"Keep the faith... enjoy your weekend."
August 26, 2021 8:34 AM Subscribe
Lloyd Dobyns, Peabody winner and anchor of two highly regarded NBC News programs, has died at age 85. The wry, dry, low-key American news correspondent anchored arguably two of the finest news programs NBC ever produced: the offbeat and groundbreaking newsmagazine "Weekend"; and the network's answer to ABC's "Nightline", "NBC News Overnight" with Linda Ellerbee.
Starting in 1974 and running monthly-or-so in the 11:30 PM Saturday slot, "Weekend" soon became the designated hitter in SNL's timeslot on their weeks off. Its kinetic opening title and theme song lifted from a Stones hit signalled that this wasn't your granddad's news program. Dobyns anchored from an in-studio park bench and in a writing style somewhere between David Brinkley and Charles Osgood.
In 1978, envious of CBS's "60 Minutes" and unwilling to leave a good thing alone, NBC moved "Weekend" into prime time and added Ellerbee as co-anchor. Ellerbee and Dobyns were well-matched, but the timeslot proved fatal by 1979.
In 1982, envious of ABC's "Nightline", NBC devised a late-night news program to run after Letterman at 1:30 AM. "NBC News Overnight" was to the evening news what "Weekend" had been to the newsmagazine. It was also a decade ahead of its spiritual clone, ABC's "World News Now". Dobyns and Ellerbee were re-teamed and sent forth to Letterman to promote the program.
Ellerbee famously quipped that the program's electronic theme song sounded like someone was holding Donald Duck's head underwater. After a year of flat ratings, Dobyns left the program.
Dobyns next anchored NBC's new primetime newsmagazine "Monitor", a dull and lifeless affair that made "Weekend" ratings look good by comparison.
"In 1980 he was a reporter on the successful TV documentary, If Japan can... Why can't we? about the reasons Japan was a manufacturing powerhouse as US industry struggled to keep up" (Wikipedia). After leaving the network in 1986, he partnered with W. Edwards Deming and got involved in the Total Quality Management movement.
"Dobyns began hosting podcasts for Colonial Williamsburg in 2005, interviewing various staff members about their particular specialty at the restored colonial capital of Virginia.[6][7] He initially did not know what a podcast was, but warmed to the idea when he found out they were similar to the interviews he conducted in the past." (Wikipedia).
Starting in 1974 and running monthly-or-so in the 11:30 PM Saturday slot, "Weekend" soon became the designated hitter in SNL's timeslot on their weeks off. Its kinetic opening title and theme song lifted from a Stones hit signalled that this wasn't your granddad's news program. Dobyns anchored from an in-studio park bench and in a writing style somewhere between David Brinkley and Charles Osgood.
In 1978, envious of CBS's "60 Minutes" and unwilling to leave a good thing alone, NBC moved "Weekend" into prime time and added Ellerbee as co-anchor. Ellerbee and Dobyns were well-matched, but the timeslot proved fatal by 1979.
In 1982, envious of ABC's "Nightline", NBC devised a late-night news program to run after Letterman at 1:30 AM. "NBC News Overnight" was to the evening news what "Weekend" had been to the newsmagazine. It was also a decade ahead of its spiritual clone, ABC's "World News Now". Dobyns and Ellerbee were re-teamed and sent forth to Letterman to promote the program.
Ellerbee famously quipped that the program's electronic theme song sounded like someone was holding Donald Duck's head underwater. After a year of flat ratings, Dobyns left the program.
Dobyns next anchored NBC's new primetime newsmagazine "Monitor", a dull and lifeless affair that made "Weekend" ratings look good by comparison.
"In 1980 he was a reporter on the successful TV documentary, If Japan can... Why can't we? about the reasons Japan was a manufacturing powerhouse as US industry struggled to keep up" (Wikipedia). After leaving the network in 1986, he partnered with W. Edwards Deming and got involved in the Total Quality Management movement.
"Dobyns began hosting podcasts for Colonial Williamsburg in 2005, interviewing various staff members about their particular specialty at the restored colonial capital of Virginia.[6][7] He initially did not know what a podcast was, but warmed to the idea when he found out they were similar to the interviews he conducted in the past." (Wikipedia).
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posted by JoeXIII007 at 9:30 AM on August 26, 2021
posted by JoeXIII007 at 9:30 AM on August 26, 2021
Didn't Mr. Dobyns also host "In the News", a five-minute or so new update for CBS' Saturday morning children's' programming?
posted by Billiken at 9:40 AM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Billiken at 9:40 AM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Bean fraud!
This is great stuff! If I had been just a year or two older I probably would have watched the original run.
posted by freakazoid at 11:54 AM on August 26, 2021
This is great stuff! If I had been just a year or two older I probably would have watched the original run.
posted by freakazoid at 11:54 AM on August 26, 2021
When Weekend ran in prime time, it had a slot opposite Fantasy Island on ABC. One night, on the theater marquee that appeared at the beginning of the show, the words read WELCOME TO REALITY ISLAND.
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posted by Flexagon at 1:11 PM on August 26, 2021
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posted by Flexagon at 1:11 PM on August 26, 2021
Didn't Mr. Dobyns also host "In the News", a five-minute or so new update for CBS' Saturday morning children's' programming?
