howard Hesseman. May Dr Johnny Fever be forever on the airwaves.
Internet. Rest assured. Archeology will keep Howard alive!
The " Record Scratch " effect ORIGINATED with , by , AND of Dr. ( You HAVE TO say Doctor ) Johnny Fever !!
Bailey was beautiful.
Jan Smithers really was hot. They had her downplay it in the first few episodes of the first season and then it really began to manifest when she started dressing differently in the later seasons. Much, much prettier than Loni Anderson.
@@wayneparker9331 yeh no choice there, Jan wins every time! I didn't get the loni thing. burt would have been better off with Jan.
Was?
she was a model before WKRP
I will always prefer a naturally beautiful woman over a walking makeup canvas! Oh, and Mary Ann over Ginger!
Andy Travis was Matthew McConaughey before Matthew McConaughey was Matthew McConaughey
Insight
All right, all right, all right....✌
lol
Total idiocy.
@@lewisc215 Totally.
I loved Howard Hessman as Johnny Fever. He was the consummate Rock DJ for the 80’s!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Today, for the most part, we're stuck with syndicated programming. I miss being able to call the radio station and request a song.
@WannaBeatle
Is Jim Ladd still around? I grew up outside of LA and in the 70's he was on KMET radio. They went off the air years ago but remember Jim very well. Late night DJ
@WannaBeatle
Ok 👌. Thanks. I grew up in Thousand Oaks and KMET & KLOS were the two top radio stations then. Left California in 1983.
My Dad was in his early 40s when this show was on. He was in a band and a bit of a stoner. He looked and sounded so much like Dr Johnny Fever, that people would actually stop him and ask for his autograph! He passes away 4 years ago, but watching these clips from WKRP are like a time capsule. Our family loves this show. Every year on Thanksgiving, we always say to each other, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"
I never watched this show and I always knew there was a reason.
The music on this show was amazing and so were the jokes. The Thanksgiving episode is one of the best ever done.
“… As God is my witness, I thought that turkeys could fly…”
Les Nesman: OH! THE HUMANITY!!!!!
@@flyingf1sh Those kamikaze dive bombing turkeys!
TURKEYS!!!!!My favorite!!
"OH MY GOD! THEY'RE TURKEYS!"
Back when the whole family could watch TV together.
😀 Team Bailey
You're right always team Bailey good old days
This was genuinely one of the best moments in sitcom history. PROVE ME WRONG.
BOOGERS
Absolutely!!
perfectly cast ensemble too
They don't make sitcoms like this anymore.
Well, there was the Thanksgiving turkey fiasco... That was pretty good too.
Probably the most underrated comedy ever! RIP Frank Bonner!
And the "Big Guy"!
worst clothes ever..lol
What??!!? Herb??? *googles* Awww, geez that bites. 😢 I was listening to The Rheostatics’ song The Tarleks around the time he died, too. Haven’t listened to the album in quite some time.
RIP Dr.Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman)
Venus Flytrap on one of Herb Tarkek's suits..."Somewhere there's a Volkswagen with no seat covers."
Ginger and Maryanne question...
I prefer Bailey, always have.
Girl next door every time
Absolutely. No contest.
CJ JENSON I'd take Mrs. Howell. She had the money.
Maryanne, Ginger and Bailey. Never break up a set.
@@jamespicklehead5610 lmao
This is what, 40 years old? It's still hilarious!
kleetus92 42 years yesterday. Pilot aired 9/18/78. It has aged well.
@@mschwes5376 wow. No kidding?
@@mschwes5376 Well that sucks. I vividly remember this show, loved it. Crap I'm old! LOL
That Real 70's Show.
Bailey had the best “Walking away” jeans ever
OMG yes , did she ever. Always kept an ey out for the backfield action.
Hate to see her go, love to watch her leave!
I'd have to agree.
I was MELTIN during that one episode when she showed up in tight jeans, Fever's 'Black Death' shirt, and her hair all in disarray. Mein Gott......
Haley Baley 💕
When TV was fun and original, now "reality" has destroyed it.
You spelled "Jews" wrong.
@@CrisisGuildWOW nope, reality TV, like Survivor, America's Got Talent, etc. Those shows suck for entertainment.
@@grid7511 The force is strong with this one.
