Re: "Ask The Manager

[TVHD@aol.com]

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On Tue, 27 Apr 1999, Kevin Vahey wrote:
>
> I believe the reason the show left the air at the 
> beginning of this year was that late last year, WSBK 
> "gutted" their "live" production studios, making it no 
> longer possible to do a live or "live-on-tape"
> multi-camera production in their studios. When they 
> sold off the production truck, and let many of the 
> long time techs go, the TV38 we knew was dead. It is 
> the same everywhere, the main studio at WHDH sits 
> doing nothing except Sunday impress the FCC shows with
> studio cameras pushing 20 years of age.

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Although WSBK did eliminate one of their studios (and 
an adjoining edit suite) to create a master control 
for their Providence UPN affiliate, their live studio 
capabilities actually remain intact (although idle) to 
this day.

The decision to discontinue "Ask the Manager", as I've 
heard it explained, was simply based on the fact that 
the new General Manager who began this year did not wish 
to do the show. The studio where ATM, Movie Loft and 
Sports in-studio segments were produced is nowadays a
tape storage area--sad testament to the station's long,
active history.

The sale of the remote truck, as well as "encouraged" 
retirement of many long time techs, was more a symptom 
of the WSBK's attitude toward local production, which 
in fact had been unsupported and slowly diminishing for 
years. 

The station's acquisition by Paramount, and the slightly 
earlier affiliation with the United Paramount Network is 
what ultimately brought the greatest "sudden" changes to 
WSBK - within four years - sounding the death knell for
programs of some longevity Movie Loft (16 years), Red 
Sox (31 years), Celtics (3 years), 10PM News (5 years) 
and finally, Ask the Manager (24 years).

- - Henry Dane

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