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

User Rating:

8.6/10   

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

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 5	7:00 PM	WGNAMER	Bad Risk	#2.4
Sun. July 5	7:30 PM	WGNAMER	Baseball	#2.3

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:

The show was videotaped instead of filmed because it was cheaper to get the rights to rock songs for a taped show than for a filmed show.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the pilot episode, after the rock music change, the needle on the turntable is on the label of the record that's playing, yet the music is playing fine. Clearly, music was never playing from actual vinyl records when WKRP played their songs.

Quotes:

[Arthur Carlson has just warned a religious figure to be careful picking who to boycott]
Dr. Bob Halyers: Well then, I'll have to do what is says in the good book, learn to love my enemy.
Arthur 'Big Guy' Carlson: You're gonna have to, because I don't think you can trust your friends.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: I'm with the Band (#1.6)" (1999)

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.