Ever look at the TV schedule for the '78-79 season? For every WKRP there's a Who's Watching the Kids, plus most of those 'great' shows weren't as good as you remember¹. Reality TV also isn't a new thing, it existed back then as well. Although the smaller size of the overall schedule meant that what would now be a series would be a single episode in a show like Real People².
1: This will be a combination of you being younger when you watched them and from you remembering, (or only ever seeing if you watched in syndication), the better episodes.
2: "Look at these people/jobs" style reality TV is about the only kind where the average quality has dropped over the past few decades. As I implied, this is mostly due to simply having more programming hours to fill, (in 1978, most US markets had somewhere between 80-120 hours of TV a day, now it isn't strange for there to be that much _per hour_ available).
@@psyberian Shows like Real People _weren't_ scripted. They were like the various "look at these people do their job" shows except what is a multi-season show now would have been a single episode then.
"...and the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity..."
Yeah, that was GREAT! One of those, "what was that I just heard?" lines I loved! It made me smile very time I heard that in the opening credits!
@@mondoshredder5783 that line stuck with me for some reason since watching the reruns in junior high in the early 80's. Ha ha I guess I was into politics then.
I don't remember that one... was that Les? I remember him announcing there was a giant lizard ravaging the other side of town...
That line kind of summarized Ohio politics at the time. (I was living there.)
@@BeeWhistler it was in the original intro theme just before the song kicked in. . . probably like the first season and maybe not the later episodes that season.
WKRP. The only station where you can play a record with the needle on the label and still rock harder than anything on the radio these days.
I noticed that when it originally aired and wondered how they let it through. Pretty big gaff.
I also noticed when he reverse cued the record, the record stayed still.
@Doug Farshtey Yeah, I think most of us who actually *were* in the business did.
Radio THESE days is just fucking GRIM.
@@bkvike Probably liked his performance enough to ignore the error.
I miss WKRP
we all do....
It was one of my first glimpses into radio
I tried to watch reruns a decade ago. I forget which station was running them.
They had cut out all the original music because of licensing agreements. Or lack there of.
I realize that the music didn't take up much time over all, but it wasn't the same with some generic muzak playing instead
I have all 4 seasons on DVD. In recent years, this was on MeTV.
MeTV ran it last year
One of the best sitcoms ever.....great ensemble cast, great writing.....
Maybe the best character introduction of all time.
You all have NO IDEA how close to reality this was!!! Take it from a Rock Radio vet of 50 years.
I agree I worked at a rock AOR station and there was a character like each person in this show on our staff.
I am delighted to hear it. I loved this show as a kid and so of course I had absolutely no way of knowing how accurate any of it was.
As a teen from the 70's I can say, this groovy TV show is right on! 🎶
I can dig it!
Old friend of mine was a DJ in the 1970s. He guaranteed me that if he didn't live a WKRP script, he knew people at the station that did. I just did college radio, but even I recognized its realness from that alone.
I always said every broadcasting school should show this episode, because as funny as it is, it explains the business so well.
Give it to me straight, Doctor. I can take it!
RIGHT! Because We ALLLLL Burnin' UP IN HERE BABIES!!!
As god as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
Prairie Strong That scene is listed as one of the funniest in TV history; for a reason.
Paul Davis Absolutely. Gordon Jump was made for that role and line. That episode is stuck in my mind for ever.
"Phone Cops" is right up there for me.
@@user_16309 "Cincinnati has been invaded by . . Godless tornadoes!"
It was like the turkeys mounted a counter-attack. It was almost as if they were... organized!
Dr. Fever is so FM lol. I miss this era so much. Me and my sis were kids during this time. We all sit around the radio and phone while our babysitter would call in requests to the local station. My parents would be out partying with friends lol. This was a time when parents actually had lives and interests outside of the kid's every comfort.
The station was am though.. that's why Mrs Carlson was going to turn it all talk/news some seasons later.
Yeah, I think that was why the next generation decided that after being neglected by their parents, maybe they should spend some time with their kids. Great show, though. It was high on the list of the many, many shows that stood in for my parents.
@@BeeWhistler you have a point but neither extremes are good.
WIOT in Toledo, OH. Damn that was some good listening right there.
@@lydiapicano8806 She doesn't have a point. That's some magical made up bullshit in her head.
If you can find it, check out the scene from WKRP where Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap do a public service bit on the dangers of drinking and driving.
My favorite. Johnny's reactions just kept getting faster.
