Emmy-winning producer, Earl Greenburg, 61
La N
Emmy-winning producer Greenburg dies
(Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun staff
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Earl Greenburg, a pioneer in video marketing and
winner of two Emmy Awards as a TV executive, died Friday morning of
complications from melanoma. He was 61.
Greenburg died at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, surrounded
with his son, daughter and brother present, according to his life partner
David Peet, who was also there.
No funeral arrangements have yet been made.
Greenburg was a former vice president of NBC and used to be a producer of
The Regis Philbin Show. He won two Emmys and was virtually the father of
infomercial marketing as we know it today.
Greenburg was a partner in two companies, Total Marketing Partners in Palm
Springs and Transaction Marketing Partners in Santa Monica. He also was
chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
"This is a huge loss. We're never going to see a guy like this in the valley
again," said Harold Matzner, chairman emeritus of the festival. "I've never
seen a guy like this, and I've known thousands of people."
Greenburg, who was born in Philadelphia, started his career in law in the
1970s - first with the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, then in
corporate and antitrust law. He grew bored after nearly a decade, and in
1978, a recruiter brought him to NBC as vice president of compliance and
practices.
But he wanted to move into another part of the business. "After three years
on the job, I wanted to do something on the creative side," he said in a
2005 interview with The Desert Sun.
A jog with legendary NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff helped him crystallize
his goals. "He asked, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' " Greenburg
recalled.
Greenburg was named vice president-in-charge of daytime programming in 1981
and he worked fast, canceling all but one of the network's game shows.
By chance, he said, he kept Wheel of Fortune, which has since gone to
syndication and remains one of the most successful and popular game shows in
TV history.
Greenburg later lured Regis Philbin from local television to a network
program. The Regis Philbin Show won an Emmy in 1984.
After Greenburg left NBC, more success followed with proto- typical reality
TV shows: Fantasy, World's Scariest Police Chases and World's Wildest Police
Chases.
But a new opportunity arose in infomercials. The new long-form commercials
were frowned upon by television executives and Greenburg knew little about
the new format. By 1990, he was president of a new unit of the cable giant
Home Shopping Network - HSN Entertainment.
"He was pioneer," said Lea Goodsell, who will continue as president of Total
Marketing Partners. "I have never worked with someone with such
irrepressible spirit, backed by such knowledge."
bway...@gmail.com
> http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2008-02-01-greenburg_N.htm
> Emmy-winning producer Greenburg dies
Here's an obituary from TVGameShows.net, which is not as kind to Mr.
Greenburg:
Earl Greenburg:
1946-2008
Earl Greenburg, former NBC vice president of daytime programming
who was not one of the best friends to network game shows, died of
melanoma Friday morning at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage,
Cal. He was 61.
Also credited as the "father of infomercial marketing," Greenburg
was a partner in two California marketing companies at the time of his
death and chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
After an early career in law, the Philadelphia native was recruited
to NBC in 1978 as vice president of standards and practices. NBC
Entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff moved Greenburg over to the
creative side as head of network daytime in 1981. As documented in
various West Coast media accounts of his career, Greenburg proceeded
to cancel all but one of NBC's game shows, namely Wheel of Fortune.
Merv Griffin's creation received an eleventh hour save a year earlier.
Greenburg's generosity paved the way for Wheel to be distributed at
night in syndication in 1983 in one of the industry's biggest
megasucess stories.
Among the games he axed: Password Plus, Las Vegas Gambit,
Blockbusters and Battlestars. Admittedly, all four were ratings losers
but Greenburg's replacements were equal if not worse failures.
A Regis Philbin morning half-hour lasted barely four months. His
move of the soap Texas to mornings was a disaster. A switch of the
ratings-tired soap The Doctors as the replacement for Password Plus
sank noon ratings another 11 percent. Importing repeats of the
nighttime crime adventure hour CHiPs only lasted five months.
Greenburg did bring on the afternoon Fantasy in October 1982 which
brought Peter Marshall back to NBC with Leslie Uggams as co-host. The
show ran 13 months but almost none of Greenburg's moves revived NBC's
daytime fortunes and he virtually ended game show development at the
network.
He experienced much greater success in the 1990s when he became
president of HSN Entertainment, a subsidiary of Home Shopping Network.
There, he became a powerhouse in infomercial production concurrent
with an explosion in local station and cable purchases of the format
for overnight and weekend hours.
Greenburg was remembered Friday by his colleagues with the Palm
Springs Film Festival for his energy and encouragement with young and
new filmmakers. During his career, Greenburg won two Emmys.
La N
<bway...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:f0cc7291-d61a-454f...@l32g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> > Greenburg did bring on the afternoon Fantasy in October 1982 which
> brought Peter Marshall back to NBC with Leslie Uggams as co-host. The
> show ran 13 months but almost none of Greenburg's moves revived NBC's
> daytime fortunes and he virtually ended game show development at the
> network.
>
Leslie Uggams. She's another one who used to appear *everywhere*. I just
looked her up on imdb.com, and it seems that she hasn't done much by way of
her craft since she appeared on a 1996 episode of ALL MY CHILDREN.
- nilita
Hyfler/Rosner
"La N" <nilita20...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:gTkpj.4895$C61.1582@edtnps89...
