"WKRP in Cincinnati" (1978) TV series 1978-1982

Creator:

Hugh Wilson

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

18 September 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The staff of a struggling radio station have a chance at success after the new programming director changes the format to rock music

Plot Keywords:

Radio | Radio Station | Disc Jockey | Radio Reporter | Sitcom

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Gary Sandy	...	Andy Travis (90 episodes, 1978-1982)
Gordon Jump	...	Arthur 'Big Guy' Carlson (90 episodes, 1978-1982)
Howard Hesseman	...	Johnny 'Dr. Fever' Caravella (90 episodes, 1978-1982)
Loni Anderson	...	Jennifer Elizabeth Marlowe (89 episodes, 1978-1982)
Richard Sanders	...	Les Nessman / ... (89 episodes, 1978-1982)
Frank Bonner	...	Herbert 'Herb' Tarlek (89 episodes, 1978-1982)
Tim Reid	...	Venus Flytrap (87 episodes, 1978-1982)
Jan Smithers	...	Bailey Quarters (86 episodes, 1978-1982)

Runtime:

30 min (90 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Company:

Company Four

Trivia:

Contrary to urban myth, Richard Sanders does not sing the show's opening theme. The lyrics are sung by Steve Carlisle.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Unlike real DJs, the cast of WKRP never wore monitor headphones while broadcasting music.

Quotes:

Jennifer Marlowe: Mr. Craven I would like to ask you a question about the phone company.
Wayne Craven: Well that's what I'm here for, fire away.
Jennifer Marlowe: You know the phone company won't give you a specific time when they'll come to install your phone. You have to wait all day long. Like most people, I work and can't take the whole day off.
Wayne Craven: Uh-Hunh.
Jennifer Marlowe: So Saturday is the only day I'll be here. But because so many other people have the same problem, you can wait up to two, three weeks or more for service.
Wayne Craven: That's correct.
Jennifer Marlowe: Could you tell me why that is?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Catherine Zeta-Jones/Franz Ferdinand (#31.3)" (2005)

There's No Business Like Radio Business

Trivia Question: Who was the mayor of Cincinnati when WKRP was on the air? Before he was reincarnated as the Maytag guy, Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) owned a Cincinnati radio station which recently changed format to rock & roll. WKRP was an entertaining show with wacky plots, and whose characters were characters. Disc jockeys included the wild Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and the suave Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), while the glib ad salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) proved to be the perfect foil for straight-laced newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders). Others included the bombshell Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson), the savvy Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers), and maybe think of Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) once in a while. Some of the stories were far fetched, but the concepts actually happened in radio. For instance, in one episode, in order to avoid paying a generous 'name that tune' reward that they couldn't afford, they changed the rules so that the winner had to name pieces of six songs. As it happened, somebody got it. WKRP in Cincinnati kept the Queen City on the map just as the Big Red Machine began to rust ("Pete Rose is gone...but why to Philadelphia?"). For the record, in real life, there is no WKRP in Cincinnati. Trivia Answer: Jerry Springer.