I want a hat! Cop gotta hat! I need a hat!
I loved that one...
My God! It's a new world record!
That episode made me laugh outloud. I still remember over 40 years later (class of 1980).
It’s called “Fish Story”. It’s in season 1.
Was driving to work today and heard that WKRPs first air date was September 18, 1978. Happy birthday to one of the best shows ever!
Added to which, Taxi debuted on September 12th and Mork and Mindy on Sept. 14 that same year.
John C great week for television!
Oh shit man that was 42 years ago, I’m fucking old but if this show were to be digitally cleaned up and put on tv today it would still be a smashing hit and I would watch it again for sure
John C you’re not seriously comparing mork and mindy to taxi and WKRP, are you?? Sure, Robin Williams was a comedic genius, but the show was nowhere near the level of the other two.
@@MrJett1971 The point was not to compare them, I don't know where you got that from. Just a very impressive week for TV to launch three such shows. Personally I prefer Taxi far and away to the other two.
One of my favorite shows growing up, hardly ever missed an episode.
3:25 The birth of Dr Johnny Fever, all thanks to Andy Travis.
Wow I watched this show A LOT and never saw pre-fever Johnny before.
@@adamwarlock1 It was for one scant episode.
BOOGERRRR!!
Watching someone remember who they are and come back alive. It is a beautiful thing, to be certain.
I knew I was going to be a fan of the show from this very first episode. I was 16 that evening when I watched a Kiss poster going up on the wall and then heard Terrible Ted blasting Queen of the Forest as the first song for the new format! I was hooked, like so many of my friends. There was nothing on TV at the time where you could hear rock music, except Don Kirshner's Rock Concerts and Midnight Special, both on late night Saturdays (if you were lucky). WKRP brought the music of the day into our homes with such great characters and great humour...at times, intelligent and at other times, stupid, but it was always funny! We would watch every week just to hear what music was going to be played. Imagine my sense of excitement when I actually got to hear Pink Floyd "Dogs"...ON MY TELEVISION!!!! WoW! Way Too Cool!
You just described my youth, brother. And I grew up IN Cincinnati....
Watched the VERY first Midnight Special in 1972! Being up AT midnight-onTV-watching rock-n-roll live-NOT lip synched-was da' BOMB! Atlanta kid, here!
Man, I'm from your generation, watched the first episode, and had (and have) an extensive vinyl collection. But no Nuge albums, so I didn't recognize this song until you named it. So thanks! Solid Midwest choice, going with a deep cut rather than some obvious Stones thing.
Preaching to the choir here! I was a junior in high school, Ted Nugent's album was still pretty new, I'd seen him in concert, this show comes out...god I miss the 70's. Now I'm an old fat f*ck LOL.
@@asmith7876 yeah I'm one too the old fat part I was a junior in high school when WKRP came on also laughed so hard sometimes my mom would ask what are you watching? the turkey episode was a classic . and I have to agree with the other comments bailey was a fox.
RIP Howard Hesseman aka Dr. Johnny Fever. All of the Cincinnati Tri-state area and Hollywood will all miss you so. Thanks for making us laugh and cry.
back when radio didnt suck.
Back when teevee didn't suck.
@@xaenon Back when great music was everywhere, as were record and stereo stores. So much wonderfulness lost.
@@Doggeslife The world changes. It HAS to.
But it is remarkable how many good things we've thrown away for the sake of 'change'.... and the change is not always for the better.
In fact, it's SELDOM for the better. A lot of people are convinced it's 'better', but in the end, it's just 'different'.... not 'better'.
Clear Channel: *WE DON'T DO THAT HERE*
That’s why I am involved with a pirate FM station 150:watts of pure digital sound with two servers a mixer and a dozen external hard drives we use a compressor to avoid over driving the audio section plus we have a really nice 150 watt transmitter in true stereo been at it for 5 years even the local police listen to us LOL have a burn phone from the hood as out request line with a mic on it for on the air talk and a kill switch if some one drops a F bomb but we tell people that they have to watch their mouth on air We dot play rap or and other crap I think thats why we dont get hassled we keep it clean and pro sounding we cover about 13 miles with a 50 ft tower and .95 wave antenna we involve local schools and churches with programming like ball games and services live with the China virus A lot of people tune in to hear Sunday services Good PR !
