| Topic Name: |
CNN Get out your Resume |
| Message Name: |
Bill's 2 AM Newscasts on TBS... |
| Date Posted: |
05/12/2005 |
| In Reply To: |
And he was the original news anchor at WTBS, Ted's superstation...and later, yeah, Bill did work at CNN. Not only was he a great guy, but he constantly kept everyone in stitches. Funny, funny man. |
| Message: |
I remember when Ted decided that WTBS needed a daily newscast to ensure license renewal, so he hired Bill Tush and buried it at 2 am, after the late movie, or a Braves game on the west coast. I was a college student during those days, I sat through more than a few of those waiting on Bill and "the news."
A couple of memorable moments: after a story on marijuana, Bill rolled his script up like a giant joint and lit it on camera. On another evening, he read a story about doctors researching the possibility of head transplants. When he finished, he looked into the camera and asked, "Who in the world would ever want a head transplant?" As he did that, the director "supered" Walter Cronkite's head onto Bill shoulders.
I've been told that TBS was a fun place to work in those days of Bill Tush, horrible Braves teams and Slim Whitman record offers during every commercial break. Sadly, those days are long gone. They buried Bill in the NY bureau after CNN came along (as an entertainment correspondent), and he left the network about four years ago. I hope he sold his AOL/Time Warner stock before it tanked.
One more thing: most of you have probably forgotten, but Bill actually hosted a variety/comedy show on TBS in the early 80s, callled "Tush." It was a low-budget effort, taped in Atlanta, but it was a very funny show.
Sadly, as the Turner empire expanded, it lost its soul. Ted Turner changed broadcasting, but eventually, the business changed him (and his holdings) into clones of failing media models...
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