America's Favorite Radio Station: WKRP in Cincinnati

Introduction

Introduction There is something special about WKRP in Cincinnati. While it was never a sustained hit in prime-time, the hilarious, always "hip," often touching series does extremely well in syndication. It is the most popular MTM syndicated comedy, seen in more American markets than such MTM classics as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. Although it never won an Emmy-it was nominated several times-the audience continues to award the show its loyalty. Furthermore, a new generation of fans are now finding, and falling in love with, WKRP. This love affair with WKRP extends beyond our borders; the show plays in Japan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Italy, and dozens of other markets. "It's pretty widespread," says Howard Hesseman. "I mean on an international level. I got off a plane in Bangkok one day, from Singapore, and some little Thai Cat said to me, 'Crazy DJ!'-which I subsequently discovered is what the show is titled over there" (Hesseman). Why do so many people tune in to the exploits of the "Crazy DJ" and his co-workers? What is it that makes WKRP so special? Before answering that question in detail, we can look at some of the brief explanations offered by several of WKRP's stars and writers. Howard Hesseman feels that much of the show's success hinged on the dedication of those involved: "This isn't just some bullshit tip of the hat-these things don't happen, man, unless everybody is pitching in. And, that show was one in which a large percentage of the people really seemed to have a genuine commitment to doing the show-to making the show as good as it could possibly be, beyond what one normally encounters in 'the industry' " (Hesseman). Gordon Jump agrees: "To every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. It's a basic law of physics. And every one of those players that I played with-they never gave me back less than 100%" (Jump). "Just about everybody who was there was very supportive," adds Richard Sanders. "Everybody did their work. There was nobody sluffing 1 2 America's Favorite Radio Station off...There was no sort of thing like where you couldn't talk to another actor...you could always get them to help you oul..It was a great thing. I had never had that experience before or since on any other show" (Sanders). This dedication fostered an amazing attention to detail. Even the little things mattered. TIle control board in the studio, for instance, was laid out much like those found in real stations. All the knobs and buttons had specific functions, and the actors would virtually work the controls as they acted their part. Furthermore, actors and writers went to great lengths to maintain WKRP's continuity. Blake Hunter, one of the show's original writers, kept a journal listing the various "facts" mentioned in each episode, rendering the sitcom more consistent-and the station more realistic. A station general manager once told Gordon Jump, "You know, I used to laugh at your show until I realized I'm watching a documentary." Hugh Wilson, creator, executive producer and head writer of the series, was frequently complimented on the show's realism. "I got so many letters like that," said Wilson. "...So many people who worked for radio stations literally wrote in and said, 'You must have researched at the station I work at.' I know for a fact that we certainly captured the spirit of the thing...and I was very proud of that...We tried to behave ourselves on WKRP...I think the truth is much more interesting than fiction" (Wilson). More important than providing a realistic setting, however, was WKRP's attention to character development. WKRP Staff writer Tom Chehak said, "I think the characters were really thoroughly defined. The thing with a half-hour [sitcom is that]...if people understand the characters, understand where they're coming from, you've got 'em...WeU, that's what happened in WKRP-You knew if Herb Tarlek walked into the room, or [Jennifer] walked into the room, between Frank and Loni, there was a laugh,--or a look from the Big Guy-whatever. And they were so clearly defined and so clearly different, you could write any situation; they had all kinds of attitudes" (Chehak). "It was real," added Gordon Jump. "It was believable. It was about fallible people. We saw the good and the bad...