One of the few shows that never "jumped the shark".
You're right, this show never "jumped the shark", but they did "drop the turkeys". And I laugh every single time.
To be fair, they weren't given the chance. But at least it was never tainted.
Just dropped the turkeys
Lol…..nice!
they just dumped the turkey
one of the most hilarious shows Ever, SORELY MISS IT!! BOOGER!!!
Definitely one of the funniest shows ever
A terrific show. One of my favorites. RIP Dr. Fever and everyone else who have sadly passed on.
The 70's were such an amazing time- records that came out stayed on the charts sometimes for 5, 10, even 15 years. " Dark Side of the Moon" stayed in the Top 100 for 14 years.
It was in the top 100 when I was in high school. I graduated in 1987.
No LPs or 45s now, just CDs, not the same at all. I miss my old record player and cassette player/recorder.
@J Errety People didn't like change much.
The scene when LES is trying on the wig he had just gotten in the mail while hot blooded by Foreigner is playing that's a Gem too !!
Every time I hear that song, that image comes to mind!
@@linda10989 LOL YEP! ME TOO! :D
Remember that first attempt to have it on DVD, but with almost every song changed around? The song done was something that sounded similar but they sang, "You're too much. You're much too much."
I loved that show. It's one that can never be redone.
The producers and writers asked Howard Hesseman and Tim Reid to provide suggestions on what music to include in the episodes, and their choices actually helped boost the sales and popularity of these songs. I think one of them was Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”.
@riflemanusa I still have all the regular-issue Blondie LPs I bought before there were CDs. And I also have the cassettes I recorded them onto so I could play them in the car.
Tim suggested Earth, Wind and Fire's "After the Love Was Gone" and the group got their first gold record. The Gold LP was presented yo the cast and it hung on the wall behind Bailey's desk.
And Johnny Fever was born. The rest is history.
First question I heard in a college radio broadcasting course was how two DJ's could run an entire radio station like on WKRP. Without batting an eye, my teacher responded "the real trick is having a station that apparently only has one salesman who's not that good."
I loved WKRP back in the day. Would love it now.
I wasn't a rock fan, loved the show. Back then sometimes they let you IN the studio 😂😂😂
We invested in the complete set of DVDs. I think we've been through the whole series at least three times. Well worth the investment. Heck, the turkey episode alone is worth the price...
@@rogerfinney6809 The Turkey Drop episode saved the series, it wasn't getting good ratings but after it was aired, people started talking about it.
Dr. Johnny Fever was just great. That role was made just for him.
We love you ❤️
One of the many iconic WKRP clips that still rattle around in my brain.
one of the greatest shows EVER!
Dr Fever: "I'm bored. Wanna go look at Carly Simon album covers?"
Venus: "YEAH!"
Those were spectacular though. Wasted on f'king James Taylor.
What was James Taylor thinking, letting that get away.
@@SgtBooker44 Heroin.
I always loved the WKRP closing theme song. That could have been a hit too!
Yeah, I love that too! Complete with thoroughly unintelligible lyrics…
Loved watching this back in the day. I still remember when they did the moment of silence at the end of one episode for those that died at The Who concert.
We'll be back after this, with more news and Les Nessman.
One of the best and most under-rated shows
Lol! Always had a thing for that Bailey Quarters!
Russell Brown We all did friend, we all did
Timothy O'Neill Was gonna write the exact thing.
You and every America male between 10 and 80
surfitlive Yes, Exactly!
That'd be hind quarters...😎
This show was an absolute trailblazer during its run. WKRP went against all the establishment norms and the comedy was historic. But it also had the guts to take on some of the most important issues within the music industry. Such as Fiesta seating at concerts. But overall, my vote goes to Bailey and Mary Ann.
A really good show. Great comedy, great writers, and great characters. The show touched on a couple of social issues too. Most notable was the episode about the deaths of 11 concert-goers who were crushed to death in a crowd while attending a Who concert in Cincinnati in 1979. The WKRP episode helped bring an end to what was known as "festival seating" a.k.a. general admission seating. The show only ran for 4 seasons but was well watched and really funny. Some great one-liners.
I was at that concert. We had no idea anyone was killed until we heard it on the news the next day.