>>
> Leslie Uggams. She's another one who used to appear
> *everywhere*. I just looked her up on imdb.com, and it
> seems that she hasn't done much by way of her craft since
> she appeared on a 1996 episode of ALL MY CHILDREN.
>
> - nilita
Ah, but she's always on Broadway. She had a Tony
nomination for an August Wilson play. She starred opposite
James Earl Jones in On Golden Pond a couple of years ago.
Before that, she had been in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She
performed in City Center's Encores Bash, which is very high
profile. She's around.
La N
"Hyfler/Rosner" <rel...@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:FbWdnQmrTdCbezja...@rcn.net...
You're right! http://www.leslieuggams.com/
- nilita
PS: Note to self: Don't be lazy and just rely on imdb for info ...
Hyfler/Rosner
>>>>>
>>> Leslie Uggams. She's another one who used to appear
>>> *everywhere*. I just looked her up on imdb.com, and it
>>> seems that she hasn't done much by way of her craft
>>> since she appeared on a 1996 episode of ALL MY CHILDREN.
>>>
>>> - nilita
>>
>>
>> Ah, but she's always on Broadway. She had a Tony
>> nomination for an August Wilson play. She starred
>> opposite James Earl Jones in On Golden Pond a couple of
>> years ago. Before that, she had been in Thoroughly Modern
>> Millie. She performed in City Center's Encores Bash,
>> which is very high profile. She's around.
>>
>
> You're right! http://www.leslieuggams.com/
>
> - nilita
>
> PS: Note to self: Don't be lazy and just rely on imdb
> for info ...
Actually, I'm glad you posted that because I sent off an
email to the website telling them that they spelled Lena
Horne wrong. If she's going to play her on Broadway, they
should spell it right.
Brad Ferguson
<f0cc7291-d61a-454f...@l32g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
<bway...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Also credited as the "father of infomercial marketing,"
What circle of hell does that get him?
La N
"Brad Ferguson" <thir...@frXOXed.net> wrote in message
news:030220081304122217%thir...@frXOXed.net...
Is that the same as home shopping network?
I've actually encountered people who are virtually addicted to buying
products "as seen on TV". Rarely, of course, do they ever work as well IRL.
Mind you, I met someone from Florida who truly liked his Popeil's pocket
fisherman.
- nilita
bway...@gmail.com
> "Hyfler/Rosner" <rel...@rcn.com> wrote in message
>
> news:FbWdnQmrTdCbezja...@rcn.net...
>
> >news:gTkpj.4895$C61.1582@edtnps89...
>
> >> Leslie Uggams. She's another one who used to appear *everywhere*. I
> >> just looked her up on imdb.com, and it seems that she hasn't done much by
> >> way of her craft since she appeared on a 1996 episode of ALL MY CHILDREN.
>
> >> - nilita
>
> > Ah, but she's always on Broadway. She had a Tony nomination for an
> > August Wilson play. She starred opposite James Earl Jones in On Golden
> > Pond a couple of years ago. Before that, she had been in Thoroughly Modern
> > Millie. She performed in City Center's Encores Bash, which is very high
> > profile. She's around.
>
> You're right! http://www.leslieuggams.com/
>
> - nilita
>
> PS: Note to self: Don't be lazy and just rely on imdb for info ...
Here's my review of a show that Ms. Uggams performed in (wonderfully)
last year:
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/philly/phil48.html
-Tim
Hyfler/Rosner
<bway...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:522aa62d-8616-47a2...@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>
> Here's my review of a show that Ms. Uggams performed in
> (wonderfully)
> last year:
> http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/philly/phil48.html
>
> -Tim
Terrific stuff. Thanks.
La N
<bway...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:522aa62d-8616-47a2...@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Wow. I always enjoyed her guest appearances on various t.v. shows, but it
all seems small potatoes compared to her stage career. Great review,
wonderful actress.
- nilita
David Carson
wrote:
>I've actually encountered people who are virtually addicted to buying
>products "as seen on TV". Rarely, of course, do they ever work as well IRL.
>Mind you, I met someone from Florida who truly liked his Popeil's pocket
>fisherman.
The only thing I ever bought off of TV was one of those meat thawing
plates. I can't say it was one of the best purchases I've made.
Brad Ferguson
Carson <da...@neosoft.com> wrote:
My only TV buy: I bought a blowgun thing that was supposed to clear
your drains with air pressure. It wouldn't even blow your nose.
When I was a little kid, there were ads in the comic books for Your Own
Log Cabin. A buck ninety-eight. It came six months after I ordered it
and it turned out to be a cheap plastic sheet that you were supposed to
throw over a card table. It was a cheap lesson.
La N
"Brad Ferguson" <thir...@frXOXed.net> wrote in message
My daughter teases me that I want to buy every chopper/dicer gadget that
comes around. None of them are as good as advertised or as depicted on the
box. She finally bought me a very expensive food processor with all sorts
of accessories. But I find it too complicated ... too many moving parts ...
;(
- nilita
John M.
I fell for the fishing kit but never for the X-ray glasses. (Well, that is,
after I'd blown my money for the tackle stuff, none was left over for the
glasses.)
--
John M.