ROCKFORD FILES mini marathon: TONIGHT and THIS WEEK on KOFY TV, San Francisco

Attention, Rockford fans in Northern California… KOFY TV, Channel 20 in San Francisco (and Channel 13 on most cable systems throughout the Bay Area and beyond) will be showing a mini marathon of The Rockford Files this week as part of Retro Night, the station’s weekly salute to classic TV shows from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Not only that, KOFY invited me to co-host the program, along with my friend (and fellow Rockford aficionado) Ronn Owens of KGO Radio. Ronn and I recorded several wrap-around segments that will air coming out of the commercial breaks, in which we talk about Rockford, Angel, Beth, the Firebird, Rocky and, of course, James Garner. Here’s the lineup:8pm KOFY Channel 20 (cable channel 13)
“The Dark and Bloody Ground” TONIGHT, Sunday, Jan. 25 9pm KOFY Channel 20 (cable channel 13)
“Exit Prentiss Carr” Wednesday, Jan. 28 10pm KOFY Channel 20 (cable channel 13)
“In Search of Carol Thorne” Friday, Jan. 30 10pm KOFY Channel 20 (cable channel 13)Ed Robertson
Author, THIRTY YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner

“The Kirkoff Case” TONIGHT, Sunday, Jan. 25

Dean & Jerry & Tony & Jeff: This Week on TV CONFIDENTIAL

Hop aboard the Wayback Machine as we pay homage to Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, The Colgate Comedy Hour and other TV icons this week in a special pre-recorded edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, Tuesday, Jan. 27 beginning at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

Tony Figueroa joins Frankie Montiforte and me in our first hour as we remember Patrick McGoohan (Danger Man, The Prisoner), Ricardo Montalban (Fantasy Island) and the marks they left in film and television, on and off the screen. Tony also introduces a new segment he’ll be doing for our program (“This Week in Television History”), as well as leads us in an interesting discussion on the long-running series M*A*S*H. Then Jeff Brodrick joins us in our second hour as we look back at one of television’s first comedy-variety series, The Colgate Comedy Hour. We talk about the many great comedians who hosted the show (including Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis), how it launched the careers of such future TV producers as Norman Lear and Danny Arnold, its influence on such shows as The Carol Burnett Show and Saturday Night Live, and a whole lot more.

Though this week’s program has already been recorded, that does not mean you cannot still participate. If you have questions or comments about any of our topics, we invite you to email us at talk@tvconfidential.net (or leave a message for us on our toll-free listener line, (800) 407-KSAV), and we’ll read your comments on our Feb. 10 broadcast… which, to quote the ’70s band Lakeside, will be all the way live!

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner

“The Wild, Wild West” in a nutshell

In case you missed it, here’s the video from my recent appearance on Retro Night , the weekly salute to classic television that’s seen Sunday nights on San Francisco independent station KOFY TV20. I was invited to give a capsule summary of the original Wild, Wild West, which was the featured program that night. Thanks to KOFY TV for letting us show this.

done

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.edrobertson.com
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner

Don Galloway from “Ironside” dies at age 71

From the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-galloway11-2009jan11,0,3395364.story

Frankie and I talked about Don Galloway in July 2008, along with our guest Michael Seth Starr, as part of our tribute to Raymond Burr. If you missed that program, you can find it on the archives page at www.tvconfidential.net.

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes

Television is starting to look beyond the 18- to 49-year-old demographic

Marketers targeted the group hoping to build brand loyalty in young people. Scott Collins of the LA Times reports on how some in the TV industry now view that as short-sighted:

 http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-demographic11-2009jan11,0,5616698.story

We’ve Got What You’re Looking For (or, Counter Programming R Us)

For those listeners in the greater San Francisco Bay Area who may not be watching the Golden Globe Awards tonight (or, for that matter, the season premiere of 24), yours truly will be among the guests on tonight on Retro Night, the weekly salute to classic television broadcast Sundays 8-10pm on KOFY TV20 (a local station that in many respects is once again the equivalent to KDOC in Los Angeles). I’ll be giving a capsule history of tonight’s featured program, The Wild, Wild West starring Robert Conrad, Ross Martin and (on a recurring basis) Michael Dunn.

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes

“Works for Me”: Stepfanie Kramer from “Hunter” Joins Us This Week on TV CONFIDENTIAL

Singer/actress Stepfanie Kramer will be our special guest this as TV CONFIDENTIAL expands to two hours, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

Though best known for playing Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, the “Brass Cupcake” on the long-running NBC crime drama Hunter, Stepfanie Kramer is a versatile performer who has appeared in many top-rated made-for-TV movies, miniseries and critically acclaimed independent feature films. She is also an accomplished singer, composer and lyricist whose musical talents have been praised by the likes of Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., Brandon Tartikoff, Harry Belafonte and Stephen J. Cannell.

If you’re a fan of Stepfanie Kramer, if you’ve enjoyed her work on Hunter or have questions about her other work in television and music, we invite you to join us this Tuesday, Jan. 13 beginning at our new time, 10pm-midnight ET, 7pm-9pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org. Phone number is (800) 407-KSAV (5728). If you have a question or comment that you’d like to email in advance, the address, as always, is talk@tvconfidential.net.

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes

Jack Bauer, agent of hope? I spy an out of sync “24″

Tim Goodman, TV columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has an interesting take on “24,” which launches its seventh season this Sunday at 8pm ET/PT on Fox. He says the election of Barack Obama has rendered the series pointless (or, some might say, even more pointless than it was before)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/DDO5155QFF.DTL

Bob Wilkins: Bay Area TV personality, host of “Creature Features”

Bob Wilkins was not your typical late night horror movie host, but that’s what him special. His Creature Features was a Saturday night staple on Bay Area television for close to two decades, known as much for his acerbic sense of humor as for its slate of cult and/or cheesy movies (Attack of the Puppet People, Village of the Giants, The Creeping Terror, The Beach Girls and The Monster et al.). In addition, Wilkins was an excellent interviewer; his conversations with the likes of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ray Harryhousen and Christopher Lee each week were also a highlight of the program. 

I met Wilkins briefly back in 2002, when we were “neighbors” at a sci-fi convention held in San Francisco (our tables were adjacent to each other). During a lull in the action, I walked over and introduced myself; he could not have been more gracious.

Bob Wilkins passed away this week at the age of 76. As local TV personalities go, he was an original and he will be missed.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/BAQS15665F.DTL&hw=bob+wilkins&sn=001&sc=1000

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes

Early TV memories will put their stamp this year on USPS postage

From the Associated Press, by way of Google News:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDngYBY_bgKx43MxJrtfMnqWalSQD95CI8EO0