I experienced the crush of a crowd waiting to get into a AC/DC-UFO concert at the Armory in Springfield, Illinois. We were waiting for the doors to open and I was right up front. As people saw them coming to open inside, the crowd surged forth and I was almost smashed through the glass. Zero control or ability to counter the force in any way. I've made sure to try and stay out of that situation since.
I went to a Triumph Allied Forces concert in 1987 at London Gardens in London, Ontario. It was ALL festival seating. I spent the night beside the left tower of speakers against the stage. Terrific concert, but should have worn hearing protection.
In Kansas City, in the mid to late 70s I found the danger of GA seating was directly related to who was performing. For instance, the crowd at the ELO concert was extremely mellow and I had no trouble walking quickly to obtain 3rd row floor seats. While just a few months later near riot-like conditions broke out around KC’s Municipal Auditorium waiting for a new band on their first tour called Van Halen! The auditorium people, seeing the crowd, got scared and delayed opening the doors until extra security could be brought in. As you can imagine craziness insured...🤟
@@kutzbill I was there, too. After the show, we headed over to the apartment that belonged to a friend that was within walking distance of Riverfront. On the way we're all singing Who songs and having a great time. We walked in his door, and he was sitting there staring and pointing at the tv. We looked at what he was pointing at and saw Al Schottelkotte on the Channel 9 News talking about the deaths. We knew the crowd was bad going in, but nobody had any idea of how bad.
Always Bailey. Always.
Jennifer was that Lamborghini that few could afford, and those that could found out it was far too troublesome and expensive to keep up, not nearly as fun and fulfilling as they thought, and sure wasn't worth what it cost them.
Bailey was that perfect everyman's Trans Am; great looks, great performance, right price, and you could have it right til this day and never be sorry for your choice.
ALWAYS
Howered hessmen as doctor Johnny fever was rip howred
Yep, Burt Reynolds found out the hard way.
Rest In Peace Dr Johnny Fever! You will be missed.
Such a great show. The contrasting character really made it work.
The whole cast was excellent.
I loved WKRP during its original run--CBS moved it around so much that it was often hard for viewers to find it--ultimately when it was cancelled and went into syndication the show became one of the most popular shows on the air (more so than Mary Tyler Moore show etc etc)
david graham one of my fave shows growing up
Except in syndication they couldn't use the original versions of the songs, because they didn't want to pay for the copyrights. So to me the show lost a lot of it's charm when it went indication
david graham
Too many old geezers at CBS trying to kill it by constantly moving slots.... it worked.... too bad, it probably had at least three more solid seasons left in it....
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ once a show passes 100 episodes the network will often kill off the show as it can now take the show to syndication-and that's where the money is--nevertheless CBS/MTM productions were "floored" by how popular WKRP became in syndication--if they had continued making new episodes they would have had more shows to sell and more profit. Interestingly they tried to revive WKRP as the "New WKRP" a few years later but it wasn't as well received at all
MASH was on 5 different nights in its 11 year run. And is still airing.
And remember fellow babies, BOOOGGGGEERRRR!!!!!’
Johnny Who???
Booger means to sodomize. In America it is often "booger up" as in F-up. In British it is considered the third most offensive phrase.
That was such an iconic line growing up. Yet I had completely forgotten it until right now.
BOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
@@smithwilliamn7090 what your describing is "bugger", not booger
What a great show, thet even acknowledged the fans killed at the Who show
and from what I remember, that episode was conceived and shot in about a week to get it on the air in a timely manor
urban renewal, the payola scandal, cold war politics (defection), race relations, treatment of the handicapped, education - how many of us learned about the atom from Gordon "Venus Flytrap" Simms? The show was not afraid to shy away from current topics
An awesome show with an awesome cast. Mr. Carlson was simply the boss of the century.
I think he got a job fixing Maytag appliances after WKRP.
"Boogerrrrrr!"
God, that was one brilliant show!
Damn I loved this show. So much nostalgia right now.
And "Jennifer vs. Bailey" was the 70s version of "Ginger vs. Maryann".
And "Bailey" was the only correct answer.
Bailey and Ginger .
Bailey all the wailey...
"All four of them at once!" (cue hearty Klingon laughter)
@@rousefire Bailey and Mary Anne. Clean your glasses.
I think my 1976 Bi-Cententenial KISS poster is packed away in a closet. life was so simple & fun back then !
Also notice the one of the back cover is KISS ALIVE 2 (at the 2:15 mark)
back then according to les, nobody could play golf like Chi Chi Rodriquez.....
