The Wilton North Report
Encyclopedia
The Wilton North Report was Fox
's second attempt at a regular late-night show, replacing The Late Show
. The series premiered on December 11, 1987 and ended four weeks later, on January 8, 1988.
The announcer for the first two weeks of the show was Michael Hanks. He was replaced by Don Morrow
for the final two weeks.
staple The Daily Show
and the CBC
-produced This Hour Has 22 Minutes
.
The show's name derives from the Fox Television Center
's location at the time on the intersection of Sunset Boulevard
and North Wilton Place.
However, less than a week before the show was to debut, producer Barry Sand cut that opening segment – with the result that by the time the show made it to air, its own cast and crew had difficulty articulating what the show was even trying to do.
from Sacramento
with limited television experience), Sand, and the writers. Cowan and Robins thought the writers' material was too sophisticated for mass audiences and frequently not very funny; Sand, a former producer for Late Night with David Letterman
, wanted Cowan and Robins to stop sounding so shrill. Also, the writers were never comfortable writing for Cowan and Robins, who they considered less than erudite. The program's cast also included Nancy Collins, Greg Jackson, and Wayne Satz
as interviewers, Paul Krassner
as a commentator, and Jack LaLanne
as a health and fitness reporter.
Even naming the show in the first place was difficult. Fox wasn't thrilled with Nightcap, a take on ABC
's late-night newsmagazine Nightline. Due to that, the writers came up with about 200 more possible names. One writer, Lane Sarasohn, noting that the show was taped in the Wilton North Building, submitted The Wilton North Report because it sounded like The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.
Near the end of the run, the show was to completely change its format to showing real-life videos (mini-documentaries) with Krassner introducing them and discussing them with Cowan and Robins. On January 1, he (as "practice") discussed the highlights of 1987, with a possible permanent position the following Monday.
However, Fox affiliates wanted the show cancelled immediately, and the program's demise was announced on January 5, with four episodes left.
One of the show's writers went on to better things. Future Late Night
and The Tonight Show
host Conan O'Brien
figured it was a good experience doing "service on a ship that sank." He also was able to practice his stand up techniques by occasionally warming up the crowd.
with Steve Doocy
. Cowan and Robins went on to appear as "The Answer Guys" alongside host Richard Hart
on the television series The Next Step (aka NextStep), a magazine show about new technology on San Francisco's KRON-TV
which eventually went national on the Discovery Channel
. They later became the show's hosts, for which they were nominated for a Cable Ace award and won two regional Emmys.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's second attempt at a regular late-night show, replacing The Late Show
The Late Show (1986 TV series)
The Late Show is an American late-night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-new Fox Network. Originally hosted by comic actress Joan Rivers, it first aired on October 9, 1986 under the title The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers...
. The series premiered on December 11, 1987 and ended four weeks later, on January 8, 1988.
The announcer for the first two weeks of the show was Michael Hanks. He was replaced by Don Morrow
Don Morrow
Don Morrow is an American actor and announcer. He started his broadcast career while a student at Syracuse University on the GI Bill shortly after World War II. His first job was with Syracuse's first TV station WHEN as newscaster and announcer...
for the final two weeks.
Format
As first conceived, Wilton Norths opening segment, which was planned to be its signature segment, would review the day's news using actual footage, then comment on it in a funny, hard-hitting fashion. Shows that follow a similar premise today include Comedy CentralComedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
staple The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
and the CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
-produced This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
.
The show's name derives from the Fox Television Center
Fox Television Center
Fox Television Center is a television studio facility located at 1999 South Bundy Drive in West Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, in the United States....
's location at the time on the intersection of Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
and North Wilton Place.
However, less than a week before the show was to debut, producer Barry Sand cut that opening segment – with the result that by the time the show made it to air, its own cast and crew had difficulty articulating what the show was even trying to do.
Behind the scenes
Creative differences occurred between the show's hosts (Phil Cowan and Paul Robins, morning drive-time deejaysDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
from Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
with limited television experience), Sand, and the writers. Cowan and Robins thought the writers' material was too sophisticated for mass audiences and frequently not very funny; Sand, a former producer for Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
, wanted Cowan and Robins to stop sounding so shrill. Also, the writers were never comfortable writing for Cowan and Robins, who they considered less than erudite. The program's cast also included Nancy Collins, Greg Jackson, and Wayne Satz
Wayne Satz
Wayne Thomas Satz was a reporter who first reported on the McMartin preschool trial. His first McMartin broadcast aired on KABC-TV in Los Angeles on February 2, 1984.-External links:...
as interviewers, Paul Krassner
Paul Krassner
Paul Krassner is an author, journalist, stand-up comedian, and the founder, editor and a frequent contributor to the freethought magazine The Realist, first published in 1958...
as a commentator, and Jack LaLanne
Jack LaLanne
Francois Henri "Jack" LaLanne was an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes called "the godfather of fitness" and the "first fitness superhero." He described himself as being a "sugarholic" and a "junk food junkie" until he was 15...
as a health and fitness reporter.
Even naming the show in the first place was difficult. Fox wasn't thrilled with Nightcap, a take on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's late-night newsmagazine Nightline. Due to that, the writers came up with about 200 more possible names. One writer, Lane Sarasohn, noting that the show was taped in the Wilton North Building, submitted The Wilton North Report because it sounded like The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.
Near the end of the run, the show was to completely change its format to showing real-life videos (mini-documentaries) with Krassner introducing them and discussing them with Cowan and Robins. On January 1, he (as "practice") discussed the highlights of 1987, with a possible permanent position the following Monday.
However, Fox affiliates wanted the show cancelled immediately, and the program's demise was announced on January 5, with four episodes left.
One of the show's writers went on to better things. Future Late Night
Late Night
Late Night is shorthand for several different things:*Late night television - generally United States programming airing after 11:30pm EST**Late-night talk show, the most common type of late night television in the United States...
and The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
host Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
figured it was a good experience doing "service on a ship that sank." He also was able to practice his stand up techniques by occasionally warming up the crowd.
Cancellation
The Wilton North Report was cancelled after 21 episodes, although Fox had originally planned to give it a year. Sand would go on to another failed series, House PartyArt Linkletter's House Party
House Party is an American radio daytime variety/talk show that aired on CBS Radio and on ABC Radio from January 15, 1945 to October 13, 1967...
with Steve Doocy
Steve Doocy
Stephen James "Steve" Doocy is an American network-television personality on the Fox News Channel, journalist, and a best selling author.-Early life:...
. Cowan and Robins went on to appear as "The Answer Guys" alongside host Richard Hart
Richard Hart (journalist)
Richard Hart was a staple of Bay Area television throughout the 1980s on the popular Evening Magazine. EM aired at 7:30 pm nightly, with co-host Jan Yanehiro and showcased some of the interesting and often technology-based activities and happenings around the San Francisco Bay Area.Richard Hart...
on the television series The Next Step (aka NextStep), a magazine show about new technology on San Francisco's KRON-TV
KRON-TV
KRON-TV, virtual channel 4 , is a television station in San Francisco, California, serving as the Bay Area affiliate of the MyNetworkTV programming service; the station is owned by Young Broadcasting...
which eventually went national on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. They later became the show's hosts, for which they were nominated for a Cable Ace award and won two regional Emmys.