No, Christopher Glenn was the CBS correspondent who did "In The News"
It was a big deal for me in 1976, when I was 13, to stay up late and watch SNL, so on the weeks that "Weekend" ran instead, I was very disappointed, but once I started high school and got a little more interested in news and current events, I would look forward to it. By college, I was a total night owl and watched "NBC News Overnight" every night on the little black-and-white TV I had in my dorm room.
posted by briank at 1:12 PM on August 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
No, Christopher Glenn was the CBS correspondent who did "In The News"
It was a big deal for me in 1976, when I was 13, to stay up late and watch SNL, so on the weeks that "Weekend" ran instead, I was very disappointed, but once I started high school and got a little more interested in news and current events, I would look forward to it. By college, I was a total night owl and watched "NBC News Overnight" every night on the little black-and-white TV I had in my dorm room.
posted by briank at 1:12 PM on August 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
A couple further items:
Dobyns/Weekend was the first to interview 14-year-old model and not-yet-actress Brooke Shields and her mother on TV, The camera followed her through a day in her life, incuding a trip to the dentist (ooh, scandalous!)
In 1975, Weekend was what passed for an 'edgy' news program; Roone Arledge and his pejoritavely-labeled "Wide World of News" circus and the outrageous satire "Network" (aka the new normal in news-as-showbiz) were still a couple years away. Curmudgeon Andy Rooney woudn't be a household name until a few years after that, assuming you did ever notice.
Here's a clip of the retooled primetme version of Weekend from 1979. This was NBC's first attempt to answer Arledge's detonation and reimagining of ABC News away from the era of 'pre-breakdown Howard Beale', errm Harry Reasoner-fronted high-priest sobriety. The cheesy news music theme is undoutedly meant to be ironic.
posted by zaixfeep at 2:48 PM on August 26, 2021
Dobyns/Weekend was the first to interview 14-year-old model and not-yet-actress Brooke Shields and her mother on TV, The camera followed her through a day in her life, incuding a trip to the dentist (ooh, scandalous!)
In 1975, Weekend was what passed for an 'edgy' news program; Roone Arledge and his pejoritavely-labeled "Wide World of News" circus and the outrageous satire "Network" (aka the new normal in news-as-showbiz) were still a couple years away. Curmudgeon Andy Rooney woudn't be a household name until a few years after that, assuming you did ever notice.
Here's a clip of the retooled primetme version of Weekend from 1979. This was NBC's first attempt to answer Arledge's detonation and reimagining of ABC News away from the era of 'pre-breakdown Howard Beale', errm Harry Reasoner-fronted high-priest sobriety. The cheesy news music theme is undoutedly meant to be ironic.
posted by zaixfeep at 2:48 PM on August 26, 2021
Good night Bambi Tascarella, wherever you are and on whatever Chyron your production credit still scrolls...
For the benefit of future Bambi archaeologists, and because this doesn't really fit as a FPP in its own right in the current era of MeFI, I'll just leave this here:
* NBC Nightly News, Jul. 4 1976 very long credit roll
* NBC Nightly News, 1977 very long credit roll
NBC lifer Tascarella's name stood out in the dull, pro forma screen-after-screen-after-screen credits like a fawn grazing among a forest of gray TV producer trees. A number of news viewers across the country took notice; one guy actually started a fan club. Even then-anchor John Chancellor asked for, and was granted a membership card.
* From 2001: Bambi fan club still thrives
* From 2017: 50 Years of Tom Brokaw: search for "Bambi" and you'll see her 2004 photo with Tom and a brief blurb celebrating his career
* From Jan. 24, 2020, sadly, Bambi's last 'Nightly' credit.
I just discovered the last link and felt closure was needed.
. for Lloyd, and a belated . for Bambi.
I wonder how Gwen Dibley is doing?
posted by zaixfeep at 1:20 AM on August 28, 2021
For the benefit of future Bambi archaeologists, and because this doesn't really fit as a FPP in its own right in the current era of MeFI, I'll just leave this here:
* NBC Nightly News, Jul. 4 1976 very long credit roll
* NBC Nightly News, 1977 very long credit roll
NBC lifer Tascarella's name stood out in the dull, pro forma screen-after-screen-after-screen credits like a fawn grazing among a forest of gray TV producer trees. A number of news viewers across the country took notice; one guy actually started a fan club. Even then-anchor John Chancellor asked for, and was granted a membership card.
* From 2001: Bambi fan club still thrives
* From 2017: 50 Years of Tom Brokaw: search for "Bambi" and you'll see her 2004 photo with Tom and a brief blurb celebrating his career
* From Jan. 24, 2020, sadly, Bambi's last 'Nightly' credit.
I just discovered the last link and felt closure was needed.
. for Lloyd, and a belated . for Bambi.
I wonder how Gwen Dibley is doing?
posted by zaixfeep at 1:20 AM on August 28, 2021
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Good night Bambi Tascarella, wherever you are and on whatever Chyron your production credit still scrolls...
posted by zaixfeep at 8:40 AM on August 26, 2021 [4 favorites]