MR. Rodriguez
@@The66Leadfoot Chy Chy Rod rig wez.....
It’s Chi Chi Rodriguez.
@@davidblum7125 Chy Chy Rod Rig Wez. And his pet Chih Hooah Hooah.
valleycat 6275 Johnny Fever corrected him, then Les repeated his mispronounciation. I was playing Johnny.
RIP Howard, you were one of my first rock and roll heroes as a kid in the seventies.
One of the greatest scenes in tv history-god, that maniacal laugh😂😂😂
"As god is my witness I thought turkeys could fly"
RED WIGGLERS...THE CADILLAC of worms
I still hear that in my head regularly, from my distant childhood
Hee hee. Hoo, hoo.
I loved the show
Hands down the best episode was the “Thanksgiving turkey giveaway”
“As God as my witness.....
I thought turkeys could fly”
Jeesh, if you had just stopped me on the street, said that too me, and walked off then I would have been tortured all day. I KNOW THAT PHRASE! But where was it from!? Thanks for posting that here, where I could quickly remember without any trauma. ;)
One of the greatest scenes in TV history!!! 😊❤
This is one of the most underrated sitcoms of all time. And for my money, one of the best.
Underrated?? I don't remember seeing anyone rate it down?
Wasn't underrated. It was iconic then...still is. To say it was underrated is to not know the meaning of...
It's not that anyone rates WKRP down, but that such ubiquitous schlock is overrated nowadays. Not that there wasn't always schlock around, just not to the degree that there is now.
,Muggsy: correct, on both counts...
Good God stop using that word!!!!! Not everything is "Underrated" What's next 2% Milk is Underrated! Damn I just vomited in my mouth saying that word.
Best scene in the entire series. It gives the shows premise in a nut shell
Remember watching this when it first aired. Was hilarious then and still is. :-)
"You might want to take an umbrella. Or you might not."
Just stumbled across this again. My cheeks hurt from smiling and tears of some kind filling my eyes. Giggly glad I can still see it here and sad it is gone. God what a show!
"Well I lost your boat Herb. It passed me on the left going down hwy 69. Kind of a stirring sight really"
There was only one Johnny Fever.
*Dr. Johnny Fever
Bottom of the Class
In the early 70s I work at an FM station in Longview Kelso Washington. The format was dinner music... Jackie Gleason, big band music.
Then we switched the format to rock and roll.
But I never said booger.
RATS
Jan. Smithers.
I'm so down with you bro. I would have kicked Loni Anderson out on her ass for her.
Jan Smithers easily beats Loni Anderson when it comes to being natural beauty.
@@dds584 No question, plus she seems very open minded.
@@bungholeshagnasty1724 as in could be talked into anything if you treated her right.
Odd she was married to James Brolin. Forgot about that.
And that's how you change formats
One of the greatest scenes in Television history
AB-so-fricken-LUTELY!!!!
30 years in radio... I always wanted to do that!!! One of the influences for my deep desire to get into radio when it was still REAL!!!
The stylus is on the label at the end of the scene. Hessman sees it and just keeps rolling. What a pro!
One of the best programs ever, on TV. They all played great parts. Barry
😃 "...fellow babies..." That always made me *LAUGH!* 😆 I loved Howard... Fantastic cast all around. And "The Big Guy," Gordon Jump was always so contentedly oblivious to much of anything going on in the station. 😏
Word was that WKRP had such a short run in syndication because when the show was made they refused to compromise with the music. They played the real thing. After the original contracts ran out and the show was popular, the fees became so high they had to overdub with sound alikes which contributed to the show's demise. Reruns and box sets today don't have the original music.
Actually the box set released by Shout Factory was able to obtain about 90% of the original music used in the show.
I can't believe there aren't blanket licensing agreements, for situations like this, especially given that you almost never hear the complete songs.
Shout Factory box set has the music rights.
@@stephenriggs8177 - there are, but they're hardly ever written in perpetuity - almost always for a specific time span. You can renew them, but once a show is a hit the owners know they have leverage and ALWAYS ask for more to renew. Sometimes for ridiculous amounts of money, which for a production company repackaging a show like this can mean more for the licensing agreements than they'll make on the entire DVD run. This is usually the number one blocker for re-issuing older shows on DVD.
