C.W. Henderson
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
C. W. Henderson (Charles Henderson, Charley Henderson) is a media
executive, author, screenwriter, and music industry pioneer. USA Today
called him one of "Six Who Made a Difference" in a December 11, 1985,
cover story. Henderson appeared on the Billboard cover of March 3,
1980. He was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia, and grew up in Tifton,
Georgia, and in Watkinsville, Georgia, before moving to Atlanta in 1971
after graduating from The University of Georgia. Since 1984 he has been
an executive at several media companies, and he has been an author with
Penguin Random House since 2013.
Wikipedia's entry on Music Video says, "Video Concert Hall, created by Jerry Crowe and Charles Henderson, launched on November 1, 1979, was the first nationwide video music programming on American television, predating MTV by almost three years."
According to media reports, by May 1980, the show appeared on more than 400 cable TV systems in 48 states.
Discussing Henderson in the Wikipedia entry for Thriller (Michael Jackson album), article section on Influence and Legacy, Music Industry: "When Thriller and 'Billie Jean' were searching to reach their market demographic, MTV and cable TV had a smaller market share than the much larger reach of broadcast television stations in the U.S. A national broadcast TV audience on ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliate stations, as well as major independent TV stations, was desired by CBS/Epic Records to promote Thriller. The national broadcast TV premiere of the Thriller album's first video, 'Billie Jean', was during the week of Halloween in October 1984 and was the idea of Video Concert Hall executive producers Charles Henderson and Jerry Crowe. Video Concert Hall, the first nationwide music video TV network, taped the one-hour special in Hollywood and Atlanta, where the TV studios of Video Concert Hall were located. The Thriller TV special was hosted by Thriller video co-star Vincent Price, distributed by Henderson-Crowe Syndications, Inc., and aired in the top 20 TV markets and much of the U.S., including TV stations WNEW (New York), WFLD (Chicago), KTTV (Los Angeles), WPLG (Miami), WQTV (Boston), and WXIA (Atlanta), for a total of 150 TV stations."
And the Wikipedia listing for C. W. Henderson adds, "The one-hour television special was the national broadcast TV premiere of the Thriller album's first video hosted by Thriller album voice, Vincent Price. The showing incorporated the 'Billie Jean' cut from Thriller and an appearance by the original cast of the cult-movie classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, who performed the song, 'Time Warp.' Ozzy Osbourne also performed "Bark at the Moon" on the national broadcast."
According to Wikipedia's article on Video Concert Hall, "VCH, as it was often called, was created by radio and cable television executive Lloyd G. Crowe (Jerry Crowe) and Charles W. Henderson (Charles Henderson), a pioneering journalist who would later work for TriStar Pictures. Video Concert Hall was produced by Henderson-Crowe Productions and the company Video Concert Hall, Ltd. at studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Crowe and Henderson served as executive producers of Video Concert Hall, as well as other top-rated syndicated musical variety TV specials. Billboard, the American magazine covering the music industry, said in a cover story that Video Concert Hall was the first-ever nationwide video music programming on cable television predating MTV by almost three years. Video Concert Hall creators Charles Henderson and Jerry Crowe are considered the 'fathers' of television's music video programming...Particularly important about Video Concert Hall is not only to note its historical significance in the evolution of music video television programming, but that it is also where artists such as The Police (with Sting), Split Enz, and Gary Numan were first introduced to the American audience en masse."
WNEW-TV, New York, was among over 100 TV stations which aired The Pre-Awards Special, the first Grammy Awards pre-show. Henderson was co-creator, screenwriter, and co-executive producer (The Pre-Awards Show: Sunday February 26, 1984, WNEW-TV New York).
From 1979-1982 he was vice president at TriStar Studios and national publicist at TriStar Pictures, early indie precursors of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group at Sony Pictures.
Wikipedia's entry on Music Video says, "Video Concert Hall, created by Jerry Crowe and Charles Henderson, launched on November 1, 1979, was the first nationwide video music programming on American television, predating MTV by almost three years."
According to media reports, by May 1980, the show appeared on more than 400 cable TV systems in 48 states.
Discussing Henderson in the Wikipedia entry for Thriller (Michael Jackson album), article section on Influence and Legacy, Music Industry: "When Thriller and 'Billie Jean' were searching to reach their market demographic, MTV and cable TV had a smaller market share than the much larger reach of broadcast television stations in the U.S. A national broadcast TV audience on ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliate stations, as well as major independent TV stations, was desired by CBS/Epic Records to promote Thriller. The national broadcast TV premiere of the Thriller album's first video, 'Billie Jean', was during the week of Halloween in October 1984 and was the idea of Video Concert Hall executive producers Charles Henderson and Jerry Crowe. Video Concert Hall, the first nationwide music video TV network, taped the one-hour special in Hollywood and Atlanta, where the TV studios of Video Concert Hall were located. The Thriller TV special was hosted by Thriller video co-star Vincent Price, distributed by Henderson-Crowe Syndications, Inc., and aired in the top 20 TV markets and much of the U.S., including TV stations WNEW (New York), WFLD (Chicago), KTTV (Los Angeles), WPLG (Miami), WQTV (Boston), and WXIA (Atlanta), for a total of 150 TV stations."
And the Wikipedia listing for C. W. Henderson adds, "The one-hour television special was the national broadcast TV premiere of the Thriller album's first video hosted by Thriller album voice, Vincent Price. The showing incorporated the 'Billie Jean' cut from Thriller and an appearance by the original cast of the cult-movie classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, who performed the song, 'Time Warp.' Ozzy Osbourne also performed "Bark at the Moon" on the national broadcast."
According to Wikipedia's article on Video Concert Hall, "VCH, as it was often called, was created by radio and cable television executive Lloyd G. Crowe (Jerry Crowe) and Charles W. Henderson (Charles Henderson), a pioneering journalist who would later work for TriStar Pictures. Video Concert Hall was produced by Henderson-Crowe Productions and the company Video Concert Hall, Ltd. at studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Crowe and Henderson served as executive producers of Video Concert Hall, as well as other top-rated syndicated musical variety TV specials. Billboard, the American magazine covering the music industry, said in a cover story that Video Concert Hall was the first-ever nationwide video music programming on cable television predating MTV by almost three years. Video Concert Hall creators Charles Henderson and Jerry Crowe are considered the 'fathers' of television's music video programming...Particularly important about Video Concert Hall is not only to note its historical significance in the evolution of music video television programming, but that it is also where artists such as The Police (with Sting), Split Enz, and Gary Numan were first introduced to the American audience en masse."
WNEW-TV, New York, was among over 100 TV stations which aired The Pre-Awards Special, the first Grammy Awards pre-show. Henderson was co-creator, screenwriter, and co-executive producer (The Pre-Awards Show: Sunday February 26, 1984, WNEW-TV New York).
From 1979-1982 he was vice president at TriStar Studios and national publicist at TriStar Pictures, early indie precursors of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group at Sony Pictures.