Posts Tagged ‘KETC’

Where was I to go in this town on a weekday night? In the long nights of the old days, I used to make the rounds until 2 a.m. (Imitate Walter Winchell – earn big money!) Ah, that’s when I began plugging away through blurry eyes on the newly-installed computer at the old Globe-Democrat. Most of them are gone now – publisher G. Duncan Bauman, editors Paul Tredway and Ed
Presberg – to name a few. Some are still around such as the talented Sue Ann Wood Poor and octogenarian Martin Duggan, whose last stand there was as editor of the editorial page. Duggan, as most of us know, retired and became a television star on KETC, Channel 9′s “Donnybrook.” Before he was to be honored Wednesday night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, we chatted about his 45-year career at the newspaper and oh, the stories he could tell – and did. Most of all, he said he enjoyed being a news editor, but being editor of the editorial page “was more prestigious.”

“When I was with the feature page, my mentor was (the late columnist) Bob Goddard,” he recalled. “In those days, we had great friends at the Post-Dispatch. We had fun and there was a great deal of rivalry. Every day it was Super Bowl time.” Then, he reminisced about his early stint on “Donnybrook” and the bashing by then Post-Dispatch television critic
Eric Mink. Duggan pointed out, “Mink wrote we’re all an embarrassment to the city of St. Louis and he likened me to (zany appliance pitchman) Steve Mizerany. And, yet, we did win two Emmys.” (I later asked Mink about his critique and he said, “I take it as a compliment that Duggan remembers what I wrote a thousand years ago; I certainly don’t. That said, I love the Mizerany comparison. Didn’t Martin do ‘Donnybrook’ on roller skates a couple of times?”) In his retirement, Duggan won’t be sitting back and listening to Rush Limbaugh on KMOX. “I’m not a fan of his,” said Duggan. Asked if he’ll write his memoirs, Duggan insisted,”Memoirs are pretty boring. But, I might write about snobs, slobs, deadbeats and drunks.”

Pumpernickle

Word’s out that Judge Larry Kendrick has decided to retire on Dec. 31. Kendrick has long been hounded by lawyers and the powers-to-be over slow-moving cases under his care. . .An area boost to our town will come Nov. 12-22 with the St. Louis International Film Festival. J. Kim Tucci, board chairman of the Cinema St. Louis, County Exec Charlie Dooley and Mayor Francis Slay announced the unspooling of “Up in the Air”; “An Education”; “Precious”; “The Young Victoria”; “Me and Orson Welles” and “Everybody’s Fine.” Ducats on sale Monday at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Webster U. and WashU. . .Getting congrats from Pumpernickel’s Bonnie Silverman were insurance exec Jerome “Buddy” Diamond and Joan Kaner, who announced they are planning their wedding. . . Smithsonian Institution’s Scott Rosenfeld will lecture on “Lighting the Smithsonian’s Temple of Invention” at 5:30, Oct. 13 at the Missouri History Museum… Martin Duggan, outgoing host of KETC-TV, Channel 9′s “Donnybrook,” and one of our town’s favorite octogenarians, was honored Friday by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen with a resolution introduced by Aldermanic prez Lewis Reed, who was also being toasted on his 47th natal

Dunne

day. Duggan brought down the house, when he asked the current alder-people from neighborhoods, where he and wife, May, had lived through the years. The audience howled with laughter, when Duggan told them he continues to oppose calls to reduce the size of the board, since “having so many of you always gave me something to talk about.” Duggan added that if any changes are in order, “they should expand the board’s membership.” His graceful exit from the chambers, with an assist by pals Lou Hamilton and former Mo. Sen. Harry Kennedy, was interrupted by a lengthy and obviously affectionate embrace from the dean of the board, Freeman Bosley, Sr., who greeted his “old and very dear friend Martin” to the open-mouthed amazement of his colleagues. . . Melissa Pluta of Edwardsville, Ill., was local winner in KPLR-TV, Channel 11′s America’s Next Top Model Casting Call. Tyra Banks chose her, along with six others, to receive honorable mention. Pluta recently signed with Centro Models STL/LA/NY.

Marcus

At the annual Mid-America Emmy Gala at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, KETC (Channel 9) stalwart Patrick Murphy said the station has produced a number of documentaries that “we’re gearing up for national release.” Among them are: “Missouri Life 360″; “Circus Flora”; “St. Louis Marathon” and “Mardi Gras.”. May and Martin Duggan were accompanied by Mary and attorney Tim Leahy. The ever ebulient Tom O’Neal , who’s marking his 35th year on TV here, now at KTVI (Channel 2), but once at KSDK (Channel 5). O’Neal was inducted into the group’s “silver circle.” . . . Yesteryore KPLR (Channel 11) GM and currently

Wolff

senior veep of the CW Television Network (in Los Angeles) Hal Protter was presented “the President’s Award.” At the pre-awards reception, Protter talked about the economic downturn’s effect on television. “The networks are trying to do so much with so few people and they are each down about $100 million in revenue.” A technology expert, Protter noted that he had come up with a $9,000 camera “better than the $80,000 camera.” . Television magnate Ted Koplar, an old Protter boss, got kudos from his pals for his recent media acquisition in Osage Beach., dubbed KRBK-TV (the calls of a former Koplar station in

Trelstad

Sacramento), which will hit the airwaves next month. The station will be an affiliate of Fox’s My Network. Koplar also said that “Voltron,” the successful series he created (and the last iconic brand of the 1980s still standing) is heading toward a future release as a full-length feature film. It will be under the helm of Chuck Roven, whose “The Dark Knight” garnered considerable critical and commercial success . Nancy and Ted’s heir, Robert Koplar, is now with the family’s World Events operation . Honoree Sharon Stevens was a no show, but  her bosses Lynn Beall and Lynn’s hub Paul Trelstad were there in full force.

The Beall-Trelstads were marking 20 years of wedded bliss. The two are both group chiefs of Gannett. With them was Channel 5′s affable news director Mike Shipley . Heidi and Don Wolff enthused that the city’s most prominent litigator still has plenty of irons in the fire, including hosting chores at HEC-TV and “I Love Jazz” on KFUO-FM, and as an expert on the Internet’s “Legally Speaking” . Three-time Emmy winner Laurna Godwin‘s Vector Communications has been tapped (again) to produce the video for the St. Louis Development Corp. City Business Celebration Awards Luncheon on Friday at America’s Center.