Sad to hear this - he was a terrific actor.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/howard-hesseman-dead-wkrp-cincinnati-1235084085/?s=09

wonder how many people watched the WKRP gang and decided radio was the only thing they wanted to do...
sort of like watching The Paper Chase and going into law but still, I know being a kid and watching Dr. Johnny Fever definitely gave me rose colored glasses about working in radio..at least initially

RIP Howard Hesseman 🕯️✌️✨

RadioActive wrote:

He was an actor not really an announcer, (although according to the linked article below, he did work for a bit as a jock under the handle Don Sturdy.) But for many, Howard Hesseman's role as Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP In Cincinatti was as close to real as the medium ever got on TV. He passed away this weekend from complications of a previous colon surgery. He was 81. 

‘WKRP In Cincinnati’ Star Howard Hesseman Dies As 81

I haven't seen that clip in many years;  but it still brought a smile to my face and a laugh from my mouth.

Thanks once again, RA!
 

Tq345 wrote:

Seeing WKRP In Cincinatti in 1978, and Howard Hesseman's portrayal of Dr. Johnny Fever really influenced my decision to get into the radio business.

Similar story here, thanks in part to WKRP reruns on CKVR in the early '90s... and my parents being on a first-name basis with the late Don Blakely of CKLY Lindsay. Was also in real estate, and helped them with buying our family home in the Lindsay-Peterborough area.

Going back to Hesseman, don't forget his lead role on the '80s sitcom "Head Of The Class".

Dale Patterson wrote:

Hesseman originally was supposed to read for the part of salesman Herb Tarlek, but he insisted he was best suited for the part of Dr. Johnny Fever. He was right. Hesseman got the part and Herb Tarlek wound up being played by the late Frank Bonner.

David Cassidy was reportedly considered for the role of Dr. Johnny Fever initially, but then turned it down.


12 fascinating facts about WKRP in Cincinnati


PJ

Speaking of WKRP, the WKRP-Cast podcast posted something today that is way over my understanding, but maybe you guys might like it.
"​TECHNICAL DETAILS: If you're a fan (and, hey, if you're on this page, we're guessing you're a FAN!) of WKRP, you've probably noticed the slight pre-echo you can hear from Mimsie. Mimsie is the MTM "Lion" who appears at the absolute end of every WKRP episode. If you listen carefully, you can hear what sounds like a faint echo of Mimsie's 'meow' just a second or less before it happens.
Ever wonder why that's there? This is an artifact of the videotape Hugh Wilson was forced to shoot on in order to get cheap music rights. Way back in the old days, if you owned reel-to-reel tape, it was recommended that you store your tapes in a "played" position. This meant you had to rewind before you wanted to listen to a tape. The reason for this was to prevent the same kind of echo we are hearing from Mimsie.
Tape, both audio and video, is coated with a magnetic oxide. The oxide is highly susceptible to tiny magnetic fields. When a tape is being recorded, the magnetic field from the record head is placing the oxide in specific patterns. Later, when you play it back, the read head will interpret those patterns as sound. Those patterns are not fixed or locked in any way. The oxide is still mobile and could be moved into other patterns. This is why you can record over previously recorded tape.
When a tape is in the "ready to play" position, the oxide that passes over the tape head has been pressed up against the layer below it...possibly for a long time. The layer of tape below, the one that will play just a second or less later, can sometimes have a strong enough magnetic field to imprint on the outer layer of tape. In the case of Mimsie, the spot where her 'meow' falls is in an area of the tape where there isn't a lot of other content. It's a relatively quiet spot right before her meow. Since the WKRP source tapes have been stored in the "ready to play" position, instead of the "played" position, for many years, an echo of Mimsie's 'meow' has been recorded on the next outer layer of tape. The faint audio transfer can be heard at the end of the show just before the actual 'meow.' THAT'S why you hear Mimsie a half second before you're supposed to.
The WKRP-Cast: Bringing you more incredibly trivial information than you could EVER imagine!!"
https://www.facebook.com/WKRPCast

Last edited by leafs67 (January 31, 2022 6:49 pm)

leafs67 wrote:

Way back in the old days, if you owned reel-to-reel tape, it was recommended that you store your tapes in a "played" position.

Another reason why magnetic tape (including VHS & Beta) should be stored in a "played" position is that the tape will be evenly and tightly wound.

Tapes stored in a "rewound" position are more prone to damage due to uneven tension as a lot of air is introduced into the tape pack.

In other words, be kind and don't rewind.

And someday there will be a generation who will have no idea what this is all about.

Apparently, David Letterman was originally supposed to play Andy Travis - but MTM wanted him for what proved to be the short lived Mary Tyler Moore variety show, "Mary" - and David Cassidy of the Partridge Family was offered the part of Johnny Fever, but turned it down. It would have been a very different show if either of those castings had gone through - and it's particularly hard to imagine it lasting past one season with David Cassidy playing Fever.