Similar instance with That 70s Show. First season used all original music for scene changes, etc. Second season they went generic. They also replaced the first season version of Big Star's "In The Street" by Todd Griffin with a tamer version by Cheap Trick.
THIS was T.V. I LOVED this program.... years of laughs!
Bailey pushed all my happy buttons back then!
Anyone who taped this has gold. Music rights made it prohibitively expensive to air reruns now. So if you have copies, hold on to them, transfer them, have video parties, because it's not coming back to TV or DVD.
I heard when they do air reruns, the music is changed to some general type music. I recall watching an episode and had no idea what song they were playing. Figured they probably changed the music to air the show. I would love to see the show as it originally aired.
The vast majority of the original music was restored in Shout Factory's DVD set. The righthand column of this spreadsheet tracks what is in/out. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14x1AnN8KV1MH3RYlnKR6FgOFuZ_-Qm-OUvuZo8G38kE/htmlview?usp=sharing#
I have it all on VHS from the original run. I no longer have a VHS, but I'll keep the tapes forever.
Doctor my eyes have seen the years🎶 They just don't write them like that anymore🎸 Up and down the dial✌I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati😎
One of my favorite shows of all time!
An awesome show with some timeless classic episodes like the Thanksgiving turkey episode!!
And the drinking challenge between Johnny and Venus and Venus teaching a street guy about the Atom
Rest in Peace Howard Hesseman. Thanks for the decades of entertainment.
The show only ran for 4 years.
One of the shows that was cancelled way before it jumped the shark.
This show jumped the turkey lol
ua-cam.com/video/PExGo9b1K44/v-deo.html
Beware the "phone cops". Lol
"HIDE ME! HIDE ME!"
@@HiVizCamo YOU DIDNT SEE ME! YOU DIDN'T SEE ME ! " Johnny listen to me, THERE ARE NO PHONE COPS! ....... Oh sure, Cover for them!!"
"Travis you can't let the cops get me, who's gonna teach the kids about Bo Diddley?"
I thought I was the only one who remembered them. :D
@@MrRyan2112 Henry Jackson of the KC Royals
2 words..... *_BAILEY QUARTERS_*
This is right off the Piot episode, don't matter loved the show. Great series I was only six years old when this started in 1978 LoL, and the actor who plays Johnny feaver just turned 80 years old earlier this year and both the producer and Gordon jump have passed away :(. Great show
peter papadimitriou Who are you, the Grim Reaper?
@@653j521 almost lol I'm actually supposed to be dead in all honesty. I'm 48 years old now and a stroke and cardiac arrest survivor was born with a whole in my heart. Had a blood clot which caused a stroke on my left side and then on September first of '08 I didn't wake up that morning my heart stopped which both my cat Nemo and my then wife Angy saved my life.
Who can never forget the relationship between Herb and Ness priceless
That character bond was bizarrely effective. Pure writing and acting genius.
Johnny Fever is my all time favourite tv character Howard Hesseman done a fabulous job ❤️ Booooogerrrrr
Honestly. WKRP is the only fm station I’ve heard play Ted Nugent’s Queen of the forest.
Tee Dog WKRP was an AM station. Back in the good old days. AM was everything.
60sTeen Edit
Didn’t realize WKRP was AM.
But to my knowledge AM never played Album Oriented Rock like a lot FM became in mid 70s. I recall am music in the early 70s. A lot of “Rose Garden” “ I am woman” “Billie Dont be a hero”. Theme from SWAT, Disco Duck.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved me some AM radio back in the day.
@@Changesonemack WKRC was an actual station in Cincinnati (still is). Was talk format, as were most others (or else oldies/easy listening). But there was ONE rock and roll AM station at the time in Cincy - WSAI, iirc. I assumed the show took its inspiration from WSAI's format and WKRC's name.
WSAI - "The station ended up becoming Cincinnati's AM Top 40 powerhouse during the 1960s and 1970s" [Wikipedia]. Yep... that matches my memory.
I would love to be able to watch this entire series with all original music tracks
I agree. I bought the DVDs for my dad because we used to watch the show together and we’re both music fans. And sometimes the music was a critical part of the scene, like the one in this clip. Would the scene have as much impact if it was generic sound bank music instead of Queen Of The Forest” by Ted Nugent? Or the Pink Floyd scene? It’s ridiculous. Corporations quibbling over pennies.